The Monastery of Torba, located in the little city of Gornate Olona (VA), has Roman origins and is nowadays a part of an important Roman site that includes also the Church of Santa Maria Foris Portas and the ruins of Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist. From 2011 the whole site is a UNESCO Word Heritage site ( “Lombards in Italy – places of power 586-774 A.D.”).
The Monastic complex of Torba was originally built during the late Roman empire with a defensive purpose, lately it gained the religious use. The four floors tower was built in the 5th century to be the residence of Roman civil-military authority and with the arrival of the nuns, in the 7th century, was added a fourth floor, the dovecote. The walls of the Monastery were realized with river pebbles and ruins of Roman burial monuments. At the last floor of the tower there is the Oratory, rich of religious frescos. The Church, part of the site, was built in different ages starting from the 7th century. The complex was completed in the 12th century, with the reconstruction of the apse and a part of the outside walls, with a typical Romanesque technique.
FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Via Carlo Foldi 2 - 20135 Milano
Phone: +39 02 46 76 15 393
Email: m.pizzorni@fondoambiente.it
The audiovisual works shot in the place:
Unesco documentary "L'Italia dei Longobardi" by Eugenio Farioli Vecchioli
