The Alpine Farmsteads (malghe) in Lessinia

Alta Lessinia territory, which extends from 1200m to over 1800m in the north-eastern part, is characterized by the widespread presence of Malghe (alpine farmsteads), a type of estate made up of smallish meadows, wooded areas and buildings or functional contructions used for  Summer Alpine grazing that for decades has regulated the customs and practices of mountain life.   

In these areas there are over one hundred and twenty alpine farmsteads (malghe) present.( The whole territory has one hundred and twenty-five, of which one hundred and twenty-one of these are present in this altitudinal area.) The Summer migration to pasture has changed substantially over the last few decades and the Malghe, while the meadows are still used for grazing, have lost their ancient function as "Cheese factories." The art of making cheese on a alpine farmstead (malga) has almost completely disappeared and today the milk that is drawn from the animals is transported to industrial Dairy factories for automated production. However Lessinian cheese has taken on an increasingly important role in the rural products sector, going as far as receiving the honourable Protected Origine Denomination (DOC) mark.  

The pastures were obtained by clearing the land of the numerous superficial rocks that were then piled up in what is called a marogne (stone or rock like walls or field terraces); these stones were often used to create dry boundary walls,dividing up the different Malghe's terrrains. 

Amongst the buildings and objects that one can recognise are;  the watering well, small artificial troughs that are present all over the highlands normally near to small natural watersheds, these are waterproofed with clay to hold precious water for the animals during the Summer Alpine grazing season. 

- The Barn, these were built from stone found at the nearest outcrop and varied in size depending on the amount of cattle that the Malghe had. 

- The Mountain Hut, Real and complete "cheese factories" where the two rooms were used for the cheese creation process and the production of other dairy products such as butter, ricotta and  lessinian ricotta. The malga then usually had a loft or another complete floor where the Malgari ( herdsmen) used to sleep during the summer period. 

- La Casàra (Cheese maturing stall), This building was created for cheese maturation. Not all Malghe had a separate building, in some cases there was a specific place inside the Malga that was created for this reason. 

- La Giassàra (ice house), Artificial caves that were dug out near a well and covered by a stone structure that was sometimes underground, used for holding ice that was cut from the surface of a nearby well into slabs and placed inside the well insulated ice house during the winter season. During the Summer grazing season the ice was used to conserve food but more specifically for the production of butter. 

(Archivio Parco Naturale Regionale della Lessinia)