Torri Superiore

Torri Superiore (TS) is in the town of Torri which is just outside of Ventimiglia which is just outside of Nice, which is actually in France, even though we are in Italy.  TS is a cohousing/ecovillage/hotel in a converted medieval stronghold on the side of a hill.  It only has a footprint of about 300 ft by 200 ft, but its  network of Escher-ish staircases and efficiently shaped spaces provide for hundreds of rooms.  During peak season, over 70 people can stay here.

Although a stone castle structure isn’t the most efficient in terms of heating, the architects of the TS community decided that it would be better to start with an existing structure instead of building from scratch.  The renovation process started in 1989.

TS has an entire system of people that contribute to its well-being.  Some live here full-time, year-round and divide up cooking, cleaning, administrative, remodeling, and other responsibilities.  Others arrive only seasonally and help out with farming and other projects such as furniture building. Others own sections of the village and use it as a summer home.  Others are members of the Cultural Association and contribute in a variety of ways.

We got a chance to talk with several of the local farmers that help supply TS with organic and very local food.  Olives are a big crop here, although it appears to be more and more difficult to make a living growing olives, making olive oil, or providing many other crops while staying small and independent.  Hence the mutually beneficial relationship between TS and the local farmers -- one gets organic, local food, the other gets customers, and both share the labor of maintaining/remodeling an ecovillage and farm.

The olives from the trees don’t grow into new plants once they hit the ground -- the trees that are covering the terraced hillsides can be several hundred years old, and many are the same plants farmed by the people who settled in Torri during the middle ages.  The olive trees take a while to grow as well -- often times a farmer would plant trees not for his crop but for his children 15 years in the future.

Another challenge for local farmers is the restrictive national regulations.  One farmer had worked across the US and Europe and found the ability to try different practices and innovate with farming techniques was much easier in the US due to more flexible laws.

Meals at TS are shared in a common dining area.  Although people there may have different jobs and interests, food and eating is what brings everyone together.   Dinner doesn’t start until 7:30, and when we leave around 9:30 it is still going strong.