News from Italy
Villages of Italy: Bussana Vecchia
Isabella Laiden – When you arrive at San Remo, the jet-set hub on Italy’s border with France, if you visit a winding hill a few kilometres away, you will come across a very special medieval village, “Bussana Vecchia”. It was severely damaged by a terrible earthquake in 1887, a large part of the village was destroyed, its population dwindled, but like the Phoenix, it was reborn from its ashes. This historical medieval village, which was turned into an open-air museum by a group of artists and philosophers, thus gained the title of Artists Village and turned into a rare jewel…
To discover the origins of Bussana we have to change the direction of the time scale, going back to Roman times. Afterwards, we must reach the Republic of Venice, where it started to transform itself and attained the architectural structure it has today, and the sovereignty of the Lombards and Saracens. Today in Bussana Vecchia the different stages of this transformation are still very evident. The earthquake that hit the Sanremo hinterland damaged the castle, houses and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which later became the church of Sant’Egidio. It is a 1652 building in the Baroque style, built on an already existing medieval building at the end of the fourteenth century. Many elements that characterize the village’s architecture still stand, despite the strong earthquake. We can see this history in the ruins of Bussana Castle and the houses with original stone structures scattered around it.
The town, which was destroyed by a severe earthquake at the end of the 19th century, gradually emptied in Bussana, where approximately 2,000 people lost their lives. But one day, thanks to someone living like a starfish saviour visiting the city, it started to come alive again. His name was Turin ceramicist Mario Giani. aka Clizi. When he visits this village like a tourist one day, he experiences both admiration and pain at the same time. It is very sad to see such a beautiful village abandoned. Then he takes action to revive the village and return it to its good old days. He begins sending letters to his friends in Italy and around the world. He calls them all to come to this village and live for a while. And the attempt to rebuild Bussana Vecchia begins under the leadership of Clizia. Artists and philosophers, who came by carrying their workshops, built the village in accordance with the original, with tiles, stones and other materials taken from the rubble to give a new life to Bussana. They restore the houses that surround the castle to their original form.
And the historical village begins to breathe with the smell of steaming art. Houses and art workshops become the soul of the village. Thus, Bussano, which is located among open-air workshops, taverns and colourful shops, comes to life again. Since then, Bussana has been the temporary or permanent home of hundreds of characters who have left their creative touches on it. The salvaged and restored places in Bussana Vecchia have turned into a true artist’s village, with its own laws regulating the life of the inhabitants and the renovation of buildings…
As you wander through the cobbled streets of Bussana Vecchia, filled with art galleries, painters, sculptors and woodcarving shops, you are abstracted from time, reborn in the magical world of art, and begin to breathe. Inside the village, in its colourful shops and workshops, you feel the creative hands of the artists whose passion and dedication turned it into a true open-air creativity laboratory. The owners of these hands were a group of immortal philosophers, craftsmen and artists who renovated the dilapidated houses around the castle and turned the dwellings into workshops about 80 years ago…
When you come here, start walking aimlessly on the cobblestone streets. Discover the spots where you can see the surroundings. If the weather is nice, watch the beach and sea, which always has an intense cobalt blue colour. Go down quiet, peaceful narrow slopes. Consider the stories of statues set like precious stones on ancient city walls. Listen to the melodies rising from the houses. As you walk, you will see the church with only the walls and tower standing. Take your steps into the magic world among the colourful paintings, murals and colourful chairs hanging on the walls among the flowering climbing plants that adorn the ancient stone houses in every street. Pass cafes and art galleries with easels in front of them. Examine wood carvings, sculptures and paintings with unique stories. Even buy it. Chat with artists who will delight you with their stories and art. You will pass the signs for Sio Cafe, Dito Bar, Piazetta Golosa. Galleries will welcome you. When you get tired, sit in a restaurant overlooking the valley. Say yourself a wine or beer. Start with the bruschetta. Everything is so delicious. Don’t forget to taste their pasta. Or go to the pizzerias hidden in the trees. Then watch the sunset. Experience the privilege of being in one of the most special places in Liguria. Soak up the magical air of Bussana Vecchia…
