The elements that have disturbed the land, making it impractical and unproductive, have also created the conditions for the development of a very particular type of rural architecture. Over the centuries, man has learned to use the hidden niches between the overlapping blocks and the spaces protected by overhanging rocks to create workrooms, shelters for his animals and cool cellars in which to store and enjoy the fruits of his labour. In the local dialect, these spaces under the rocks are called splüi, from the Latin spelunca.
In Sott Piodau, man has managed to take advantage of an environment that seemed not only unfavourable to him, but even hostile; with prudence and ingenuity, with tenacity and modesty, he has appropriated a rugged and inhospitable territory. For this reason, the site is a settlement of great ethnographic and landscape value, where natural stone and worked rock are integrated in a delicate and functional combination, testifying to great sensitivity in the interpretation of the territory, excellent knowledge of materials and a high level of technical know-how.