Post 9. Old Farmhouse

On the front of this old farmhouse, a coat of arms and the date 1855 are visible. The photo on the right shows the back part of the structure made of stone, which was the location of the kitchen and the wooden front, which housed the main room of each dwelling.

Formerly, the kitchen floor was made of clay with large flat stones. In one corner was the hearth with a pot where soup or polenta were made. More modern kitchens were equipped with a wood rack with iron hoops that could be removed to introduce the wood and adjust the pans. Each kitchen had a “wood box” to store logs. An opening between the wall of the kitchen and the room allowed residents to directly place wood in the soapstone stove. The kitchen was not insulated and was used to prepare food, wash and put away the dishes. The only heated space, a little more insulated, was the main wooden room with a rustic table where people ate.

In the evening, stories of “ghosts” were told around the soapstone stove that was used to dry clothes and also cook potatoes in a small cavity called la cachette, ( the hiding place ). Massive wooden beds, often made up of two levels, called charettes ( carts ) were placed against the walls of the room. The beds were pulled out for the night on little wheels. In some larger homes, from the main room one could access two small adjoining bedrooms.

The mule stable to the right of the house, is higher and narrower than those intended for cows.

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Take the path to the chapel and continue on the road about 20 meters to the house with blue shutters. This road follows the route of the old Vissoie-Ayer mule track.