Sanremo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comune di Sanremo | |
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 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Liguria |
| Province | Imperia (IM) |
| Mayor | Claudio Borea |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Area | 54 km² (21 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2004) | |
| - Total | 56,903 |
| - Density | 1,054/km² (2,730/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Sanremesi or Sanremaschi |
| Dialing code | 0184 |
| Postal code | 18038 |
| Frazioni | San Romolo, Poggio, Bussana, Bussana Vecchia, Coldirodi, Verezzo, San Bartolomeo, Gozzo Superiore, Gozzo Inferiore, Verezzo San Donato, Verezzo Sant'Antonio, San Giacomo, San Giovanni, Borello |
| Patron | Saint Romolo |
| - Day | October 13 |
| Website: comunedisanremo.it | |
Sanremo[1] is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants and lies on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. It was founded in Roman times and is now best known for being a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera and the host of several cultural events such as the Sanremo Music Festival. It is also widely accepted as the origin of the Five-card stud variant, Telesina[1].
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[edit] Name
The name of the city is a phonetic contraction of the name San Romolo, which refers to Romulus of Genoa, the successor of Syrus of Genoa. In the Ligurian language, his name is San Rœmu. The spelling San Remo can be read in all the ancient maps of Liguria, of the ancient Republic of Genoa, of Italy in the Middle Ages, of the Kingdom of Sardinia and also of the Kingdom of Italy. It was used in 1924 too, in official documents during Fascism.
[edit] History
Once a Roman settlement (Matutia or Villa Matutiana), San Remo expanded in the Early Middle Ages when the population moved to the high grounds and built a castle and a walled village (La Pigna) to protect the town from Saracen raids.
At first subjected to the countship of Ventimiglia, it later passed under the dominion of the Genoese bishops, who in 1297 sold it to the Doria and De Mari families. It became a free town in the second half of the 15th century and spread on the Pigna hill and at Saint Siro's Basilica, the Cathedral. The old village remains almost perfectly preserved to this very day.
San Remo managed to remain independent from Genoa (Italian: Genova) for a long time, but in 1753, after twenty years of fierce conflicts, San Remo rose against the hegemonical attempts of the Genoese city-state. It was at that time that the Genoveses built the fortress of Santa Tecla situated on the beach near the port. The fortress was used as a prison until 2002, and is now being transformed into a museum.
After the French domination and the Savoy restoration (1814), San Remo was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The town grew bigger from the middle of the 18th century onwards with the development of tourism: the first Grand Hotels were built and the town extended along the coast. At the time, famous people stayed in San Remo, such as the Empress Elisabeth of Austria "Sissi", the Czar Nicola of Russia, Alfred Nobel, Italo Calvino, the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, of whom we are reminded today when walking along the promenade of the same name along the sea and by the attractive Russian Orthodox church of San Basilio, erected in 1912 by the local Russian Community.
[edit] Tourism
San Remo enjoys special weather conditions throughout the year due to its vicinity to the Mediterranean Sea and the presence of Maritime Alps right behind the town, the highest peak (Monte Bignone) being some 1,300 m above the sea level. Temperatures range from an average of 10°C during winter (the chilliest month being January) and 23°C over the summer. Such conditions make San Remo one of the most attractive tourist destinations of the Italian Riviera. There are plenty of tourist attractions in San Remo that are open all year round and it boasts numerous and well-equipped sports facilities, such as a golf course and a riding ground. There are two tourist harbours: Porto Vecchio and the modern Porto Sole. Many boutiques and local shops can be found in the town centre. The colourful market, held on Tuesday and Saturday mornings in Piazza Eroi Sanremesi, is very famous among the people living in the Italian and French riviera.
[edit] Transportation
The city is connected to Genoa and to Ventimiglia, the border city with France, by the A10 motorway, whose last part is also known as the Autostrada dei Fiori ("Motorway of Flowers"). It is built of a large number of elevated section with viaducts and tunnels and gives a panoramic view of the coast. The A10 Autostrada seamlessly joins the French A8 autoroute at the state border between Ventimiglia and Menton. Together these national routes are part of the European route E80. Both the French and Italian motorways are toll roads.
The closest airport to San Remo is in France, the Côte d'Azur International Airport airport in Nice, only 45 minutes away by car or train. The railway also passes through the city and connects it to the other Ligurian cities, as well as with Nice, Milan, Turin and Rome.
The railway tracks were once located right on the coastline, very close to the sea, allowing travelers to admire the beauty of it. The track has been moved further north and underground, speeding up rail transportation. Consequently, the main train station has also been relocated and it is now next to the City Hall. Today an ongoing project, carried by Area 24, is dealing with the task of refurbishing the old area once occupied by the tracks and converting it into a biking route and a pedestrian area.
Other roads of importance are the SS1, the "Aurelia Bis" which connects San Remo to Taggia. This is a non-tolled 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 is only 1 lane in either direction for most of way around San Remo.
[edit] Economy
Besides tourism, the city is active in the production of Extra Virgin olive oil, whose regional "designation of origin" is protected (D.O.P., Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and makes it one of the main production activities in western Liguria and in particular within the province of Imperia. San Remo is also known as the City of Flowers (la Cittá dei Fiori), this being another important aspect of the economy of the city. The near towns of Arma di Taggia, Bordighera and Ospedaletti are also involved in the cultivation of flowers for the international flower market of San Remo.
