L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano I f y o u t h i n k o f t h e western-most part of Liguria, that on t h e b o r d e r w i t h France and its Côte d'Azur, Sanremo, Bordi- ghera and their sea come i m m e d i a t e l y t o m i n d . However, the inland of the province of Imperia can be just as charming, with its o l i v e g r o v e s , b l u e s k i e s , peace and quiet, a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of the coast. The rise to mountainous territory, here, is quick, just as it is e v e r y w h e r e i n L i g u r i a , a thin strip of land squeezed b e t w e e n t h e s e a a n d t h e Alps. The hills and low moun- t a i n s o f t h e I m p e r i e s e i n l a n d a r e d o t t e d w i t h small, charming villages and some of them have gained international popularity in the years, just like Triora, I t a l y ' s S a l e m , B u s s a n a V e c c h i a , the abandoned hamlet that returned to life thanks to its artist residents o r t h e P r i n c i p a l i t y o f Seborga, the tiniest "state" on Earth. Perhaps, though, n o t m a n y k n o w a b o u t Valloria, a minuscule villa- ge near Prelà, some 20 km from Imperia, the county capital. P e r c h e d o n a h i l l , a n d surrounded by olive groves, Valloria is home to not more than 40 people; its name comes from the Latin Vallis A u r e a , t h a t i s , G o l d e n Valley, an evocative name the area likely gained thanks to its role in olive cultivation and oil production. Valloria, h o w e v e r , i t ' s n o t f a m o u s only for being pretty, quiet and for its olive oil: its claim to fame comes from being a bit of a work of art. Here, artists from everywhere in the world participate every year to the decoration of the village: they have painted so far more than 160 doors, and this is why Valloria is also known as the paese delle porte dipinte, the village with painted doors. Every Summer, artists — known and unknown, from all over the world — meet to decorate the doors of priva- te homes and barns around t o w n , a d d i n g a s p l a s h o f color and quirk to this tiny Medieval village. From por- traits to landscapes, from religious subjects to the pro- fane ones, the paintings are realized in a variety of tech- niques and styles and are the result of a trend inaugu- rated some 30 years ago, in the 1990s. It all began as a bit of fun, with three artists w h o m e t a n d w o r k e d together on the first doors, invited by the A m i c i d i Valloria, the local cultural association. The idea was that of bringing art into the village in a colorful way and doors were chosen to pass a message of hospitality and welcome to visitors. In the e n d , t h i s t u r n e d i n t o a yearly rendezvous between creators and local people, one that ended up making of Valloria one of the borghi o f t h e A s s o c i a z i o n e I t a l i a n a d e i P a e s i Dipinti, the Italian associa- t i o n o f p a i n t e d v i l l a g e s . Today, artists from Italy, Poland, Spain, Japan and China, only to name of few, have contributed to make Valloria the special place it is. The doors, decorated in bright, vivid hues, are even m o r e s t r i k i n g b e c a u s e o f Valloria's typical architectu- r e , w i t h b u i l d i n g m o s t l y m a d e i n s t o n e , a s i t w a s c u s t o m a r y i n t h e M i d d l e Ages. Here, you won't find a set itinerary to follow, it's just up to you, your imagi- nation and curiosity: turn a c o r n e r h e r e , k e e p o n walking straight there and you'll see them all. For being such a small place, Valloria does offer quite a number of intere- sting feats. Beside its doors, t h e r e i s a l s o a s p e c i a l m u s e u m s t o v i s i t , t h e M u s e o d e l l e C o s e Dimenticate, the museum of forgotten things, a place to reminisce through objects about the past of the village and its community, but also of us Italians as a whole: v i s i t o r s w i l l f i n d o l d m e m e n t o s o f t h e a r e a ' s rural tradition, as well as old musical instruments and v i n t a g e h o m e a p p l i a n c e s that the evolution of techno- logy and the passing of time m a d e o b s o l e t e . E v e n t h e museum's location is worthy o f n o t e : t h e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y Oratorio di Santa Croce. Walking around town, other f e a t u r e s w i l l s t r i k e y o u : three ancient fountains and a large mural painting dedi- cated to the rural life, by a r t i s t M a r i o C a r a t t o l i among them. As you would expect in a n y r u r a l p a r t o f I t a l y , Valloria also has its food fair. The A Valloria a far Baldoria food and art fair ( T o V a l l o r i a t o h a v e f u n ) was also born in the 1990s (more precisely in 1994), the brainchild, again, of the A m i c i d i V a l l o r i a . W h i l e officially organized by the association, it's the whole village that takes care of the c o o k i n g t o o f f e r v i s i t o r s t y p i c a l L i g u r i a n d i s h e s , from herbs and borage ravioli, to zemin, a tradi- tional, creamy legume soup, and cod frisceu, deep fired dough balls with fish. The e v e n t t a k e s p l a c e e v e r y S u m m e r , b u t i f y o u c a n ' t make it then, don't worry, you can get good food all year round at the local café restaurant, Antiche Bontà di Valloria. By the way, they run also an agrituri- s m o , s o y o u m a y l i k e t o check them out if you want to stay over. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , Valloria is a perfect starting point for long, relaxing and p i c t u r e s q u e w a l k s . F o r instance, you can reach the Chiesa di San Giuseppe, from where, if the day is bri- ght and clear enough, you can even see Corsica. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The colorful world of Valloria LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE One of the beautiful doors of Valloria (Photo: Roman Tsubin/Dreamstime)

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