"'and I am going to spend the winter months in my villa near Taggia. Only think of that, Helen, Taggia—Tag-gi-a!'"
The house Lota inherits from her grandfather, the Orange Grove, is in Taggia and is where the bulk of the story takes place. It is the site of Lota's mental decline, which is a product of her refusal to leave despite warnings from people local to Taggia to leave. During the Victorian era, people believed in the 'Change of Air' as a way to treat psychosomatic disorders like melancholy and hypochondriasis. At the recommendation of physicians, people suffering from these health conditions would travel, often to warmer climates, for their health. In his exploration of the phenomenon, Richard E. Morris notes, "The purpose of the Change of Air was to revitalise the patient by coaxing a focus on ‘new objects’ in new locales" (49). He also notes that this is a precursor to travel for leisure. This sentiment justifies Lota's move to the Orange Grove for the colder months and speaks to her cultural awareness. The focus on 'new objects' and 'new locales' is also illustrated in Lota's fascination with the 'exotic' nature of Taggia, and imbues a sense of cultural racism and imperialism in her desire to travel there for her health.
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth. Chapter I. “Herself.” Annotated Text in Haunting Imperial (Non)Sense: What Cannot be Captured in the Victorian Ghost Story. 1894. https://editions.covecollective.org/edition/haunting-imperial-nonsense-w....
Morris, Richard E. “The Victorian ‘Change of Air’ as Medical and Social Construction.” Journal of Tourism History, vol. 10, no. 1, 2018, pp. 49–65, https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182X.2018.1425485.