Prè forge - Ledro

In the Pré forge, around the 'T' shaped anvil and the forge with its fire lit you can still see nail-makers at work, making cleats, the nails that were used to reinforce wooden soles for shoes. With a score of hammerblows done in as many seconds, once upon a time cleats of different shapes, depending on where they were inserted into the sole, and weight, depending on what you did with the shoes were made in this way. From a single rod of iron, a good "ciuaröl" (nail maker) could make up to 15,000 in a week. Payment was determined by the weight produced. This went on until after the Second World War, when rubber soles made cleat production redundant. Today a statue in the village records the "ciuaröl" and the time when this activity employed almost the whole male workforce of every family.