Glori: Sanctuary, Carruggi and Paths Through the Forest

Glori appeals to travellers who want to consider Italian village history and landscape together. In the village, the Santuario Nostra Signora di Lourdes, other churches, the Carruggi and paths through forests and terraces come together. For your planning, this creates a clear blend of culture, rural scenery and walking routes.

Sanctuary and Dated Local History

The Santuario Nostra Signora di Lourdes in Glori was built in 1911 and is located on a hillside at an altitude of around 500 metres. The church contains a grotto built in 1916 that is identical to the Grotto of Massabielle. There are also two other notable church buildings: the Church of Natività di Maria Santissima dates from 1707, while the Oratorio di Sant'Antonio Abate was restored in the Baroque style in 1632.

Glori is considered a village that was established around 1348. History can also be read directly from concrete traces along the old border near Glori: some boundary stones erected in 1733 based on a design by the Genoese cartographer Matteo Vinzoni are still visible today.

Lavender, Terraces and Forest Landscape

Lavanda Officinalis “Imperia” is cultivated in a lavender field near Glori Superiore. It is a variety created and protected by the “Lavanda Riviera dei Fiori” trademark. The field covers almost 7,000 square metres and lies on the edge of the tiny, partially abandoned hamlet of Glori Superiore. Here, you can combine views of a distinctive cultivated plant with a landscape in which older settlement structures also remain recognisable.

Via Mezzana and Paths into the Surrounding Area

Via Mezzana passes through dense forests and along old terraces supported by large dry-stone walls. Its section between Glori and Fontanili runs through forests of chestnut trees and downy oaks; from Glori, Via Mezzana leads to the picturesque village of Fontanili via an old mule track.

For planning your routes, there are further specific connections: from Glori, you can walk through the forest to the Santuario Nostra Signora di Lourdes. Behind the church, a trekking trail leads directly to Carpasio. The Glori–Fontanili–Colla Piana hiking trail is also designated. The “Molini Di Triora – Bivio Glori” stop is connected by line 16.

If you are looking for a hotel for your trip to Glori, you can organise the focus of your days around these themes: churches and boundary stones for cultural and historical discoveries, the lavender field and dry-stone walls for impressions of the landscape, and forest paths for exercise. Glori can thus be viewed as a starting point for different interests, without equating the individual destinations and their respective routes.

If you would like to compare other places for your trip to Italy, you can find them here: Pigna, Borgomaro, Caravonica, Villatalla, Triora, Conio, Ville San Pietro and Ville San Sebastiano.

For the higher-level travel overview: Imperia.