Triora, Liguria’s village of witches: history, trials, and Strigora

Amid the mountains and green slopes of Liguria in northern Italy sits a small village with an unusual past. Triora is a place once gripped by belief in witches, interrogations, and a very real hunt for women blamed for every misfortune. Today it is often called the village of witches and has come to symbolize a tragic yet telling chapter in Italian history.

Hunger, fear, and accusations

It began in 1587. Harvests failed, food was scarce, and illness spread. Residents looked for someone to blame. Accusations quickly settled on women who lived apart, worked with herbs, practiced healing, and kept local rites.

Panic followed. Women were arrested, interrogated, and charged with sorcery. Local authorities and the church stepped in, and what were, in effect, witch trials took hold. Under torture, women admitted to things they had not done. Some died in custody. Over two years, dozens faced accusations. Against a backdrop of poverty and dread, suspicion hardened into persecution — a pattern that feels grimly familiar when crisis meets rumor.

What remains today

More than 400 years later, Triora carefully preserves the memory of those events. The village runs a Museum of Witches, where visitors can see historical objects, documents, and accounts from the time. It offers a way to understand how people lived then and why it all happened.

The museum does not aim to scare; it invites reflection. It is an honest telling of the past and a reminder that accusations without proof become especially dangerous in hard times.

Strigora festival — a celebration with history

Every summer, Triora hosts the vibrant Strigora festival. Streets fill with stalls offering local food and souvenirs, alongside workshops, street performances, and costumed parades. It is not a witches’ revel in the literal sense, but a celebration of local culture that shows how even a dark story can become part of shared memory and bring people together.

Why it matters

Today Triora is a quiet place of stone houses and narrow lanes. Visitors come not for noise but for atmosphere and history. Some argue the village deserves a place on cultural heritage lists, as it reminds us that fear and prejudice can lead to grave mistakes.

The story of Triora is neither fiction nor legend. It is a reality worth remembering. And even if Italy is not on your itinerary, this account offers a clearer view of how vital it is not to repeat the errors of the past.