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Les Viles
The "vila" is the oldest and most typical human settlement in Val Badia and has its origins in the Rhaetian "tambra", the earliest example of Alpine "baitas" or refuges.
The "viles" are small agglomerations of dwellings which, built according to precise patterns, merged two different styles of living: the more open and social style introduced by the Romans and the more closed and isolated way of life of the Rhaetian and Bajuvare populations.
The vila was probably the dwelling of only one nuclear family and was later enlarged with the addition of other families.
Each family nucleus belonging to a vila owns two distinct buildings: the "ciasa", the actual home where the living quarters are located on the upper floor whilst the basement is occupied by the cellar, storeroom and a workshop. Often linked by an open passageway and separated from the vila by a small field is the "majun", or hayloft where, on the ground floor we find the barn and above the actual hayloft called the "tablé", which extends beyond the walls of the barn and is surrounded by a gallery-drying room.
Special attention should be paid to the splendid ornamental carving in the wood, often of very ancient symbolic origin, which represents an anomaly as woodcarving was not part of the ancient cultural heritage of Val Badia.
The most important characteristic of the viles is the common facilities, such as the central square with the fountain, the drinking trough, the oven for bread and the age-old tradition of collective work, such as when building a new tablé.
The great importance that the vila has in the social context can therefore be understood: it is not only a group of dwellings but a community based on solidarity and fraternity, where a fair balance between man and his environment can easily still be recognized.
The survival of the viles to the present has unquestionably been made easier by the age-old rule of the "closed maso". still in force in the whole of the South Tyrol, according to which agricultural property is inherited only by the eldest son.
