SHADES OF THE COALMAN

PICTORIAL STORY

April 14, 2023

SHADES OF THE COALMAN

Photography and story by Simone Batini

In the small town of Pescaglia, located in the Serchio Valley, immersed in the woods of the Italian hills of the Tuscany region, the Art of the Coalman is handed down. An ancient and very important trade in the past for this area, because coal was at that time the engine of every house and of many craft activities such as the ironworks present in this area.

Luigi Massei is nicknamed “the last charcoal burner” who still today, keeps this trade alive, which Luigi has passed on with passion to his son Arturo and grandchildren Diego and Fabio.

It is a hard and complex process that begins with the accumulation of wood, deposited outdoors in a flat area usually close to the forest. From here, the process to obtain coal starts, which develops in the phases of winding, shoeing, veneering, combustion, drawing, cooking, leavening and finally packaging.

A hard job, between sweat and smoke, no distractions are allowed for the entire process, where the charcoal pit is kept under control day and night.

In the end, the result obtained is an excellent quality coal, which today is no longer used as a lucrative activity.

At the end of a long day, in the main image above, Luigi's worn, and dirty hands hold a photo that has a very important meaning for him, between the hope and the feeling that this art will be preserved for many more years and generations for the Massi family.

An old farmhouse in the first light of the morning, frames the place where the processing takes place to obtain the coal.

The eye (circular access hole) is located at the top of the Carbonaia, and is used in the subsequent phases to feed the fire inside.

Luigi and his son Arturo seek the right balance to correctly position the first part of the wood.

With a lot of patience Luigi continues the work and arranges the wood in a circular way, the charcoal pit slowly takes shape.

The covering phase, carried out with care, consists in covering the charcoal pile from the bottom upwards first with a layer of hay.

And then with one layer of earth.

Continued, then ending with the positioning of a circular basket which acts as a temporary cap, so as to keep intact the only access point to the heart of Carbonaia.

The infuocatura is undoubtedly the most spectacular process.

The charcoal burner equipped with a wooden ladder reaches the top of the Carbonaia from where they light the fire inside.

A powerful smoke is released.

The fire is fed slowly with the addition of small pieces of wood.

Then Arturo manually closes the hole/eye using portions of earth obtained from the nearby field.

The fire in the absence of oxygen burns slowly and without flame so as to transform the wood into coal.

Between dust and smoke the Carbonai carry out the decarbonation, a phase in which the coal is separated from the earth and isolated to be collected with a lot of effort and sweat.

The work is carried out non-stop.

The coal is finally collected and placed in ancient cloth sacks to then be weighed, each sack is partially closed using wooden twigs where the exact weight is written above.

Simone Batini’s SHADES OF THE COALMAN project strives to document the traditional trades and crafts that are slowly being replaced by industry and social changes in the Tuscany region of Italy. Through this project, Simone has done an incredible job of capturing the beauty of the hard and complex process of making coal and telling Luigi Massei’s story of passing on his trade to his son and grandkids. It is clear from this project that Simone wants to preserve and document this ancient art for future generations. To see more of these projects please visit Simone's portfolio and read his stories.

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"An Artist's Place" >>>

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