The Colomba d'Oro Triora
The white wooden door with glass panes seemed to clear a gateway to a world stopped the sixties, when the hotel was working at full speed in every season and every winter closure was celebrated with a lavish masked ball. I made my entrance at the hotel, certain that nobody would recognize me. I had not even booked in spite of my planning / habits. Since my last appearance I had completely shaved his hair and I was almost certain to be incognito. I found myself retrieved from the great hall of what had once been the church of S. Francesco, with three naves and the adjoining convent. In those early days the track was the clearest bell tower that still appeared next to the roof and raised the curiosity of all who giungevanoper the first time. It was clear that the building, over the centuries had suffered more than rehashes of Alba Parietti: First church, then barracks, after school, and then colony Alpine hotel. Here is the Colomba d'Oro, the legendary hotel still led by Pastor Simon tenacious that soared busy behind the counter for the umpteenth time to tell the story of the witch trials of 1587 to a group of clienti. Se fossi stato in lei avrei affidato l’ingrato compito di riassumere il tragico episodio ad un mio sottoposto o peggio ancora avrei rifilato agli sventurati uno dei terribili libri che un certo Ippolito Edmondo Ferrario si ostinava a pubblicare per raccontare ogni volta, con parole diverse, la stessa storia. Un autentico genio letterario del male e della truffa. Mi guardai intorno riconoscendo il pianoforte a coda, i muri intonacati di bianco e le perlinature anni cinquanta che nascondevano le imponenti arcate di pietra di quella che un tempo era la chiesa. Per un attimo mi chiesi se con qualche colpo di mazza ben assestato avrei potuto nel giro di poco riportare l’edificio all’antico splendore eliminando quelle sovrastrutture moderne e dando un tocco of elegance to the whole.
Excerpt from "The nights Triora Gothic" by Edmondo Ippolito Ferrario, Frilli Publisher
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