Page 89 - Upland Families, Elites and Communities

Poor Agriculture for Rich People?

to and Lorenzini 2024). Again, in the statements made by the villages in
the Cavazzo Lake area for the preparation of the cadastre, this system was
also explained by the scarce availability of hay: by moving the animals to
mountain pastures during the three months of the summer, the ratio of
production to winter consumption would be kept in balance (Ciceri 1987,
305; Stefanutti and Tomat 1997).
Finally, there is a third aspect to consider: population size. Carnia, be-
tween the second half of the sixteenth century and the end of the eigh-
teenth century, grew from about 21,000 to 36,000 inhabitants (Fornasin
1998a, 191): that is, in two and a half centuries, like the population of the
entire Alpine area (Mathieu 2009, 23–46), it almost doubled. The popula-
tion of the Cavazzo Lake communities was no exception. It was a group
of six villages, united around the parish church (Pieve)ofSt. Stephen of
Cesclans (Cavazzo, Mena, Somplago and Cesclans; Interneppo; Alesso: see
Angeli 1969). Between the beginning of the seventeenth century and the
beginning of the nineteenth (1807) the population increased from 1,338
to 2,096. The village of Somplago maintained an almost stable population
during this interval, going from 126 in 1607 to 178 in 1807, however, also
growing (Fornasin 1997, 187).
These villages, despite a sunny location and a milder climate than the
northernmost communities of Carnia, did not have a favourable situation
as far as space for cultivation was concerned: about 4 percent of the agri-
cultural area. Grassland reached 20.93 percent, pasture 20.26 percent and
forest 28.49 percent (Bianco 1985, 67). However, a sign of more suitable
conditions for agricultural production is given by wine production, attest-
ed both by the preparatory acts of the cadastre (Ciceri 1987, 306) and in the
accountbooks oftheBillianifamily(asu, ab,b.4, e,c.200v; b. 5, i, c. 202v)
In fact, we find ourselves in the hinge area between the mountains and the
plains and close to a lake that evidently mitigated the common (and un-
happy) productive conditions, starting with the possibility of using fish as
a source of livelihood (Stefanutti 1993).
Considering only the population figures of the small town of Sompla-
go, we can say that the relationship with resources remained in balance,
despite the difficulties or impossibility of promoting expansion of cultiva-
tion and intensification of production.

Mobility
Thereisanotherfactortoconsiderthathastraditionallybeenheldtobethe
one capable of keeping the ratio of population to resources in balance: male

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