Guide turistiche

Sanremo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants and lies on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in northwestern 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 San Remo Music Festival. It is also widely accepted as the origin of the Five-card stud variant, Telesina.

The spelling of the city San Remo, is a phonetic contraction for the name San Romolo, the official saint and protector of the city (13th of October). The spelling San Remo is very antique, used from the fourth century when Saint Romolo, Genoa's Bishop (Saint Romulus of Genoa), lived in Villa Matutia. He evangelized, governed and helped the town after the bishop Siro. He lived in holiness of life and he did miracles to help his people.[citation needed] He died in this news town catholic. The citizen wanted to turn the name of the town Matutia on "San Remo" which in the local Ligurian sounds like San Rœmu (in accordance with the ligurian pronuciation to say Saint Romolo). Romolo became the official saint patron and protector of the city. The spelling San Remo can be read in all the ancient maps of Liguria, of ancient Republic of Geona, 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. Only some years ago the problem of the official spelling began existing. This form of the name is still used on road signs, in lots of public certificates and tourist information.


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.


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 can boast 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.


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.