THE HISTORY OF TRIORA

By Andrea Gandolfo

FROM THE PREHISTORY TO THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGE

The high Argentina Valley, particularly Triora, has been, since ancient times, a build up area from small tribes who found shelter inside caves and natural winding paths. The most old archaeological ruins still present in the Triora area, trace the middle Neolithic period placed between 3800 and 3000 B.C.

In this period in northern Italy came to life the so know " Cultura dei Vasi a Bocca Quadrata" ("The culture of vases from the square shaped mouth"), called this way for the made from the different prehistoric population. Living evidence of their civilisation in many caves and winding paths of the area, of which the most important are "La Caverna delle Arene Candide and Pollera".

Near Triora have recently been found two important archaeological sites of the middle Neolithic period: "L’Arma della Gastéa" and "La Tana della Volpe". L’Arma della Gastéa or Arma Mamela, situated near the centre of Borniga, a village of Realdo, to the left of the homonymous stream, with an opening of triangular shape, founded from the limestone of the Luteziano, situated at a height of 1270 metres. The cavity is shaped from a narrow cave which tending to tighten up to the inside. The most ancient occupation of the cave was in the middle Neolithic period, with the presence of a only fragment of the border of pot to the square mouth in the same period there were found marine shells for ornamental use.

"The Tana della Volpe" instead, was found from a small cavity shaped from the accumulation of a big mass of stones fell down, that opens to the base of a rocky high wall, to the height of 750 meters on the right hand side of the torrent Argentina, in front of the habitat of a Triora fraction of Loreto.

As well as the Arma della Gastéa even here were found fragments of vases to the square mouth of the same period.

The Eneolithic period from the 2500 to the 1800 B.C., corresponding to the introduction and the working of the first metal, the copper, is characteristic in the zone of Triora by the presence of a series of sepulchral little caverns and rocky winding paths, that show the existence of a pastoral civilization up to the sea via some roads of Tenda and Mount Bego.

Among the various caves of the Eneolothic period, the more important in the area of Triora are: The Arma della Grà di Marmo, also known as the Grotta (cave) of Realdo, and The Arma della Vigna, situated near the Tana della Volpeat 640 meters high. And finally the Cava di Loreto situated 400 meters north of the little church of Our Lady ok Loreto, near the Arma della Vigna, where you can find a numerous repertory of vases, ceramics, cups and many objects made of shells and bones.

The Pastoral civilization that use to live in the sepulchral caves continued in the territory of the Argentina Valley. The most significant population to this period were the ones of Pertuso, known as

Grotto of Goina, situated in the high Valley of Capriolo at height of 1300 meters, where were found a high quantity of human bones, fragment of ceramic vases and various ornamental objects.

In the second century B.C. the inhabitants of Triora were part of the Albingauni tribes of Liguria, that together with the Intemelii and the Savo population, took place in a long and hard war against the Romans.

During the Imperial period, Triora and the rest of the Liguria lived in prosperity and richness. In the Fourth century Triora had been the evangelization, together with other villages of Intemelio and Ingauno, from Saint Marcellino, first bishop of Embrun in France, and from his colleagues Vincenzo and Donnino, that came to the high valley, after having arrived from Africa to the beach of Nice the year 360. During the period of the barbaric invasions, Triora increased the number of its population that were refugees to the nearest mountains to avoid ravages from Saracens populations, of which the most important were in the year 641 from the Longobardi ahead with King Rotari, and year 730 when a group of Arabs savaged the village.

During the Carolingia domination Triora had a difficult period of which no documentary trace has been found. There is an assumption of Savio Fedele that in the period of the VIII and the IX century there was the construction of the church dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Marziano. Today this church is completely disappeared, it was destroyed in the year 1878.

In the middle of the X century, the King of Italy Berengario the Second, to defend the Alps from the Saracens, divided The Liguria in three Regions: the Arduinica, the Aleramica and the Obertenga. Triora was in the Arduinica region which was extended from Nice to Finale. This region ceased to exist in the year 1091 with the death of the last Earl Adelaide of Albenga.

