Paula Stanghetta July 3, 2020MP TOURS: Born in Torre di Palme
I never met my paternal grandmother, Vittoria (Victoria). She died in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario before I was born. I wish I had known her – woman, mother, wife, sister, friend and Nonna. However, I do feel a strong connection to her in the stories told by my father and his siblings and a special kinship because my middle name is her first name.
Several of the stories I heard painted pictures of her hometown in Italy, a tiny medieval hilltop town called Torre di Palme (Tower of Palms) in the Marche Region. I decided as a young girl that someday I would visit that town to learn more about her and my family history. Over the past four decades I have visited Torre di Palme many times, each time marveling at its beauty, its history, and its people, including my relatives who continue to live there.
History of the Tower of Palms
The name Torre di Palme dates back to the 6thcentury B.C., but the town itself began in the medieval ages. Perched on a gentle slope 300 feet above sea level, the town is surrounded by a wall that dates back to its early days as a fortress. It offers a breathtaking view from the eastern wall that overlooks the Adriatic Sea and the towns of Porto San Giorgio and Marina Palmense at sea level.
On my first visit to Torre as the locals refer to it, my cousin Teresa brought me to the house where my Nonna grew up with her parents and three sisters, one of whom also emigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. To be in the place where she played and cooked and lived was a highly emotional experience for me and I re-visit her childhood home each time I return.
Torre, Today
Today, Torre is a charming reminder of days gone by. It has been described as a perfectly preserved medieval town. The homes are well kept, the few shops and restaurants are secret treasures for the cognoscienti (those in the know) and the people are welcoming. Each evening, the residents continue the tradition of the passeggiata – a walk through the town, stopping to catch up on the news of the day, to have a caffè or gelato, and to gaze out from the balcony of the Adriatic to the world beyond.
I have long considered Torre di Palme a pearl of the Adriatic and it is what inspired me to introduce travelers to this region of Italy. Torre has captured wider attention lately as it was recently designated one of the most beautiful towns in Italy – Uno dei borghi più belli d’Italia, a rare recognition that I will describe in a future post
