Carbonaia

A fundamental element in constructing a charcoal pit was the creation of a flat, circular area to lay the stack of wood (about 5 - 6 m in diameter). In the center of the clearing, the "castle-like" chimney was built, and pieces of logs were stacked vertically on it, rarely split, from the largest to the smallest towards the outside.
Once the stack was completed, all the gaps were filled with smaller pieces of wood, then the covering process began: a first layer of dry leaves, and an outer layer of soil or turf aimed to prevent air from fueling the fire, as the wood was not meant to burn, but to undergo slow combustion without flames.

It was not easy to find soil in generally rocky mountain forests, so soil was precious and conserved from year to year. Moreover, the charcoal makers knew from experience that already used and burnt soil compacted better and was therefore preferable to new soil.

In the Susa Valley, to overcome the common problem of strong winds, when there was no sufficiently sheltered area, a trench made of wood, branches, and soil was built around the charcoal pit at a distance that allowed passage for work.

Ignition and distillation were the two moments when the skill of the charcoal burner was crucial, as few signals such as the color of the fire and the intensity of the smoke indicated the right time to move on to the next phase.

The embers were thrown into the chimney, then the "ciapouloou" were thrown in, pieces of wood 15-20 cm long. As the charcoal pit was fed, the fire began to rise. Once the fire reached the top of the chimney, it started spreading to the pile and descending.

The chimney was covered with a stone slab, and the layer of earth and leaves had to be pierced from top to bottom to allow air to enter: a row of holes called "fumet" was made all around the charcoal pit, and when the smoke changed from white to blue, another row of holes had to be made lower down. When the holes reached the bottom, the charcoal pit was ready. When it was cooked, it stopped smoking, then it was covered with soil, pressed so the fire could not breathe, and left to rest for at least a day.

Once the charcoal pit was distilled, the charcoal was collected, cleaned of soil, and the pieces that were not well distilled were separated. It was bagged, and the arduous work of transportation downstream began.

Charcoal pits lasted an average of eight days or more depending on their size, and generally, every five tons of wood had to yield one ton of charcoal.
The work of the charcoal burner was carried out in the summer, but already in winter, logs to be burnt were prepared. Near the charcoal pit, there was a small clearing used to build the charcoal shack. Once the charcoal was ready, it should not get wet to avoid damage. So stakes were planted and covered with bundles of branches, placed as vertically as possible, and when the charcoal was cold, it was placed there and left because it was time to make hay. The charcoal was taken away after the hay season.

Texts taken from Cahier n.14 of the Ecomuseum Colombano Romean "Ël mitī isüblià du charbunī - The forgotten profession of the charcoal burner"