Menu :

Histoire

Personnages

Nature

Itinéraires par région

The first written mention of the existence of Occi dates back to 1467: it appears in the cartulary of the Ligurian abbey of San Venerio del Tino and concerns the church of the Santissama Annunziata in front of which you are standing (restored in 2003). The transformation of Occi into a real village probably took place during the 14th century with the successive influx of people fleeing the coast and the barbarian incursions. Occi, in spite of its dominant position, was not impregnable: a barbarian raid sowed terror during the first half of the 17th century, the invaders took not the path of the plain but that of the heights to melt on Occi by the back. This story is not written down, it has come down to us through oral tradition, which mentions an invader attacking "from the roofs". In 1589, an apostolic visitor counted 150 souls and during a second visit, in 1686, the population was down to 80. The fact that the site was so vulnerable no doubt contributed to slowing down its prosperity. Thereafter, Occi continued to lose population: 40 inhabitants were counted in 1812. It was no longer the barbarians who threatened but the implacable logic of the administration which no longer recognised the hamlet that had become Occi as a commune under the averted gaze of the notables of Lumiu who saw in the decline of Occi an opportunity to extend their influence over the land. On April 29, 1852, the administrative attachment of Occi to Lumiu was sealed, despite the resistance of its municipal council. This administrative act triggered the process of abandonment at a time when Occi was experiencing a demographic revival (70 inhabitants in 1842) The last inhabitant of Occi, Félix Giudicelli known as "Fra Felice", who died in 1918 in Lumiu, called himself the 19th Count of Occi. This whimsical character belonged to the most important family of Occi, owner of a third of the land as well as of numerous buildings and having provided most of the mayors of the commune before its annexation to Lumiu. "Fra Felice" had an unusual life: he was born in Lumiu in 1830, studied in Italy, claimed to be affiliated with the Carbonari, a companion of Garibaldi and of the future Napoleon III, from whose hand he received a safe-conduct. His legend remains, even today, in the collective memory. A 19th century man wearing a frock coat and top hat, speaking Italian, he was the last occupant of the place in the early 20th century.

Lumio

GRITACCESS:

Contact :