During the IX and the X century even in Triora there was a development of Feudal economy, which centre was the Castle of Saint Dalmazzo based on the exploitation of the ground.

In the first half of the XII century, after the extinction of the Lords of Albenga with the death of the Countess Adelaide, Triora was governed by the Lords of Ventimiglia, still remaining, though, under the jurisdictional religion of the bishop of Albenga. In this occasion the Lords of Ventimiglia broadly widened their lands, undertaking, apart from Triora, the other villages in the Argentina Valley, the Valley of Maro, the Valley of Impero and the Valley of Arroscia. These lands were previously the cause of bitter and bloody battles with the Aleramici. During these battles the Republic of Genoa signed the Alliance with the sons of Bonifacio, marquis of Savona, on the 2^nd of July 1140, in which they decided to conquer Ventimiglia and its County and to subdue with weapons all the population between the Armea river and Finale.

The stipulation of this deal can be said to be the beginning of Ventimiglia’s expansion.

In 1153 Anselmo de Quadraginta the "Feudal Sir" of Linguila, intervened in Triora to collect ecclesiastical money from the local population which was to be given to the bishop of Albenga to whom the village belonged to. Anselmo, not be able to do so personally, sent to Triora and in another 30 villages an energetic tax-collector to do the job for him. This had little importance from apolitical point of view as Triora depended politically from Ventimiglia, religiously it had more importance because of the presence of the church in Triora. Four years later in 1157 Guido Guerra, Lord of Ventimiglia swore to be loyal to Genoa to whom he donated fractions of the County, of which Triora.

In 1190 Triora and the rest of west Liguria passed definitively under the political and economical influence of the Republic of Genoa. Consequently, Associations of Citizens were formed called Compagnie or Compagne, that proposed to help commerce and guarantee health, insurance scheme collaboration with the citizens of the village. The merchants, that had the role of commercial judge of the company, started to call themselves Consuls. Subsequently, the Compagne to give themselves further juridical importance and to contrast the excessive power from the feudal, dedicated themselves in Town Councils, which is what happened also in Triora, that in this period became part of a Council, governed first by the Consuls and then by the Podestà, with the power to put in circulation laws and elect local magistrates.

In this period there was the formation of the first town planning of Triora, the district of Saint Dalmazzo, which was the most elevated built-up area, and it was almost not accessible from three sides, with its church and public building. The five or six houses build out of the door Peirana, formed, instead the first nucleus of the village, as known as "burgus", neighbouring with the "castrum" or castle.

In 1200 Triora had, from Gerardo Travacca of Roccabruna, who bought it from Guglielmo I Earl of Ventimiglia, half of the village of Do or Dho (then called Castelfranco and today called Castelvittorio).

Two years later, Podestà Grasselli, on the 7^th of August 1204 ordered the population of Arroscia, Andora, and Oneglia, to hold the peace between them and to stop murders, fires, and destructions of houses followed from a war with the Council of Porto Maurizio. But two start the war against citizens of Triora by no selling or buying goods from them and to get hold of things of their property without giving it back.

In 1210 in Triora was established a popular Government, told "Parlamento Generale" (General Parliament). In 1230 the Gionco’s Villa was sold to Ventimiglia and the nearest Castle. In 1217 Triora stipulated a convention with the villages of Montalto and Badalucco, then they created a community for the exploitation of the wood of Tomena, and especially of wood called "Agrifoglio".

The agreement was accepted by the other Councils, and they swore to respect it for the future. In 1250 another convention was held from the Council of Triora with the Council of Briga for a good neighbouring, which showed that by that time Triora was able to manipulate their own finance, social and economical interests. The presence of this conventions showed particularly the width of the territory used by the Triora’s people for the posture land and for the trade.

