Ice cream called Nivera Nova à Ville-di-Pietrabugno en Haute-corse

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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The "Nivera Nova" cooler, located in Ville-di-Pietrabugno, Corsica, is an elongated plan building built between the 4th quarter of the 16th century and the 1st quarter of the 17th century. Its architecture is distinguished by a crib vaulted vessel, finished with cul-de-four, supported by a double bow and two longitudinal arches. Inside, two deep wells of about ten metres were used for snow storage, while the roof, covered with lauzes, took on a long-paned shape and round rumps. This monument, classified as a Historical Monument, illustrates the techniques of ice conservation of the modern era.

The first archival records of this cooler date back to the first half of the 17th century. It was exploited to provide ice to the notable families of Bastia as well as to the coffee makers of the city, playing a major economic and social role. The activity ceased at the end of the 19th century, and the building was then reassigned as an agricultural shed. Its inclusion in the inventory of Historic Monuments in 2018, as a private property, attests to its heritage importance.

The Nivera Nova cooler reflects an ancestral practice in Corsica: the collection and marketing of snow, a valuable resource before the refrigeration era. Its exploitation, linked to the urban needs of Bastia, reflects the exchanges between rural mountain areas and urban centres. Today, although closed to the public, it remains a rare remnant of this pre-modern industrial heritage, characteristic of the Mediterranean regions where snow was a strategic commodity.

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