[edit] Cultural events
The town's Municipal Casino, together with the Ariston Theatre, offer annual series of concerts, operas and theater plays. San Remo's Symphony Orchestra is one of twelve symphonic orchestrae recognized by the state of Italy and it performs some 120 concerts throughout the year, most of which in the Municipal Casino's Opera Theater. The Ariston Theater hosts the annual San Remo Music Festival, a very popular song contest held in the city since 1951. This festival inspired the Eurovision Song Contest which debuted in 1956, and for years the San Remo festival also served to select the Italian entry for the international song contest. The internationally famous song "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu", also known as "Volare", was performed at this festival for the first time by Domenico Modugno in 1958. The San Remo festival is so popular amongst Italians that it is often referred to simply as "Il Festival" (The Festival). Other events include the Tenco Prize (Autumn), a song contest for authors dedicated to the memory of Luigi Tenco, the Flowers Parade held in January/February in which every city of the Italian Riviera presents an original composition of flowers displayed on a Carnival/Mardi-Gras style moving car, and the summer Firework International Contest held during the second week of July.
The hosts of 2008 are : Pippo Baudo - Piero Chiambretti - Andrea Osvart - Bianca Guaccero
[edit] Sport events
The Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition that was part of the FIA World Rally Championship from 1973 to 2003. It was replaced by Rally d'Italia Sardegna, a rally on the island of Sardinia, in hosting the Italian round of the WRC. Formerly a mixed surface event (tarmac and gravel), the rally has later sadly been organized as an all-tarmac event and takes place around the mountains. San Remo is also the finish of the classical Milan-Sanremo cycle race (294km) of the UCI ProTour, and is considered to be one of the five 'Monuments' of the cycling season. Milan-Sanremo is traditionally held in March, and is one of the first major fixtures on the cycling season.
The football club U.S. Sanremese Calcio is based in San Remo. The team currently plays in Serie C2/A.
[edit] Culinary specialties
Some of the great snacks available in San Remo and environs include Sardenara, Focaccia, Focaccia alle Cipolle, Torta Verde and Farinata. The tallesca olives is very famous.
[edit] Famous people
- Maria Alexandrovna, consort of Alexander II of Russia, spent the winter of 1874 in San Remo and as a gift to the city she later donated the palms that now decorate the seaside walk of Corso Imperatrice (Empress Avenue).
- Italian-American mobster friend of Jimmy Burke, "Remo" whose name was derived from the city.
- Alfred Nobel bought a villa in Sanremo in 1891 and died there in 1896. Since 2002 it has housed a permanent exhibit on the most important discoveries of the 19th century including the research interests of Nobel himself. Sanremo continues to maintain its ties with Nobel, long after his death. Every 10th of December, large quantities of flowers sent by the authorities in Sanremo (the province of Imperia, the city of Sanremo and the Board for Tourist Promotion of the Riviera dei fiori), adorn the annual Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and Banquet in Stockholm.
- Italian writer Italo Calvino spent his youth in San Remo and many of his novels, including Il Barone Rampante remind of his attachment to the city.
- Edward Lear, artist, illustrator and writer known for his nonsensical poetry and his limericks, lived and died in San Remo. His tombstone is still visible in the Foce Cemetery.
- The Italian actor and comedian Carlo Dapporto was born in San Remo and went on to became a household name in post war Italy.
- The Sicilian playwright and Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello lived in San Remo between 1933-34 and was appointed artistic director of the Casino.
- The writer Tobias Smollett stayed a few days in San Remo in 1765 and described it thus "St. Remo is a pretty considerable town, well-built upon the declivity of a gently rolling hill...There is very little plain ground in this neighbourhood; but the hills are covered with oranges, lemons, pomegranates and olives....The women of St. Remo are much more handsome and better tempered than those of Provence." Travels through France and Italy (1766)
- Italian director and cinematographer Mario Bava was born in San Remo in 1914.
- Italian-born sculptor Giuseppe Moretti lived in San Remo in his final years and died there in February 1935. Moretti designed the world's largest cast iron statue of the Roman god Vulcan (56 ft. or 17 m.), which stands atop Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama (USA). The statue is the symbol of the city.
- Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire died in Sanremo on May 16, 1926.
- Juan Manuel Fangio, won his first European Grand Prix in Sanremo- Ospedaletti in 1949.
- Italian born aviation specialist and lethario Federico Atragene was born and raised in San Remo in 1984 before entering the world of flying at university in Milan
[edit] Famous events
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 famous of these was the British Mandate of Palestine.
Every year, the Nobel Peace Price in Norway has Sanremo's flowers in the stage coming from the riviera dei fiore (the coast of the flowers).
San Remo is the home of International Institute of Humanitarian Law, the most famous institute in courses about Refugees and international humanitarian law.
[edit] References
- ^ The official spelling of the city is Sanremo, a phonetic contraction for the name San Romolo (Saint Romolo), official saint and protector of the city, which in the local Ligurian sounds like Sanrœmu. The spelling San Remo was introduced (for unknown reasons) in 1924 by the City Mayor and used in official documents during Fascism. This form of the name is still used on some road signs and, more rarely, on unofficial tourist information. It has been the most widely used form of the name in English at least since the 19th century.
[edit] External links
- Official website (Italian)
- All about the events in Sanremo (English)
- Video and events from Sanremo (Italian)
- San Remo Festival
- Sanremo Music Festival - Unofficial website
- San Remo Guide
- Saint Sirus's Cathedral
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