Following the good will of the Triora’s citizens of not wanting to depend to Ventimiglia County anymore, the Earl of Badalucco still owner of the village, decide to sell on the 21st February 1260 to the solicitor Janella, head of the Republic of Genoa, the Castles of Triora and Do or Dho, and half of Castles of Arma and Bussana for a sum of 3000 Lire.

Not happy for the purchase, the solicitor Janella, therefore a year later he sold once again to the Council of Genoa half of the Castle of Do, Arma and Bussana for the sum of 2300 Lire.

In 1261 in Triora, to the presence of the Ambassador of Genoa, the Consuls and the head of the Family’s of the high Argentina Valley, swore fidelity to the Republic of Genoa. At this point Genoa raised Triora to the head of jurisdiction, in quality of ninth office of Podestà of his Republic, putting ahead of the Council a Podestà, nominated directly from Genoa’s Government; who had the duty to supervise the local administrators and to protect the rights of Genoa’s Council. The Podestà had also the power of political and military authority to administrate justice and the faculty to sentence the penalty of death.

In 1271 Triora stipulated another convention of good neighbouring with the village of Rezzo. In 1280Triora declared free the village of Do or Castle Dho, which assumed the name of Castelfranco, i.e.: Free Castle, and six centuries later in 1862 took the name of Castelvittorio.

In 1295 due to the arguments between the council of Triora and the council of Tenda regarding shepherds and livestock, Sir Pietro Baldo of Tenda destroyed all vineyards and chestnut woods that belonged to the village of Triora.

In 1310 Triora in charge of a Ghibellini Administration, found itself in armed conflict with the Councils of Cosio and Parnassio, that depended from the Savoia’s Royal Family.

In 1331 was signed a stop of the military operations between the Ghibellini’s of Triora, Taggia, Arma, and Bussana and the Guelfi’s of the Nervia Villages.

Among 1347 and 1350 Triora, as the rest of Italy and part of Europe, was hardly hit from the black plague which killed a third of the village population.

Among 1350 and 1351 there was a long and complex argument between the inhabitants of Triora and the ones of Pigna, Buggio and Castelfranco for the exploitation of the pasture land and the waters of Tenarda.

In 1356, just before Republic of Genoa rebelled to the Administration of the Visconti from Milan, the Triora’s population got stronger by sending out of the village the Visconti’s representative sent by the Emperor Carlo IV accused of having treated badly the village.

In 1383 the inhabitants of Triora had a rebellion against the Republic of Genoa for having exceeded on a fiscal pressure against the villages of Liguria.

In 1391 there was a new convention with the Council of Pigna, which anticipated precisely jurisprudential rules and civil procedures for the solution of quarrels, quibbles and frauds between the inhabitants of the two villages.

In 1411 was stipulated a new convention of good neighbouring with the village of Tenda.

In 1418 in Triora there was the preaching of Saint Bernardino of Siena, who was then in Albenga for a mission of preaching.

In 1435 to avoid new series of quarrels and arguments about pasture lands between the two Community there was a new treaty with the Council of Briga.

Six Years later, in 1441 Triora stipulated a new agreement with the Council of Taggia regarding the disputes between the Governments of Councils.

In 1459 a terrible pestilence destroyed half of the population of the entire village of Triora, but the news is not historically certain.

In the same year, with the contrasts between Triora and the Councils Badalucco and Montalto, who asked for a major fiscal autonomy, the major of those Councils presented a petition to the Government of Republic of Genoa asking to be separated from Triora for several reasons.

The 7^th November 1459 the Governor of Genoa after having examined all the documents rejected the request of separation of the Councils of Badalucco and Montalto from Triora, as for them it wasn’t convenient at all. But other agreements were made.

Almost fifteen years later, in 1486, there was the separation of the Church of Molini from the one of Triora. In 1497 there was one more convention of good neighbouring with the Council of Taggia, but no act was saved.

In 1498 was signed one more treaty with the village of Briga and even it was lost. At the end of the Middle Age we can say that Triora found itself economically prosperous while politically and administratively remained faithfully to the Podestà of the Republic of Genoa