A building resting on a huge boulder, the sound produced by the incessant flowing of the waters of the Nembo stream… these are the main features of the “Forge of Teveno,” a place that has always been held up as an example of how mountain people had achieved a high degree of self-sufficiency.
In fact, here, thanks to the work of a mallet driven by the waters drawn from the stream and the skill of the forging craftsman, all those tools that served the daily living of an entire village were built.
The Forge of Teveno stands along the ancient Valbona road that connected Teveno and the Oltrepovo hamlets (Bueggio, Nona di Scalve, and Pezzolo) to the village of Dezzo and the Via Mala.
It is one of the buildings that gave life to a kind of industrial zone; in fact, nearby were the sawmill, the grist mill and the “cable station,” a place for collecting material extracted from the Manina mines.
The Forge (for whose recovery, possible opening to the public and re-evaluation as an ideal place for the staging of cultural moments the association “La Fucina di Teveno A.P.S” has been established) represents the last example of finishing craftsmanship in the entire Scalve Valley, which, in past centuries, had as many as 30.
Of the entire equipment, some mechanical transmission mechanisms and the shaft that, connected to the wheel, energized the work of the mallet, grinding wheel, and forge still remain clearly visible.
Particularly impressive is the chance to see up close the huge boulder inside which the Forge was made (most likely in the 1700s) and the hydroeolic trumpet.
Recently, the site was included in the “Places of the Heart” census called by the F.A.I.
Teveno’s Forge, in 2016, managed to reach 175th place, managing to collect an impressive 1714 votes