The house and the street
By now you'll be familiar with the layout of a dwelling house: galetas (gallery with small windows), stone and wood upper floor (kitchen to the north, "pylio" to the south) and masonry ground floor (hall, storage, stocks, etc.).
Take a look at the balcony of this house. It is called a "gallery" here. This is a special feature, as the gable facade of old houses rarely bears this accessory. Here, the gallery is original: look closely and you will see that it is an extension of the beams of the gable fronts that form its support. Recent balconies are always additions, supported by beams set into the wall and fitted with braces.
Look at its orientation. What do you notice in particular? Yes, the timber section is not square with the masonry section. There is even a brace supporting it at the cantilevered corner. The masonry section follows the alignment of the street, at the height of the loads carried. The wooded part, the only inhabited part, faces south, in search of the sun's light and warmth.
To the left (west) of the house is the barn-stable. This is a recent addition, however, with its four masonry pillars known as "chantons". Common in most Valais villages, it is almost unique in Vercorin.
Then look out for what's hiding between the two houses just ahead, on the brickwork facade on the kitchen side, to your left. Two sink spouts, with their stone pipes, are visible. They were used to drain waste water from the kitchens into the modern sewage system. There are many others in the village, either fully or partially preserved and now blocked.
To find out more, "Les maisons rurales du Valais, tome 1" (a true guide to our rural architecture) features a photo of this building.
