Buildings provide us with a clear indication of a lost way of living, working and thinking, particularly in the mountain areas which have been less affected by the frenzy of reconstruction over the last few decades.

However, we have to know how to interpret architectural styles and details of construction and decoration if we are to understand what these ancient buildings can tell us about the people who used to live in them.

The "capanne celtiche" or "Celtic huts", unusual stone buildings found only in two areas, at Casoni near S. Andrea Pelago and in the valley which leads from Fiumalbo to Pian Cavallaro, beneath Monte Cimone, are particularly interesting, since they are said to be a sign of the passage of Celtic peoples. They are of very simple construction, with large sandstone slabs arranged in a step pattern up the edges of their roofs, which are made from expertly woven rye thatch. These buildings are only found in wide sunny valleys with a plentiful water supply, and are thus a sign of ancient agricultural activity.

There are also many abandoned water mills, often half buried in vegetation. Since most of these are in highly inaccessible spots, visitors are probably best advised to focus on two more recent mills which still maintain the tradition of using water-power for grinding wheat. One is just below Maserno, and is known as the "Mulino delle Coveraie"; it is no longer in use, but is still in working order. It dates from 1932 and is extremely powerful, with a vertical bucket wheel 12 metres in diameter that starts turning in just a few seconds in response to the modest flow of water provided by a small race; unusually, the whole wheel is inside the building. The "Mulino delle Palette", along the Panaro valley road 10 km above Marano, has a horizontal wheel with spoon-shaped vanes driven by a race of water taken from the Panaro itself which flows under the mill. This mill is still in operation and is pointed out to tourists by a helpful sign beside the road. One very interesting type of building widely found throughout the Modena mountains is the "casa-torre" or "tower-house", consisting of a building attached to a sturdy tower which used to provide living space, act as a fortification in troubled times, and provide room for rearing pigeons at the top.