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 Sanremo Music Festival. It is also widely accepted as the origin of the Five-card stud variant, Telesina[1].

Contents 1 Name 2 History 3 Tourism 4 Transport Links 5 Economy 6 Cultural events 7 Sport events 8 Culinary specialities 9 Famous people 10 Famous events 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Name

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 dialect sounds like San Rœmu. The spelling San Remo was introduced (for unknown reasons) in 1924 by the City Mayor and used in official documents during Fascism. San Remo is actually a nonsense word because there is no saint called Remo in the Catholic tradition. This form of the name is still used on some road signs and tourist information. It remains the most widely used form of the name in English.

[edit] History

Once a Roman settlement (Matutia or Villa Matutiana), Sanremo 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 San Siro, near the Cathedral. The old village remains almost perfectly preserved to this very day.

Sanremo managed to remain independent from Genoa (Italian: Genova) for a long time, but in 1753, after twenty years of fierce conflicts, Sanremo 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), Sanremo 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 Sanremo, such as 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

Sanremo 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 Sanremo one of the most attractive tourist destinations of the Italian Riviera. There are plenty of tourist attractions in Sanremo 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.

[edit] Transport Links

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 seemlessly 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 Sanremo 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 Aurelia Bis which connects Sanremo 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 Sanremo.

[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. Sanremo 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 Sanremo.

[edit] Cultural events

The town's Municipal Casino, together with the Ariston Theatre, offer annual series of concerts, operas and theater plays. Sanremo'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 Sanremo 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 Sanremo 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 Sanremo 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.

[edit] Sport events

The Sanremo Car Rally Race that used to be part of the FIA World Rally Championship, (a pure tarmac rally, takes place around the mountains), takes place in fall (end of september). Sanremo is also the arrival of the classical Milan-Sanremo race (293km) 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.

[edit] Culinary specialities

Some of the great snacks available in Sanremo and environs include Sardenara, Focaccia, Focaccia alle Cipolle, Torta Verde and Farinata.

[edit] Famous people

• Maria Alexandrovna, consort of Alexander II of Russia, spent the winter of 1874 in Sanremo and as a gift to the city she later donated the palms that now decorate the seaside walk of Corso Imperatrice (Empress Avenue).
• Alfred Nobel bought a villa in Sanremo in 1891 and died here 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.

• Italian writer Italo Calvino spent his youth in Sanremo 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 Sanremo. His tombstone is still visible in the Foce Cemetery.
• The Italian actor and comedian Carlo Dapporto was born in Sanremo and went on to became a household name in post war Italy.
• The sicilian playwright and Nobel prize winner Luigi Pirandello lived in Sanremo between 1933-34 and was appointed artistic director of the Casino.
• The writer Tobias Smollett stayed a few days in Sanremo 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)

[edit] Famous events

The Sanremo 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.

[edit] References

"Telesina...has ties to Sanremo"

[edit] External links

• Official site (in Italian)
• ItalianVisits.com
• www.SanremoGuide.com

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