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Traditional habitat
The walls in traditional houses were very thick, made of two
pyramidal dry-stone walls separated by a layer of earth serving
as thermal insulation.
Near the ground, they were 1,10 to 1,20 metres thick, tapering
to 0,70 metres near the top. Very heavy beams rested on top
of the walls.
Yesterday, every roof was covered with thatch. As numerous
fires ravaged every hamlet, slate, then corrugated iron replaced
thatch.
The roof with wide eaves protected the balconies on which
wood was stocked for preparing meals, as animals kept the
houses warm.
From bottom to rooftop, the barn kept the hay stocks, cereals
and straw (three tons of hay were necessary to keep one cow
in winter).
Barley and rye stored at the end of summer were threshed with
a flail in winter (sunrise to sundown) : the threshing area
was near the door inside the barn. The roofsides were made
of woven alders to keep the hay aerated.
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