La Fornace

Along the Cortina - Calalzo cycle path, in front of today's Park Hotel Des Dolomites, there is a path that takes you to "la fornace" in a few minutes. Many structures similar to this one existed in our village, and since there was no cement at the time, one can understand their usefulness. Below is a large oven for burning wood. Above it, a low dome has been built. Smaller and smaller stones are lowered from above until they are completely filled. Everything is covered with earth and clay, making holes for the draught and smoke outlet. When everything is ready, the fire is lit with wood, which must last for three days and nights. The quantity of white lime stones that are fired is around 300 quintals. At a temperature of 800-900 degrees, the calcium carbonate, which is the chemical constituent of the stones, loses its gas, carbon dioxide, halving in weight and becoming lime. Once the fire was extinguished, the calcined stones were taken to the building site or to the vicinity of the house where they were put in contact with water to turn them into slaked lime. The latter was used for concrete or plaster. It was also used for painting and for disinfecting houses and stables due to its caustic and antiseptic action. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)