NÀSC

In the Alta Langa area, there is the custom of placing special stones collected during work in the fields at the corners of the houses; in the local dialect, they are called nàsc, a term that could refer to the Gaelic nasc, “link” or “bond”.

These round stones hard as granite, hard enough to ruin ploughs and impossible to rough, were placed at the corners of some houses as a symbolic support. This practice is also mentioned in the Bible: “The stone that the builders rejected has now become a cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42). The name given to the Museo delle Pietre parlanti in Gorzegno comes from the name of this stone.