At the entrance of Toceno, in the Vigezzo Valley, the Monument to the Woodcutter celebrates the important figure of the buratt, a tireless worker who for many centuries was one of the protagonists of the rural economy of these valleys.
The wood obtained from the woods of the Vigezzo Valley was transported by flotation. The trunks reached Domodossola along the waters of the Melezzo river and then Lake Maggiore through the waters of the Toce river.
In addition to the classic “journey by water”, there was also the so-called cioenda system: along the wooded slopes, canals were built made of sloping wooden boards, which were frozen and thus became downhill slopes to quickly slide the logs downstream.
It’s easy to see why this profession so closely tied to these mountains is celebrated, although the woodcutter represented in the Toceno monument was just one of the links in the woodworking chain.
In the Vigezzo Valley and in other Ossolan valleys, woodworking also achieved important artistic results, thanks to the many master wood carvers who created true masterpieces. Today the tradition of the woodcutter has almost completely disappeared and there are few signs of this wonderful art in the Ossola Valley.
Info: www.vallevigezzo.eu
