The Porta di Vallavena is an old barricade still in operation. The large wooden door has a lock and is anchored to a massive stone barrier. It is located near the stream in the narrow valley that rises from Amblar to Mount Roen. The door is already mentioned in some writings of the first half of the 16th century, but it probably existed long before. Its purpose was to protect the forest from wood thieves. Wood has always been a valuable asset for mountain people, and that is why it should be safeguarded.
The Vallavena Gate is located at the entrance of the valley that climbs to Monte Roen, a mountain of large and gentle slopes where the harvesting of wood was not too difficult. The cut timber was brought downstream and then dragged from here to the village. The gate of Vallavena is located in a narrow and obligatory passage: whoever brought the timber downstream had to cross it. And by closing it in the evening with a big key, it was prevented by the wood thieves from unjustly appropriating this precious property at night.
