Rivalto, in the past, was a thriving and vibrant community.
Over the centuries, the population has fluctuated from four hundred to eight hundred units and, after the war, as a result of war-displaced who remained, there were nearly a thousand inhabitants (considering also the hamlet of La Pieve and the neighboring farms).
Until the 50's and 60's, Rivalto was almost self-sufficient, able to provide for the production of fruit and vegetables, olive oil, wine, milk and cheese, meat and grain. Also in the ancient arts and crafts, it had skilled craftsmen of wood, iron and cloth.
The population has always been mostly engaged in agricultural work, work in the woods and in the care and husbandry of animals. A smaller number of people was dedicated to workshops, retail trade or craft. Other people lent a range of services in and outside the community.
The little that was not available within the village, it was recovered from outside (shops and markets of neighboring places) or from sellers and itinerant craftsmen who came in the area, first with barouches (carts towed by cattle), then with the van and that, on certain days of the week, made a stop in Rivalto and Chianni.
This economic prosperity, obviously, was also reflected in the animated initiatives that characterized the life of the hamlet: parties, festivals, ceremonies, parades with marching musical band, theater, summer camps for children, school initiatives, vigils of people telling stories.
Starting from the 60's and 70's, the village begins recording a gradual abandonment of the fields and craft activities and a consequent gradual depopulation, mainly due to the phenomenon of "modern times" that had effect on most of the small rural communities detached from the major centers.
Among the main factors that have contributed to the phenomenon, we can undoubtedly cite:
Depopulation and technological innovation (TVs, cars and so on) have indeed created a combination of factors which have also affected the social life and vibrancy of the village which, only thanks to the healthy stubbornness and pride of some "timeless rivaltini", it has managed to retain in life a small but precious part of traditions, customs and habits of the past.
Over the centuries, the population has fluctuated from four hundred to eight hundred units and, after the war, as a result of war-displaced who remained, there were nearly a thousand inhabitants (considering also the hamlet of La Pieve and the neighboring farms).
Until the 50's and 60's, Rivalto was almost self-sufficient, able to provide for the production of fruit and vegetables, olive oil, wine, milk and cheese, meat and grain. Also in the ancient arts and crafts, it had skilled craftsmen of wood, iron and cloth.
The population has always been mostly engaged in agricultural work, work in the woods and in the care and husbandry of animals. A smaller number of people was dedicated to workshops, retail trade or craft. Other people lent a range of services in and outside the community.
The little that was not available within the village, it was recovered from outside (shops and markets of neighboring places) or from sellers and itinerant craftsmen who came in the area, first with barouches (carts towed by cattle), then with the van and that, on certain days of the week, made a stop in Rivalto and Chianni.
This economic prosperity, obviously, was also reflected in the animated initiatives that characterized the life of the hamlet: parties, festivals, ceremonies, parades with marching musical band, theater, summer camps for children, school initiatives, vigils of people telling stories.
Starting from the 60's and 70's, the village begins recording a gradual abandonment of the fields and craft activities and a consequent gradual depopulation, mainly due to the phenomenon of "modern times" that had effect on most of the small rural communities detached from the major centers.
Among the main factors that have contributed to the phenomenon, we can undoubtedly cite:
- the hectic industrialization of neighboring cities: Piaggio in Pontedera, at its peak production, was about thirteen thousand employees and created the development throughout the induced mechanical industry; furniture manufacturers and other industries in the areas of Cascina and Ponsacco had called staff
- poverty and isolation after the war due to the slow reconstruction of roads and bridges and the gradual and difficult returning to the daily activities
- the terrible snowfall of 1956, of which the presents still remember the dramatic effects on farming land, transport and connections to neighboring cities
- the gradual "mechanization" of the work of agricultural land and woodland that on the one hand has improved productivity, on the other side it has certainly addressed people to look for new forms of work
- the need of going on for further studies, for the lucky ones who could attend schools, colleges and Universities located in other places in the region
- some administrative and bureaucratic difficulties towards works of renovation and restructuring private, many necessary for a normal process of modernization or rebuilding post-war
Depopulation and technological innovation (TVs, cars and so on) have indeed created a combination of factors which have also affected the social life and vibrancy of the village which, only thanks to the healthy stubbornness and pride of some "timeless rivaltini", it has managed to retain in life a small but precious part of traditions, customs and habits of the past.