THE LATRINE
ITA
ENG
During the restoration work, on the second floor, near the northeast corner, in the northwest wall, a discontinuity similar to a bricked-up window was identified. When the filling was removed, it became clear that it was not a bricked-up window, but a niche with a square-section drain on the façade, which, like all the architectural details of Malavilla, was built during the construction of the fortified house.
The bottom of the niche, also visible from the outside, was made of travertine blocks, a sedimentary stone found in the gullies of Monte Sporno in the presence of petrifying springs (rock outcrops formed by limestone transported by water). This stone was used locally as a substitute for sandstone to create elements that required lightness and easy workability (they can be shaped with a wood saw).
With less time and effort, it was thus possible to create very regular shapes, such as blocks for the arches of the loggias or window shoulders. In Malavilla, there are other elements built with this material, such as the vault of the north-east facing window on the first floor or the central longitudinal band of the vault.
In other buildings, such as the Rocca di Valle di Castrignano, it was possible to find dividing walls composed of wooden uprights attached to load-bearing beams and infill in travertine blocks: a technology that has been widespread since the Middle Ages in France, in the so-called half-timbered houses or maison à colombages, in which the wooden structure is left exposed on the façade.
The latrine seat is completed by a wooden board, some parts of which are still present, remaining after the fire that, it is said, the house suffered during the 20th century.