Clay processing

There are many sites in Friuli, especially in the hills, that have specialized in the extraction and the processing of clay, since the Roman age. Several furnaces were active in the Middle Ages when every well established inhabited area used to have one. In the second half of the 19th century traditional furnaces - called “cravuate” - were gradually replaced by continuous fire ones (Hoffmann system, since 1858) called “privilegio” .

Professional specialization and migration

During the 19th century a huge flow of men, women and children left this region full of furnaces for other areas of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The local specialization in clay processing thus became an opportunity in the history of migration. It was a matter of seasonal transfers, from spring to autumn, of furnace workers, owners and builders. The experience gained abroad allowed the homecoming labourers to renovate their activity in Friuli.