The historic centre of Ornica makes up a large part of the urban fabric of the village and preserves almost intact the traditional architectural features, made up of old houses leaning against each other overlooking twisted lanes with strictly cobbled floors. The old houses are well-kept, with severe stone portals, wooden balconies and windowsills decorated with vases of multicoloured flowers. The recent innovations triggered by the establishment of the albergo diffuso have led the owners of the commercial and accommodation establishments to display a series of colourful signs at the entrance, carefully designed to respect the traditional appearance of the area. Some buildings still reflect the important past of their owners, such as Palazzo dei Gualteroni, whose history is identical to that of the village itself. The house shows signs of a nineteenth-century renovation, with a stone portal and windows embellished with floral decorations. At the centre of the façade is a fresco of Saint Ambrose, the patron saint of the village, painted in 1817. In the oldest part of the historical centre is the portico called Pòrtec di Sancc (Portico of the Saints), where, according to an old tradition, the poorest dead of the village were buried. The walls of the portico were decorated with sacred frescoes and the area reserved for burials was closed off with gates to prevent animals from entering.
Italian