The medieval village of Torri Superiore (13th century) has been described as "a little jewel of popular architecture." It is located in the Liguria

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...

 in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, near Ventimiglia

Ventimiglia

Ventimiglia is a city and comune in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and 7 km from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts...

 (county of Imperia

Imperia

Imperia may be:* Imperia , an Italian city* Province of Imperia, the Italian province of the above city of Imperia* IMPERIA, a vodka produced by Russian Standard* Imperia , a statue in Constance, Germany...

), a few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 and the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 border. Its complex and fascinating structure is developed on eight levels, with three main buildings separated by two partially covered inner alleys.

Built completely in stone over the course of many centuries, the hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 is composed of 160 rooms with vaulted ceilings

Vault (architecture)

A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...

 (either barrel or cross vaults), linked with each other by an intricate and amazing labyrinth of stairways, terraces and alleys.
The total length of the village is 50 meters along the north-south axis, and 30 meters along the east – west axis. The total covered area is close to 3000 square meters.
The stone used for the buildings is of local origin and was obtained from marine deposits present in the valley, or from the Bevera

Bévéra

The Bévéra or Bevera is a river of southeastern France and northwestern Italy. Its source is in the Maritime Alps, near Moulinet in the French Alpes-Maritimes department. It flows generally southeast, through Sospel, crosses the Italian border and discharges into the river Roya, near Ventimiglia...

 riverbed.
The natural lime used in the mortar came from stones also found in the riverbed, where the sand was extracted.

Torri Superiore has been called by some a labyrinth

Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

 or a fortress, and offers a remarkable interest for its compactness and its state of preservation. Today it is mostly restored and open to ecologically minded visitors for cultural initiatives and group activities.

History

The village of Torri is mentioned for the first time in a document dated in 1073 with the sentence: "Actum in castro ubi Ture dicitur" (Cais, "Contea di Ventimiglia").
The origin of the settlement of Torri Superiore is uncertain, and may date back to the late 13th century, a time of great social and religious unrest. This would explain its peculiar appearance, a stronghold that could offer protection to its few inhabitants, and is remarkable for its height (eight levels from the foundations to the roofs) and width.

The latest parts of the hamlet were presumably built around the end of the 18th century, when the village reached its greatest population. Traces remain of communal living, a large hall used possibly as a common kitchen, an open air oven, and an intricate, closely knit
pattern of rooms and terraces that create unexpected and charming effects.

The restoration: New life in the village

During the course of the last century, the village was gradually abandoned to decay, slowly turning into a ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

 with its beautiful towers almost completely deserted and in a state of ruin. In the early 90s, a new group of people approached Torri Superiore with the idea to restore it, create homes for a community of residents, and design a careful and well thought-out “recycling plan”, based on the respect for the original historical character of the buildings and for the surrounding environment.
In the course of several years, a detailed study of the structure has led to the creation of a complex restoration programme that preserves and enhances the peculiarity of the medieval village, while applying principles of bioarchitecture and the use of natural material

Natural material

A natural material is any product or physical matter that comes from plants, animals, or the ground. Minerals and the metals that can be extracted from them are also considered to belong into this category.* Biotic materials...

s. Small local firms, supported by volunteer efforts of all members and residents, did a large part of the building work.

Since 1997, 14 residential units have been restored out of the 20 planned, and an ample part of the cultural centre, property of the Association, has been completed.

External links

• Homepage of Torri Superiore
• Homepage of GEN - The Global Ecovillage Network