Chestnut drying

The drying-house (metato).

The Drying-house 
The drying-house (metato) is a small building set up close to the chestnut wood in which the chestnuts are dried on grilles by heat and smoke.
 
Chestnut drying
One of the most common methods for preserving chestnuts is by drying them in specially constructed buildings called drying-houses.

The rural drying-houses (metati) were once very common in the mountains and are small buildings, sometimes partially underground, made up of a single room with a grille floor at a certain height on which the chestnuts are laid out to dry.
Drying takes place over a period of 10-30 days by heating the chestnuts from below with warm air mixed with smoke.

In the final stage, the dried chestnuts are then shelled and peeled manually or mechanically.