Italy's Once-Abandoned Medieval Town Is Now A Welcoming, Unique Eco-Village Nestled Between The Alps And The Sea

Hidden in the Ligurian hinterland near Ventimiglia, a unique 13th-century stone village, Torri Superiore, was all but forgotten until an ambitious restoration project breathed new life into its old stone houses. Draped on the foothills of the Maritime Alps, along with terracotta red rooftops and groups of solar panels peering from the foliage, Torri Superiore is just a few miles from the stunning Mediterranean coast and the border of France, the gateway to chic French Riviera towns like the colorful hidden gem Menton and the spectacular artists' hub Antibes.

While today Torri Superiore has a thriving community, the village had previously suffered decades of decay, even being used as a garbage dump before a cultural association was formed in 1989 to undertake the long process of acquiring, restoring, and re-inhabiting the medieval ghost village. The restoration, as it stands today, was completed over the course of three decades via various stages from 1997 through 2012, with the help of local contractors and volunteers from all over the world.

Indeed, the work here was a labor of love, and still is, with various projects like adding to the village's energy self-sufficiency constantly in motion, and involved reconstructing rooms, ruined stairwells, and entire houses, while being careful to blend in a sustainable edge. This involved ensuring Torri Superiore's restoration made use of local ecological materials, like local stone, lime plaster, cork, and coconut fiber insulation, and installing solar technology, low-energy heating systems, and composting and phytopurification infrastructure.

Torri Superiore unfolds across three main buildings or blocks, eight levels, and more than 160 rooms connected through a labyrinthine collection of stairways, terraces, and covered alleys. Look at it from afar, and you'll find it almost resembles a medieval apartment building or a castle without turrets, but walk its old paths, and you'll find various explorable alleyways and streets ascending in cobbles to the village's different levels. There are numerous spots to enjoy the view, too, with the lush undulations of the Alps forming a breathtaking natural skyline.

Around 20 residents call Torri Superiore home (with new arrivals rare), but the village is more than that; it's a cultural center that functions as a cultural hub for environmental education, sustainability-focused retreats, intercultural exchange, and workshops on permaculture, natural building, and community living. On site, you'll find agricultural efforts such as olive growing, fruit orchards, herb gardens, and livestock breeding, as well as visiting volunteers from various international organizations.

For travelers, the best way to experience Torri Superiore is to spend a few days there, slowing down to match its rhythm. While the rooms are intentionally simple and pared back, the guesthouse serves convivial communal meals prepared with organic produce plucked from the gardens. There are guided tours and opportunities to chat with residents about the community, and the location is stunning, with a surrounding valley crisscrossed with walking paths along mountainsides and to local swimming holes in the Bevera River. Additionally, the Ecovillage can arrange picnic hampers as well as local guides and advise on longer journeys by local transport to the beaches in Ventimiglia.

While Italy's Torri Superiore eco-village is relatively remote, it's not difficult to reach. You'll need to take a train to Ventimiglia train station, and from there take either a taxi or the local Riviera transporti bus to Torri from Via Cavour in Ventimiglia. Ventimiglia is well-connected with direct trains from as far away as Rome, the best city to kick off a vacation in Italy, which takes around eight hours, and Milan, with a route that cuts across the northern Italian countryside in approximately five hours. If you're hoping to fly to Torri Superiore, then the best international airport is across the border in France at Nice Airport (NCE). From there, it's a 32.2-mile drive to Torri Superiore.

It's a quick trip from Torri Superiore to Ventimiglia to visit its delightful old town and the seafront spreading out across the coast. You'll find a collection of beaches that are mostly pebbly and rustic, contrasting with the sandy bays found further along the Ligurian coast. One of the best beaches, Spiaggia dei Balzi Rossi, sits near the French border, with red cliffs framing caves and a fascinating archaeological Site. Just outside the town, Spiaggia delle Calandre offers a rare sandy option, reached by a view-laden footpath that passes through a pine forest en route to the beach.

If you've already made your way across Italy, then crossing the Italian-French border is just a small extra step. From Ventimiglia, a short 20-minute train ride west brings you to Menton, with its Belle Époque villas and colorful old town, while Nice and the hilly fairytale village of Èze are each less than an hour away.