{"id":53726,"date":"2026-09-30T16:31:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/triora\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T19:59:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T19:59:56","slug":"triora","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/triora\/","title":{"rendered":"Triora"},"content":{"rendered":"

Triora is the “village of witches”: a medieval stone village at 780 metres above sea level in the upper Argentina valley, inland from Arma di Taggia. Covered alleys, carved doorways, the remains of castles and forts, a museum devoted to the 16th-century witch trial and, all around, the mountains of the Ligurian Alps Nature Park, up to Monte Saccarello, the highest peak in Liguria.<\/p>\n

The village grew up around the year 1000 and in 1261 came under Genoa, which made it the seat of a podesteria with wide self-government: it was a stronghold on the road to France. According to tradition, the name comes from “Tria ora”, three mouths, linked to the valley’s three products: wheat, grapes and chestnuts. Between 1587 and 1589 a famine sparked one of the best-known witch trials in Italy, which is where the village’s fame comes from.<\/p>\n

Today Triora has about 400 inhabitants and is the largest municipality by area in the province of Imperia. It is one of the Borghi pi\u00f9 belli d’Italia, holds the Touring Club’s Bandiera Arancione and is the only Ligurian municipality in the Mountaineering Villages network. It makes an easy day trip from the coast, but it is worth a night if you want to walk in the mountains.<\/p>\n

What to see in Triora<\/h2>\n
\"View<\/figure>\n

You can explore the old centre on foot in a couple of hours, museum included. The streets are paved, steep and partly stepped, so wear comfortable shoes.<\/p>\n

Ethnographic and Witchcraft Museum<\/h3>\n
\"Square<\/figure>\n

At the entrance to the village, on corso Italia, the Museo Regionale Etnografico e della Stregoneria opened in 1983 and fills three floors of the old town hall. The rooms tell the story of farming life in the valley, with the cycles of wheat, chestnuts and milk; in the basement the interrogations of the trial are recreated, with copies of the documents and instruments of torture.<\/p>\n

In 2026 it is open every afternoon and, at weekends and in summer, in the morning too. A full-price ticket costs 3 euros. Check the current opening hours on the museum website<\/a> before you drive up.<\/p>\n

La Cabotina<\/h3>\n
\"La<\/figure>\n

Just outside the walls, near the Fontana Soprana gate, the Cabotina is a ruined farmhouse where, according to legend, the “bagiue”, the witches in local dialect, used to meet. It is not a monument, but it is the place most closely tied to the village’s myth, with a fine view over the valley. The true story of the trial, separated from the legend, is in the guide to the witches of Triora<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Collegiata dell’Assunta<\/h3>\n
\"Fa\u00e7ade<\/figure>\n

The village’s main church was originally Romanesque-Gothic with three naves; it was rebuilt in the 16th century and turned into a single hall in the 18th. The doorway and the base of the bell tower survive from the first building. Inside is the “Baptism of Christ” by Taddeo di Bartolo, dated 1397: it is the oldest signed and dated work in the province of Imperia. There are also two panels from the early 15th century and a canvas by Luca Cambiaso.<\/p>\n

Oratorio di San Giovanni Battista<\/h3>\n

Next to the Collegiata, the 17th-century oratory stands on pillars that raise it to the level of the square. It holds paintings by the Triora-born painter Lorenzo Gastaldi and a statue by Anton Maria Maragliano, the great Genoese woodcarver.<\/p>\n

The carruggi, the gates and the three trails<\/h3>\n
\"Medieval<\/figure>\n

The centre has kept its medieval layout: houses packed together, covered passages, small squares and some of the seven old gates. To find your way, follow the three routes marked by round stickers on the paving: red for art and history, blue for curiosities and legends, yellow for children.<\/p>\n

Triora Castle<\/h3>\n
\"Ruins<\/figure>\n

At the highest point of the village stand the walls and a tower of the 13th-century castle, the “castrum vetus”. From here you can see Triora’s strategic position, perched above the valley. Nearby are the remains of the 13th-century church of San Dalmazzo, with traces of 14th-century frescoes, and of a fort.<\/p>\n

Santa Caterina<\/h3>\n

What survives of the church of Santa Caterina is mainly its doorway, dated 1390 and bearing an inscription, one of the oldest details in the village. It is a short stop on the route between the gates and the castle.<\/p>\n

Chiesa di San Bernardino<\/h3>\n
\"Church<\/figure>\n

Just outside the centre, the country church of San Bernardino has a stone portico and, inside, 15th-century frescoes attributed to Giovanni Canavesio, the painter of the painted churches of the Maritime Alps. If it is closed, ask in the village or at the museum.<\/p>\n

Ponte di Loreto<\/h3>\n

Heading down towards the hamlet of Loreto, the bridge built in 1959 spans the deep gorge of the Argentina stream and leads towards Cetta. It is one of the most spectacular spots in the valley and worth a stop by car or on foot.<\/p>\n

Ligurian Alps Park and Monte Saccarello<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n

Triora lies inside the Parco naturale regionale delle Alpi Liguri. Above the village rise woods, pastures and the mountain hamlets of Realdo and Verdeggia, on the border with France, up to Monte Saccarello, 2,201 metres. Between May and June its slopes are covered in flowering rhododendrons.<\/p>\n

Triora in a day: a suggested itinerary<\/h2>\n