Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Apricale

The Chiesa della Purificazione di Maria Vergine (Church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary) is the parish church of Apricale. The church - built in the 13th century - is located in the heart of the centre of the perched medieval village. The church was restored several times and today it appears in baroque style with a neo-Romanesque façade. The interior is composed of three naves divided in two rows of four pillars each. Inside the vaults, in 1904, painter Leonida Martini frescoed floral patterns and images of saints. The bell tower of the church is remarkable with a bicycle facing upwards. This contemporary artwork of Sergio Bianco symbolizes the power of non-gravity. I must admit that I had not seen the artwork during my visit. But a photo of Nora Caracci pointed me to this unusual tower.

The first written documents about Apricale date back to 1267. The history of Apricale, however, officially begins about two centuries before with the foundation of the castle, wanted by the accounts of Ventimiglia. The place, chosen as a defensive outpost, is called Apricus; around the castle the village develops. In 1270 Apricale entered the fiefdom of the Doria of Dolceacqua, passing definitively into the sphere of influence of the Republic of Genoa. In the 18th century, Genoa’s difficulties are reflected in Apricale: wars and economic crisis, but also frosts, droughts and famines make it the darkest century in the history of the village, until the French occupation in 1794. In 1815, according to the dictates of the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the kingdom of Sardinia. Apricale comes from “apricus”, which in Latin means “exposed to the sun”, and in fact, the village is all built on the southern side of the hill. Coming from the Nervia Valley the village seems to be a waterfall of houses surrounded by forested hills. The little mountain village itself is a labyrinth of houses and alleyways.