The witches in the collective imagination they are not too old, with a pointed nose and large pimples on their faces. Those in Roald Dahl’s famous children’s book have no hair, lose blue saliva and hate children. Yet to see Antonietta, 94 years old, last lady of the herbs of Triora, the story looks just different. She, who has recently symbolically received the keys to the city, is a woman who heals with herbs. She offers her knowledge of her and her potions to anyone who comes knocking on the door of her tiny stone house in Triora, a medieval village in Liguria, in the province of Imperia, Orange Flaginserted between the Most beautiful villages in Italyand recently admitted to the prestigious European circuit of mountaineering villages Bergsteigerdörfer.
The Witch Hunt
Everything in Triora speaks of the history that made it known between the years 1587-89, for which it is still known today as the country of witches. It was 1588 and some women were accused of being followers of the heretical sect of evil witches. accused of witchcraft, about thirty of them were condemned after horrendous tortures in houses transformed into prisons, but not executed. They were women who healed and healed, mainly using the herbs of the place, bearers of culture and knowledge. However, these women were seen very badly by the authorities, and became the scapegoat for famines and livestock deaths. For this they were persecuted in one of the witch hunt trials most disturbing in Italian history. A scandal that for years has destroyed and persecuted the residents of Triori and the fame of a stupendous village, which today is redeeming history, hosting tourists and onlookers from all over the world.
A village to get lost in
Striking, perched about 800 meters in the splendid Argentina Valleyin the province of Imperia, within the Regional Park of the Ligurian Alps, Triora is a village with medieval, made up of narrow and articulated stone streets and alleys, which go up and down to spread out here and there into small squares. With a scarce 300 inhabitants, the town lets us glimpse some remnants of its past, of the walls that surrounded the citadel, of the ancient defensive towers and of the castle, built in stone on the highest point of the centre. Worth a stop scenic spot at the hillock of the cross. To recall its tradition and history, several frescoes, installations and statues depict witches and guide tourists on a truly unique tour. Advice? Getting lost in the streets and trying to be influenced and, why not, impress yourself a little.
Not just witches at the museum
The Ethnographic and Witchcraft Museum it was born from the enthusiasm of the young people of the Campo Eco organized by the Municipality of Genoa in 1982-83. The goal is to tell a territory, beyond the tragic episode of the inquisition. The Ethnographic section is divided into six rooms, each of which tells a cross-section of daily life of the peasants of the country. Here there are faithful reconstructions of work scenes in the fields and the display of ancient tools used in the various work activities. Only going down into the basement, once the seat of prisons, you access the section dedicated to Witchcraft. Four rooms are dedicated to trial of 1587with documents that tell of terrible tortures and ruthless interrogations, as well as the reproduction of craft witches engaged in daily activities. The entrance ticket to the museum costs 2 euros for adults and 1 euro for children, with a discount for groups.
The new widespread museum
More and more over the years Triora has become a open-air museum. The archaeological, artistic, architectural heritage and the testimonies of history and sense of the community have led the Municipality to organize itself in the Civic and widespread museum of Triora, to guide the visitor in an immersive and complete experience. To understand the essence of the village, we start from the historian Star Palace, authentic vital center of the country. Here are set up three rooms entirely dedicated to families, adults and children, who can practice educational and laboratory activities in full autonomy. One floor houses the ethnohistorical section of witchcraft, where exhibits are exhibited, talismans and amulets, medicinal plants also to smell. Available to the curious, productions video which tell the drama of the Triorese trial of the year 1587-1589. The upper floors house the documentation center on witchcraft, a room for conferences and film screenings, and exhibition halls with rotating exhibitions.
Face to face with the witches
Two other places are symbols of the late 1500s witch hunt, absolutely not to be missed. There is the Cabotincottage outside the walls of the village of which only a few remains remain, where it seems that the witches came to do rites and make deals with the devil. From here starts a beautiful walk in the woods, the witch path, overlooking the valley and the Monte Saccarello area (the highest mountain in Liguria). Again, the Mount of Forkswas the stage of human sacrifices, capital punishment, and torture of which women considered witches were victims.
The traditional products
Triora is not just witchcraft and the population wants to shout it out loud. The very name “Tria-Ora” means “three mouths” to indicate the three main local products: wheat, vine and chestnut. Wheat is no longer cultivated, but Triora is once again famous for its dark, home-made bread, which is distinguished by its traditional cooking and slow leavening on wooden tables sprinkled with bran. Among the streets of the village it is easy to meet shops of local crafts and food and wine, to buy terra cotta sculptures or km0 jams of strawberries, apples and Taggiasca olives or apples and lavender or other forgotten fruits.
Practical info
Triora can be reached by car or by bus from the Arma di Taggia train station. Once parked, the ideal is to walk around and wander aimlessly. In the historic center, Fabien has set up an information point to try canyoning, climbing and trekking. There are many B&Bs in the village, all furnished and decorated in a magical and evocative way. Don’t forget to go to Pane di Triora, the only bakery that produces the famous pane rundo, and if you happen to, try looking for Antonietta: she’s there with her herbs in the house and it seems she never said no to anyone who came to ask Advice.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
