Triora is a picturesque village in a lovely setting of wooded valleys well into the Ligurian hills of north-west Italy. Triora is officially classified among the most beautiful villages in Italy.
The centuries-old village of Triora is at the foot of the Trono Mountain, overlooking the Argentina valley, where it preserves almost intact its medieval appearance. In the heart of the village you will enjoy exploring the ancient alleys, arched passages and steep pathways of what is claimed to be one of the oldest villages in Liguria.
Triora was strongly marked by the events arising from the witchcraft trial that involved many women of the village. In the small town center the Ethnographic Museum of Witchcraft has been set up to reconstruct the ancient rural life and the records of the famous trial of 1588, still much discussed by writers and critics, and immortalizing the memory of an event that has been likened in importance to the famous Salem witch trials.
The Collegiate Church of Triora, dating from the 16th century, was extensively renovated in the late18th century. Inside there are remarkable works of art, among which a painting on wood by the Sienese painter Taddeo di Bartolo (1362-1422) stands out - he was active in Liguria towards the end of the 14th century, and in 1397 painted a grand picture of “The Baptism of Christ' for the Collegiate Church.
Close to the Parish Church is the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist. In this small chapel there are sculptures by Anton Maria Maragliano (1664-1741), the creator of a beautiful wooden crucifix, and other works by Taddeo di Bartolo. Anton Maria Maragliano enjoyed wide respect and esteem by eminent men of his time.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.