Valloria, the village of the painted doors!

Valloria is a village of 34 inhabitants in the province of Imperia. So small, so far away from everything … and so special 😉

How to reach Valloria?

Definitely by CAR! Cause otherwise there is only one bus a day from Imperia (line 24). Valloria is located in the Ligurian hinterland, quite far away from everything. If you use motorway A10 you should use Imperia Ovest motorway exit. Then follow the road signs to Dolcedo and take the road SP41. After you pass through Dolcedo it will take about 15 minutes to arrive at Valloria. More info here.

History

Valloria was ancient propriety of the bishops of Albenga. Then in the XII century, it was bought by Marquis of Clavesana and after that to the counts of Ventimiglia. During the XIV century, Valloria passed to the administration of the Grimaldi family and then to the powerful Doria family. With the Napoleonic domination, Valloria became a municipality that became a part of the Ligurian Republic. With Napoleon’s fall, Valloria was annexed into the Kingdom of Sardinia and in the XIX century was included into the province of Nice (!). Now it is a part of the province of Imperia.

Name

The name Valloria comes from its geographical position: the place near a slope of the so-called “Vallis Aurea” that means the Valley of Gold. The gold was the olive oil that was produced on the slopes of the local mountains. What is more, olive oil is still one of the most important products produced in that area.

Olive Oil

As I said above, that zone of Liguria is famous for its delicious olive oil! Oil made from olive taggiasche is really a speciality from Western Liguria. In Valloria you will find some producers that sell it directly. Absolutely to try and to buy! 🙂

Things to see & do

In Valloria you can visit its church that was built in the XV century. You can also visit its very particular museum which is the museum of “Forgotten things”. However, the biggest attraction of Valloria is something totally different … its doors!

At the beginning of the ’90’sof the XX century a local association – the Friends of Valloria – proposed a new initiative. Its aim was to revive the village by bringing to Valloria contemporary artists. The artists were asked to decorate the doors of the houses of Valloria in the way they prefered. In this way now we can admire more than 150 decorated doors of the village.

They represent various styles and different themes. Some of them are really very beautiful. I loved the one with a nun … so delicate and romantic 🙂 It is really amazing to go through the streets and after every corner find out a new, decorated door! It is like a game … find out as many decorated doors as you can 🙂 It is really fun to have a stroll through the labyrinth of Valloria’s narrow streets and I’m sure you will fall in love in that village. Valloria is so different from everything that you can do and see in Liguria that I recommend you to visit it absolutely!