Sanremo

Sanremo : a town of a thousand facets
Places of artistical and historical interest
The Casino means gambling, music, culture
The legend of the "Festival"
Sanremo, an evergreen town

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Sanremo : a town of a thousand facets

If you had to recommend a holiday resort in Riviera, knowing nothing about the potential tourist's interests and habits, you would probably choose Sanremo as the place which most likely better fits his tastes. The "city of flowers", infact, combines the historical and artistical charm of a millenary human settlement with the beautiful seascape of western Riviera; its hinterland offers a great variety of walks, trips and excursions in direct contact with nature, it is rich in cultural and musical dates of great fame, and its night life is no way inferior to that of the nearby cities of "cote d'azure"

Places of artistical and historical interest

The origin of the town dates back to the Roman Age, during which it was called Villa Matuciana and then Castrum Sancti Romuli, later transformed into Sanremo due to dialectal pronounce. The most valuable remains of this period are the Roman villas Foce and Bussana, at the extremities of the present town. During the Middle Ages Sanremo depended on the Archbishops of Genoa. The medieval nucleus of the town, called "La Pigna", perched on the hill of Madonna della Costa (6th century sanctuary), presents typical flights of steps and narrow alleys with houses joined together by small arches, pitoresque squares, craftman's workshops and characteristic inns. Also it is worth mentioning some preserved parts of the medieval walls, the San Giuseppe and Santo Stefano gates and the tower of the Ciapèla.

Below Pigna, the church of San Siro is an imposing Romanesque-Gothic building (13th century) of very ancient origin, partly rebuilt many times later after being damaged by wars and earthquakes. Dating to modern times, but still of great interest are Palace Borea D'Olmo (17th century) and the Russian Orthodox church, typical of Moscow Architecture, which is a reminder of the sojourn of the Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

Among the immediate surroundings of the town the ruins of Bussana Vecchia (destroyed by the earthquake in 1887), a few miles towards the east, have become the headquarter of an international community of artists and are certainly worth a visit.

The Casino means gambling, music, culture

The Casino of Sanremo was built at the beginning of the century, when the town had already proved its value as an holyday resort. With its many rooms it is one of the largest in Europe (over 2500 mq). It houses most of the more common games, like the French roulette (22 tables), Trente et Quarante (2 tables), Chemin de Fer (7 tables), Blackjack (6 tables) and the American roulette (4 tables). At ground floor one can try his luck with hundreds of slot-machines, choosing among the traditional or the more sophisticated ones. Furthermore, the Casino of Sanremo is the first in Europe housing Game Makers and interactive games.

The legends coming up around the "green tables" are not different from those you can hear about any other major gambling house: magnates and adventurers making their fortunes or losing them in a single night; one-time players becoming millionaires with a lucky strike. Among the hundreds of famous players who people the stories of the Casino, one quite remarkable is King Faruk of Egypt, who is said to have once claimed victory during a hard poker hand showing three kings, and saying: "and the fourth, it's me!"

It would be restrictive, however, associating the Casino exclusively to the word "gambling", especially if you keep in mind that when it was designed the casino was to be first of all a setting for culture and showbusiness. Therefore the Casino offers a great deal of initiatives of artistical and cultural interest, as well as mundane occasions: opera, music, drama, cinema and literature. The concerts of the Opera Orchestra and a great opera season; the International Contest for conductors; the theatre season housing the major Italian drama companies; the international review of auteur films; the "literary tuesdays", a sort of revival of the legendary "literary mondays" held in Sanremo in the twenties, open debates between great authors like Rita Levi Montalcini, Indro Montanelli, Vittorio Sgarbi and their public; and, of course, spectacular gala and variety evenings in the Roof Garden (in summer) and in the Party Hall (in winter)

The legend of the "Festival"

And it was precisely there, in the Party Hall, that took place in the fifties the first edition of the Italian Song Festival which shortly after (perhaps even the following year, when it was won by the young Nilla Pizzi with "Vola colomba") became not only the most important Italian popular music event, but a part of the very history of the country. The Festival takes place in march, and the latest editions have guested several foreign artists of international fame, creating a thread that ideally connects the most beloved singers of every age and country, from Domenico Modugno and his unforgettable "Volare" to the Take That, the new idols of the teen-agers, special guests in the last edition.

But music in Sanremo does not only mean the Festival: the Permanent Symphonic Orchestra, made up of over 60 members, and conducted from time to time by the most renown maestri, is the pride of the city. In addition to the mentioned winter concerts in the Casino Opera Theatre, in summer the Orchestra plays in the beautiful setting of Parco Marsiglia, a natural auditorium of great beauty in the open air. Also, for more sophisticated light music lovers, every year in the period following the Festival's takes place the Exibition of Auteur Songs-Premio Tenco, attended by many of the most appreciated Italian songwriters, like Fabrizio De Andrè, Roberto Vecchioni, Francesco Guccini, Ivano Fossati. For those who love the genre, the Sanremo Immagine Jazz and the Sanremo Blues exibitions are nearly a must.

Sanremo, an evergreen town

The touristic inclination of Sanremo developed spontaneously, thanks to its climatic and environmental peculiarities that make it a magnet for tourists on every period of the year. Infact, it was because of its exceptionally mild climate that the first "VIP" tourists, nobles and kings, came to Sanremo in the last century, when it was just a small village. A permanently favourable metereological situation, due to a middle-sized mountain range (mt.Bigone is 1300 mt high) protecting the coastal zone from the northern winds. So Sanremo has sunny days, very little rain and a pleasantly mild and steady temperature, average 10deg.C in winter, 23deg.C in summer. Furthermore, Sanremo is a town of many charms, and open all over the year. Sport facilities are many and well equipped, and particularly the golf court and the horse centre are of international level. Sanremo holds two touristic ports, the old one (Porto Vecchio) and the modern and well-equipped Portosole, capable of housing over 800 boats, a reference for the most important regattas of the Mediterranean, like the famous "Giraglia" from Sanremo to Tolone and the Sanremo-Saint Tropez.

Along the hillside runs Corso degli Inglesi, a panoramic route through country seats and gardens, while west of the station begins Corso Imperatrice, flanked with verdant palms, beautiful palaces, villas and hotels.

For lovers of shopping the alleys of the centre show a great deal of "boutiques" and typical shops, while on Tuesday and Saturday mornings the multicoloured open market of Piazza Eroi Sanremesi is certainly worth a visit.

And last, but not least,the flofers, for which Sanremo, the "city of flowers", is so renown: the favourable clime allows plants and flowers from all over the world to grow and flourish in Sanremo's gardens and parks, which are unique in composition. Every year Sanremo houses the Floreal Market (from November to June), the Permanent Floreal Exposition and the flower festivals.