| Sanremo | |
|---|---|
| — Comune — | |
| Città di Sanremo | |
| Panorama of Sanremo from the harbour | |
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Sanremo
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Liguria |
| Province | Imperia (IM) |
| Frazioni | San Romolo, Poggio, Bussana, Bussana Vecchia, Coldirodi, Verezzo, San Bartolomeo, Gozo Superiore, Gozo Inferiore, Verezzo San Donato, Verezzo Sant'Antonio, San Giacomo, San Giovanni, Borello |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Maurizio Zoccarato |
| Area | |
| • Total | 54.7 km2 (21.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Population (30 April 2009) | |
| • Total | 56,864 |
| • Density | 1,039.6/km2 (2,692.5/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Sanremesi or Sanremaschi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 18038 |
| Dialing code | 0184 |
| Patron saint | Saint Romolo |
| Saint day | October 13 |
| Website | Official website |
Sanremo or San Remo[1](Sanrœmu in Ligurian) is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city 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 five-card stud variant telesina.[2]
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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. 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 during Fascism.
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 Genoa for a long time. In 1753, after 20 years of fierce conflicts, it rose against the hegemonical attempts of the Genoese Republic. 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 (1814), Sanremo was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Since the middle of the 18th century, the town grew rapidly, in part due to the development of tourism: the first grand hotels were built and the town extended along the coast. Notable people, such as the Empress Elisabeth of Austria "Sissi", Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, Alfred Nobel, and the writer Italo Calvino stayed here.
Sanremo enjoys special weather conditions throughout the year due to its vicinity to the Mediterranean Sea and the presence of the Maritime Alps right behind the town. Monte Bignone, the highest peak, is some 1,300 m above the sea level. The town's climate is described as one of 'perpetual spring', with warm days and chilly nights and little variation of temperature around the year. These conditions make Sanremo one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera. Numerous tourist attractions are open year-round; and it has numerous and well-equipped sports facilities, such as a golf course and a riding ground. The tourist harbours of Porto Vecchio and the modern Porto Sole accommodate tourist boats. Many boutiques and local shops are in the town centre. A market is held on Tuesday and Saturday mornings in Piazza Eroi Sanremesi.
The Municipal Casino, built in 1905, is an example of liberty style building. The Ariston Theatre offers annual series of concerts, operas and theater 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 Theater.
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 Cittá 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 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 ("Freeway of Flowers"). It has a large number of elevated sections with viaducts that give a panoramic view of the coast. The A10 Autostrada joins the French A8 autoroute at the 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, 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 travelers. 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.
Sanremo experiences a warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa).
| Climate data for Sanremo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.3 (77.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
19.6 (67.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.2 (37.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.4 (39.9) |
1.4 (34.5) |
7.8 (46.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 102 (4.0) |
89 (3.5) |
91 (3.6) |
81 (3.2) |
76 (3.0) |
38 (1.5) |
20 (.8) |
43 (1.7) |
56 (2.2) |
107 (4.2) |
97 (3.8) |
79 (3.1) |
879 (34.6) |
| Source: Intellicast[3] | |||||||||||||
The Ariston Theater hosts the celebrated annual Sanremo Music Festival, a very popular song contest held in the city since 1951. This festival inspired the Eurovision Song Contest, which started in 1956, and for years the Sanremo festival selected the Italian entry. The internationally notable 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 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 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 in the second week of August also called "Ferragosto".
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 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 been an all-tarmac event and takes place around the mountains. Sanremo is the finish of the classic Milan – San Remo cycle race (298 km), one of the five 'Monuments' of the cycling season. Milan – San Remo is traditionally held in March, and is one of the first major fixtures on the cycling season.
The local football club is the U.S. Sanremese Calcio 1904 that playing in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
The culinary specialties of Sanremo and environs include Sardenara, Focaccia, Focaccia alle Cipolle, Torta Verde, Farinata and Tallesca olives.
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 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.
Sanremo hosts an annual poker tournament as part of the European Poker Tour.
Sanremo is twinned with: