Triora

Famous as the "town of witches", Triora is a mediaeval centre on the crest of Monte Trono (776 m.) and the most important town in the upper Argentina valley.

The little streets, the slate portals and the architectural mixture of periods and styles add to the charm of the old town centre, where you can visit the ruins of the Peirana town gate, as well as the Sottana gate and fountain, the ruins of a castle and Piazza della Collegiata dell'Assunta.

Built on the site of an earlier pagan temple, the church preserves paintings by Luca Cambiaso and the Siennese artist Taddeo di Bartolo. In the nearby oratory of San Giovanni Battista (1694) you can admire a statue by Maragliano. Outside the town, you can see the mediaeval church of the Madonna delle Grazie and the nineteenth-century church of Buon Viaggio on the road to the sanctuary of San Giovanni dei Prati. Only a few ruins remain of a fortress called the Forte della Colombara e della Sella, of the Romanesque church of Santa Caterina on Poggio delle Pie and of the small twelfth-century Genoese fortress.

The countryside church of San Bernardino (fifteenth century) has a fine triple-arched portico and preserves a cycle of Biblical frescoes which may be the work of Canavesio. In the ethnographic museum of rural culture, you can see the moulds of prehistoric exhibits found in Tana della Volpe and Buco del Diavolo and, most importantly, the acts of the proceedings against the witches in 1588, which resulted in thirteen people being tortured and burnt at the stake in a location called Cabotina (or the witches' grotto). There is also a small botanical garden containing the local floral species, which is protected by the "Ligurian Alps Natural Park". This falls inside the municipal territory of Triora and was created with the objective of safeguarding the varied natural environment and its rare animal species, which include the royal eagle and the ermine. The bungee jumping facilities in Triora are famous throughout Europe.

And between a jump into the void and a visit to the woods and grottoes you can indulge in more peaceful gastronomic pleasures: try the local dish called "suggeli" with "bruzzo", a type of pasta dumpling served with ricotta cheese, or the green pie cooked over a tripod fire.

The traditional mushroom festival takes place on the 3rd Sunday in September. The town is then filled with gourmets and curious onlookers, and apart from the fresh wild mushrooms, regional products and specialties like the Pane di Triora, hefty coarse rye bread, are also offered.

Even the sports enthusiasts will get their money’s worth in the Argetina valley.A secret tip for those who like climbing are the steep walls between Molini di Triora and Triora:

The walls and mountain bike lanes on the Colla Melosa are equally worth an excursion. Enjoy the quiet of the mountains and the wonderful view over the Stausee Lake: