BORDIGHERA | LIGURIA REGION

Bordighera is located along the Western Riviera 10 km from the border with France, at the foot of the Maritime Alps which makes the summers always breezy. The township is well know for the abundance of flowers and mediterranean vegetation, a new tourist resort along the seafront, and the ancient borough perched on the promontory above Cape Sant'Ampelio.

In the area two Ligurian settlements existed since the 5th century BC, one in the present area of Montenero, and the other, called Sapergo near the present hamlet of Sasso, where pre-roman remains of walls have been recently found. In Roman times the Via Julia Augusta was built in 13 BC to connect Liguria to Gallia, and there was probably a Roman villa as shown by remains of a tomb of the Imperial period. In the early 5th century a hermit named Ampelio coming from Thebaides landed on the coast of Bordighera taking with himself, according to the legend, dates seeds, which would explain the abundance of palm trees on this coast. In 1296 a bull by Pope Boniface VIII first mentions the name Burdigheta possibly derived from the French bordigue, to indicate an artificial lagoon used as fishery. On 2 September 1470 some families from the hamlet of San Nicolò meet inn the parish church and establish to rebuild Bordighera, previously abandoned, on top of the cape. In 1543 this area of the coast was stormed by Saracen raids, Bordighera was sieged and many inhabitants were taken prisoners. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna joined Liguria to the Sardinian Kingdom, including Bordighera in the Nice jurisdiction. When Nice was lost in favour of France, Bordighera passed however to the newly established kingdom of Italy.

WHAT TO SEE IN BORDIGHERA

• The Città Vecchia, ancient fortified borough with mighty walls, built on an irregular 5-sided plan, where only 3 gates opened, the Porta del Capo, Porta Soprana and the Porta Sottana, leading into a maze of narrow lanes branching from the two main streets, the Via Lunga and the Via Dritta.
• The Museo Bicknell, with reproductions of the cave graffiti found in the Ligurian caves in the area
• The panoramic Via dei Colli, which follows the steep coast offering an astounding panorama

CERVO | LIGURIA REGION

Cervo is a picturesque ancient town along the Italian Riviera in the province of Imperia, with a fine baroque church overlooking the sea. In the last decades the little town has acquired importance since when in 1964 the International Chamber Music Festival was established here by famous Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh. The event has been held every summer ever since. Music master classes - Accademia di Cervo - are held in September, and a guitar academy in June.

PLACES TO VISIT IN THE PROVINCE OF IMPERIA

Towns and villages to visit during your vacation to the Imperia Province of Liguria Region.

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Bordighera | Liguria Region

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Cervo | Liguria Region

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San Remo | Liguria Region

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Ventimiglia | Liguria Region

SAN REMO | LIGURIA REGION

Sanremo or San Remo is a city on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria Region of north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 57,000, and is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival and the Milan – San Remo cycling classic. The city is widely accepted as the origin of the card game telesina, which is very similar to five-card stud.

The name of the city is a phonetic contraction of Sant'Eremo di San Romolo, which refers to Romulus of Genoa, the successor to Syrus of Genoa. It is often stated in modern folk stories that Sanremo is a translation of " Saint Remo", a deceased Saint. In Ligurian, his name is San Rœmu. The spelling San Remo is on all ancient maps of Liguria, the ancient Republic of Genoa, Italy in the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Kingdom of Italy. It was used in 1924 in official documents under Mussolini. This form of the name appears still on some road signs and, more rarely, in unofficial tourist information. It has been the most widely used form of the name in English at least since the 19th century.

GETTING TO SANREMO

Sanremo is in the  Imperia Province  and is connected to Genoa and to Ventimiglia, the border city with France, by the A10 motorway, whose last part is also known as the Autostradadei Fiori ("Freeway of Flowers"). It has a large number of elevated sections with via-ducts that give a panoramic view of the coast. The A10 joins the French A8 highway at the border between Ventimiglia and Menton. Together these national routes are part of the European route E80. The A10 motorway is a toll road, and the A8 demands a toll in sections, and some sections are free of charge. Notably when travelling from Italy into France, there one does not pay until after the towns of Menton and Monaco.

The closest airport to Sanremo is in France, the Côte d'Azur International Airport airport in Nice, 75 minutes away by car or train. The railway connects the city to the other Ligurian cities like Imperia, Genoa and to Nice, Milan, Turin and Rome. The railway line used to be along the coast, running close to the sea, and providing a view for travellers. The line has been moved further north and underground, which allows for faster trains; Sanremo railway station was relocated next to the City Hall. The city is refurbishing the area once occupied by the railway and converting it into a biking route and pedestrian area. Other roads of importance are the SS1, the "Aurelia Bis", which connects Sanremo to Taggia. This is a non-toll bypass route. The coast road is the via Aurelia or SS1 and follows the route of a Roman road. This can be heavily congested when it passes through towns, as it has only one lane in either direction for most of way around Sanremo. A trolleybus line along the via Aurelia links Sanremo with both Taggia and Ventimiglia.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN SANREMO

Sanremo's Mediterranean climate and attractive seacoast setting on the make it a popular tourist destination. Besides tourism, the city is active in the production of extra virgin-grade olive oil, whose regional "designation of origin" is protected (D.O.P., Denominazione di Origine Protetta). It is one of the agricultural commodities in western Liguria and in particular within the province of Imperia. Sanremo is known as the City of Flowers (la Città dei Fiori), this being another important aspect of the economy of the city. The nearby towns of Arma di Taggia, Bordighera and Ospedaletti are also involved in the cultivation of flowers for the international flower market of Sanremo. The Municipal Casino, built in 1905, is an example of Art Nouveau building. The Ariston Theatre offers annual series of concerts, operas and theatre plays. The Symphony Orchestra is one of twelve symphony orchestras recognized by the state of Italy; et performs some 120 concerts throughout the year, most in the Municipal Casino's Opera Theatre.

Once the Roman settlement of Matutia'or Villa Matutiana, Sanremo expanded in the Early Middle Ages when the population moved to the high grounds. The nobility built a castle and the walled village of La Pigna to protect the town from Saracen raids. At first subjected to the countship of Ventimiglia, the community later passed under the dominion of the Genoese bishops. In 1297 they sold it to the Doria and De Mari families. It became a free town in the second half of the 15th century, after which it expanded to the Pigna hill and at Saint Syrus Cathedral. The almost perfectly preserved old village remains.

Sanremo remained independent from Genoese Republic. In 1753, after 20 years of fierce conflicts, it rose against Genoese hegemonical attempts. At that time the latter polity built the fortress of Santa Tecla, situated on the beach near the port. The fortress was used as a prison until 2002. It is now being transformed into a museum. After the French domination and the Savoy restoration in 1814, Sanremo was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. From the middle of the 18th century the town grew rapidly, in part due to the development of tourism, which saw the first grand hotels built and the town extended along the coast. Such notables as the Empress "Sissi" of Austria, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, and the writer Italo Calvino stayed here.

The San Remo conference, 19–26 April 1920, of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council determined the allocation of Class "A" League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East by the victorious powers. The most notable of these was the British Mandate of Palestine. Sanremo is the home of International Institute of Humanitarian Law, the most notable institute in courses about refugees and international humanitarian law.

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK IN SANREMO

The culinary specialities of Sanremo and environs include Sardenara, Focaccia, Focaccia alle Cipolle, Torta Verde, Farinata and Tallesca olives.

VENTIMIGLIA | LIGURIA REGION

Ventimiglia is a city and comune in the Liguria Region, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts. Ventimiglia's urban area has a population of 55,000. Remains of a Roman theatre (first half of the 2nd century) are visible, and remains of many other buildings have been discovered, among them traces of the ancient city walls, a fine mosaic, found in 1852 but at once destroyed, and a number of tombs to the west of the theatre. The ruins of the ancient Albintimilium are situated in the plain of Nervia, c. to the east of the modern town. The caves of the Balzi Rossi have proved rich in palaeolithic remains of the Quaternary period. Remains of a family of Cro-Magnon people were discovered, with several skeletons of men, women and children. Very important architecturally and historically is the ancient medieval city centre, perched on a hill overlooking the new town. The Church of San Michele Arcangelo was erected in the 10th century by the Counts of Ventimiglia on the foundations of a pagan temple. Later it was entrusted to the Benedictines of Lirins.

In the 11th-12th centuries it was rebuilt in Romanesque style. In 1628 it lost the aisles after an earthquake. It houses milestones from the old Via Iulia Augusta, two of which are used as stoups and one supports the crypt's vault. The present Romanesque Cathedral, with an 11th-century baptistery, is built on the ruins of an earlier Lombard church, which in turn was on the site of a Roman building, possibly a temple. The municipal library has the second largest collection of 17th-century manuscripts and books in Italy (the biggest collection is in Venice). The Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens), surrounding the villa of Sir Thomas Hanbury, La Mortola, are the biggest in Italy and among the finest in Europe, boasting many varieties of tropical and sub-tropical species that thrive in this mild climate. Near Ventimiglia are the Genoese fortresses of Castel d'Appio, Forte San Paolo and Fortezza dell'Annunziata.

HISTORY OF VENTIMIGLIA

Ventimiglia is the ancient Albium Intemelium, the capital of the Intemelii, a Ligurian tribe. Albintimilium became a municipium in 89 BC. In AD 69 the city was sacked by the army of Otho and Vitellius, but recovered to remain prosperous into the 5th century, surrounded by walls with cylindrical towers built at each change of direction. In the Gothic Wars it was besieged by the Byzantines and the Goths, and later suffered from the raids of Rothari, King of the Lombards, but flourished again under Rodoald. In the 10th century it was attacked by the Saracens of Fraxinet. After a period as an independent commune, it was ruled by the Counts of Ventimiglia, and often had to fight with the Republic of Genoa. In 1139 the Genoese attacked it by land and sea and forced it to surrender; the count continued to hold the city and countship as a vassal of the victors.

The city rebelled more than once against the Genoese and sided with their enemies. In 1271 in a war with Genoa its podestà Luca Grimaldi was captured. Ventimiglia was thus temporarily held by the dukes of Savoy (1389 and 1746) and King Ladislaus of Naples (1410). In 1505 it was annexed to the Genoese Republic, sharing its history until the early 19th century. In 1269 the Count of Ventimiglia, Gugliemo Pietro I Balbo marriedEudossia Laskaris, daughter of Emperor Theodore II Laskaris.The History of the Col de Tenda, W.A.B. Coolidge, The English Historical Review, Vol. XXXI, ed. Reginald Lane Poole, (Longmans, Green and Co., 1916), 202. From them started the dynasty of the Lascaris of Tenda. They maintained the sovereign County of Tenda until 1501 when the last of them, Anna Lascaris, married Renato of Savoy (in French René de Savoie) and transferred the County to his cadet branch of Savoy dynasty. The most famous exponent of this branch of Lascaris was Beatrice of Tenda.