Le Fornaci

The Clay of Riva San Vitale

Clay extraction (la mólta/molta, la créda, latèra) generally took place at two distinct locations on the outskirts of the village, which in turn provided two different grades of raw material: molta rossa and molta negra (also known as tèra róssa and tèra négra), or red clay and black clay.

In fact, it was only their mixture (mixed clay, half white and half red), in a ratio of about 50% (the proportion depended on the type of brick being produced but also varied from one family to another) that ensured a technically optimal blend. […]

The red clay, reddish in its deposits, is also named because, due to its iron oxide contents, it acquires a beautiful red color during firing; It was extracted in Praa Cullágh, a flat area near Capolago.

Its most characteristic feature is that it is lean, meaning it has little plasticity and is difficult to shape (débula)), because it crumbles. Very light and porous, it is rough to the touch (rúvida), has a sandy texture (sabiusa), and is not greasy (la gh’a póca séda, l’è da póca séda).

To correct it, it is essential to mix it with black clay (which in nature actually tends toward gray), characterized by properties that complement it: it is fatty, very pliable, and pleasant to the touch due to its smoothness (it has a silky texture). It is more compact and firm. Once molded, it cracks easily as it dries; it is strong (fórta).

The deposits where it is still abundant are located on the slopes of Mount San Giorgio, in that hilly area within the territory of Rancate known as Róssa.

If some informants have sometimes called it “white clay,” it is because, when subjected to high temperatures, it takes on this color. The white and red streaks of the marbled tiles (pianéll maciaa) exploit the contrast between the two typical colors of the Riva clays […]

Source:
Eberhardt-Meli S., (2005) Artigiani della terra: i laterizi in Ticino e il lavoro dei fornaciai, Bellinzona-Locarno, Center for Dialectology and Ethnography, co-published with Armando Dadò Editore

The Brick Kilns of Riva San Vitale before the Redevelopment

Although agriculture and lake fishing have traditionally played a major role in Riva, the area boasted a thriving industrial sector as early as Roman times, centered on brick manufacturing; this industry lasted until the 20th century, and tangible evidence of it can still be seen in the kilns and warehouses that remain in the neighborhood bearing that name. […]

The importance and centrality of Riva, its economic, administrative, and religious functions, and the prestige of its numerous buildings earned it the nickname ‘magnificent village’. […]

An ancient artisanal neighborhood: Fornaci

The core of Fornaci plays a marginal role in relations with the rest of the settlement, and its connection to the lake is essentially limited to the buildings that line the shore in the front row. The lakeside road bypasses the core and rejoins the old route once it passes Fornaci to the north. The former thoroughfare through the center is now merely an internal service alley. The spatial relationship with the village is poorly maintained due to the insertion of a road widening characterized by a large expanse of asphalt with little capacity for interaction. A certain sense of space is suggested by the narrow passage formed by two buildings facing each other, though this effect has been diminished by subsequent alterations, particularly at the expense of the building on the west side. From the interior route, the lake is barely perceptible; rather, among the buildings—most of which were originally constructed as residences or converted for that purpose—various kilns still recognizable as such, as well as sheds and warehouses for finished products, are visible. However, restoration work and renovations have erased much of the complex’s original artisanal character. […]

Recommendations:

Promote studies to plan the open space connecting the northern end of the village with Fornaci. […]

Implement appropriate measures to preserve and highlight the architectural remains of the historic brick-making industry in the heart of Fornaci. […]

Source:
Heusser-Keller S., (1981) Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS), Federal Office for Publications and Materials, Bern