Among the ancient activities of lower Bregaglia the mining and crafting of ollare stone was time honoured. Successive generations of craftsmen being both knowledgeable and resourceful were able to ensure the ready availability of a variety of foodstuffs for their community by sculpting storage vessels (furagn) and cooking pots (laveggi) out of ollare. "Some maintain the laveggi will remove the impurities in food and neutralize harmful properties."
Scheuchzwer wrote in 1746: " In these stone pots food cooks better and faster than in those made of brass, copper and other metals. Moreover, the food will keep its natural flavours when stored and will not be tainted by other infusions even over time".
With the ollare mines exhausted bregaglia's bedrock - stoneware industry ground to a halt. A Milano exhibition of household ware in 1805 featured but one pair of laveggi pots - submitted by Giacomo De Pedrini of Piuro. A register of guild firms lists De Pedrini of Prosto as perhap the last manufacturer of ollare vessels. The year is 1866.
Through the unstinting, solitary efforts of one man, pietra ollare is today making a remarkable comeback. Roberto Lucchinetti searches out old mine workings then goes deep underground along narrow passage to excavate ollare from the last remaining seams. At his riverside workshop musem, close by the parish church of Prosto, Lucchinetti is set on refashioning the levaggi pots and furagn vessels of yesteryear for mondernday uses.
In this artisan's hand ollare can be transformed into any number of objects - from chalice replicas of goblets found at nearby archaeological sites to coffee services and urns for conserving herbs or spices. At the other end of scale "pigne" wood burning stoves can be made to customers specifications. In an adjoining studio Paola Lucchinetti, Roberto's wife, displays her skill as a weaver. Colourful carpets and decorative table cloths and tapestries are among the notable successes already racked up. Today Bregaglia's past is being reinvented.
You can see just how at the workshop museum - Prosto di Piuro.



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