Villaggio Cimbro dei Pich

The village was founded in 1820 by the brothers Bonatto Matteo known as Pich (born in Roana 13.2.1785) and Giovanni (born in Roana 25.10.1801). In 1854 and then from 1887, many other families moved there from the villages of Pian dei Lovi, Canaie Vecio, and Val Bona. They included Gandin Pergentino, Azzalini Giuliano, Gandin Angelo, and the charcoal burners Brandalise Abramo and Tiepo Angelo. In 1887, brothers Azzalini Costanzo and Innocente Arcadio left Pian dei Lovi to move to nearby Col Formiga, where they also opened an inn that operated until around 1980. The village, located at a higher elevation compared to the Cansiglio plain, facing southeast and sheltered from the northern winds, had a mild climate, allowing for the growth of various vegetables and fruit trees. The first two houses of brothers Matteo and Giovanni were built with a gabled roof, one covered with "scandole" (overlapping fir boards) and the other with "stéle" (shavings or scraps from planing the sieves) secured by beams placed crosswise on top. From 1940, following pressure from the Forestry Administration, it was abandoned and rebuilt further down the valley. The Cimbro Gandin Bruno "Brunetto" lived there permanently until the 1990s.