After my travels in Spain I returned to London for a few weeks, then on to Torri Superiore for a second, extended stay. Over five months I mainly helped them prepare for their gardening intern programme, due to start the following spring.
To find out more about the work I did this time round, click here. And to see pictures from my first trip to Torri (where I photographed the place itself), click here.
It was the end of summer when I arrived, and the beginning of the next growing season when I left. Between then the days got shorter, the last harvests of fruit and vegetables were brought in, winter came... then in spring the Bevera valley blossomed and came back to life.
Near the end of the year the olive trees became ready to harvest. In September and October brightly coloured nets started to appear on many terraces, covering everything as much as possible, right up to the trunks of trees.
Olives are picked using two methods; either by thrashing the trees with a stick, or getting up into the branches themselves and pulling them off by hand. Most trees have been cultivated over the years to make them easier to climb; you can usually work your way right up to the top, or at least far enough to balance yourself precariously and shake the remaining olives off.
Everything drops down onto the nets. When they are pulled in at the end of the day the boxes of olives are taken back to Torri and sorted through, in time for a pre-booked appointment at the local press.
Coming from the big city and not really having done any gardening before, it was exciting to pick an olive in the morning and have its oil on the table by evening. The simple pleasure of harvesting!
Everything drops down onto the nets. When they are pulled in at the end of the day the boxes of olives are taken back to Torri and sorted through, in time for a pre-booked appointment at the local press.
Coming from the big city and not really having done any gardening before, it was exciting to pick an olive in the morning and have its oil on the table by evening. The simple pleasure of harvesting!
The trees can't be climbed when they're wet, so weather can end up playing a big part in how much gets harvested before it's too late. We mostly had good weather and things went well, but it wasn't always sunny at Torri...
The guest house at Torri Superiore is well-placed as a holiday destination; for walking in the Alps, visiting the Mediterranean coast and trawling the French Riviera. The nearest town is Ventimiglia, about 20 minutes away on the local bus.
A few kilometers from the border with France, it has an old quarter that is pretty much untouched by tourism or redevelopment. It is cut off from the more modern part of town by the Roia river.
Ventimiglia attracts a lot of people across the border for its cheaper cigarettes and alcohol ('Old Nick' anyone?), and for its Friday market - where many 'designer' brands can be found on sale at very reasonable prices. You can also see some great sunsets sitting on the beach.
Ventimiglia attracts a lot of people across the border for its cheaper cigarettes and alcohol ('Old Nick' anyone?), and for its Friday market - where many 'designer' brands can be found on sale at very reasonable prices. You can also see some great sunsets sitting on the beach.
Small towns and villages stretch along the coast in both directions, in an endless touristy sprawl without any real gaps to it (though the Italian and French side have quite different 'feels' to them, the French being more classy and rich).
Five minutes on the train gets you to Bordighera, a pretty seaside resort, winter enclave and retirement spot for wealthy Italians, English and French.
Five minutes on the train gets you to Bordighera, a pretty seaside resort, winter enclave and retirement spot for wealthy Italians, English and French.
Alina and I first went there on a Sunday afternoon, when the differences between the commercial, market-like Ventimiglia and the rich, promenading Bordighera were most apparent. Even though the two places are close enough together to be virtually the same town, you get the feeling that people from one just don't travel to the other.
Heading the other way along the coast and into France the first place you reach is Menton, known as "la perle de la France". It's a seaside town that has belonged variously to the French, the Italians and also the Principality of Monaco. In its time (the late 1800's) it attracted many English and Russian aristocrats, who built most of its gardens, mansions and hotels.
The basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange (left) is reached from the seafront by many impressively steep flights of stairs, and looks out over the harbour from the center of the old town.
Behind it and further up the hill is the Vieux-Château cemetery (right). Menton was a place for many English, German and Russian tuberculosis sufferers to visit, and in the First World War many properties were pressed into service as hospitals. It makes for an interesting walk around the headstones and mausoleums.
Behind it and further up the hill is the Vieux-Château cemetery (right). Menton was a place for many English, German and Russian tuberculosis sufferers to visit, and in the First World War many properties were pressed into service as hospitals. It makes for an interesting walk around the headstones and mausoleums.
The other direction to travel from Torri Superiore is north, following the Vallée de la Roya into the Alps. The train from Ventimiglia winds its way along the dramatic Vallée des Merveilles and passes small, remote villages that have changed hands between France and Italy many times.
The most interesting of these are the town of Tende...
The most interesting of these are the town of Tende...
...and Saorge, balanced daringly on the edge of a mountain and feeling even more fortified than Torri. It's also home to a very good restaurant with spectacular views over the valley. Tel: 04 93 04 51 37
