San Remo

43.81597, 7.77606

Sanremo Travel Guide

Travel Author

Stig Albeck

City Map

City Introduction

Sanremo is a town beautifully situated on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region. The town was founded in Roman times and has developed over the centuries into a popular tourist destination. In the Middle Ages, the original lower-lying part of Sanremo was expanded as the population moved to higher ground to protect themselves from Saracen attacks. The town later became part of the Diocese of Genoa and was sold to the Doria and De Mari families in 1297.

Sanremo became known as a year-round spa town from the early 1860s, attracting many prominent visitors, such as the German Emperor Frederick III in 1887-88. Sanremo also played an important role after World War I, when in 1920 it hosted an important Allied conference on the division of former Ottoman territories. Today, Sanremo is also known for its annual music festival, which has been held since 1951 and has developed into one of the biggest events in Italian popular culture.

The city’s cozy center is located along the Mediterranean Sea, and there are several squares and narrow streets such as Corso Augusto Mombello. It is a fashionable street from the sea through the old town in the direction of the church of Concattedrale di San Siro. The church is one of the oldest and most important churches in the city. It was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style with an impressive facade and beautiful frescoes that decorate its interior. At right angles to Corso Augusto Mombello is Via Giacomo Matteotti, which is the city’s main street.

It is always interesting to take a stroll along Via Giacomo Matteotti with its shops, cafes and restaurants. It is also here that you can see the Teatro Ariston, the theater where the Festival di Sanremo music festival is held. You can also simply explore the narrow streets of San Remo’s old town. Here you can experience an architecture that is a mixture of historical and modern styles.

Sanremo is known for its elegant villas and hotels from the Belle Époque period, which still adorn the streets. One of the most iconic buildings is the Sanremo Casino, built in 1906 in the Art Nouveau style. The Sanremo Casino stands almost like a castle, and close to the west is the city’s beautiful Russian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1912, and with its characteristic ornamented onion domes, it stands as a unique structure in Sanremo.

The city’s location along the sea is also an attraction in itself, and you can get a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the coast from the Santuario della Madonna della Costa. It is a church that is located about 100 meters above sea level and almost at the top of the old quarter of Sanremo. The church is believed to date back to the 14th-15th centuries, and it is today one of the city’s most popular places due to the fine view from here.

You can also spend time in Sanremo’s beautiful gardens and parks, such as the Giardini Regina Elena, which is located on the road to the Santuario della Madonna della Costa. The old port of the city is called Porto Vecchio and is located outside the city center as a charming area with restaurants and a maritime atmosphere. You can also walk or cycle along the coast and enjoy the beautiful view of the Mediterranean or spend a day at the beach. Within the piers is a beautiful beach with many activities.

Sanremo offers a number of additional attractions if you move east or west of the old port and the city center. A short distance to the west is Forte Santa Tecla, an old Genoese fortress built in 1755. To the east is Villa Nobel, where Alfred Nobel spent his last years. The sites tell parts of the history of Sanremo, and you can also visit the Museo Civico di Sanremo, a museum with a collection of art and historical objects.

Other Attractions

Day Trips

Nice

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera, and most people associate the city name with palm trees, a warm sun, nice beaches and tasty food. With its beautiful location on the bay Baie des Anges and with a mild climate, Nice is indeed a good starting point for many activities; in the city, along the coast or inland.

Nice has attracted tourists for centuries, and the Romans possibly already started tourism 2,000 years ago with the construction of the Roman baths, which still can be seen in the district of Cimiez. Especially since the 19th century, the city’s fashionable status with elegant hotels and nice promenades has been developed to what you can enjoy on a visit today.

Read more about Nice

 

Cannes

Cannes is a famous and fashionable seaside resort located on the French Riviera. Cannes is known for the city’s film festival, but there is also much else to come here for. The city’s history goes back to the settlement of Aegitna in the 100s BC, which originated as a fishing village.

Later, the city was named Canua, from which the current Cannes comes. The city was fortified with a castle in 1035, and at the end of the same century fortress towers were established on the Îles de Lérins, which are in the sea off Cannes.

Read more about Cannes

 

Genoa

Genoa is one of the great and old merchant and trade cities of Northern Italy, and for centuries it was an independent state as the Republic of Genoa. The wealth of this period from trade on the world seas did result in many of the city’s magnificent buildings and sights that you can enjoy today.

A large number of Genova’s distinguished mansions are inscribed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage. The mansions were part of a formal system for receiving important visits during the time of the Republic, and a walk along Via Garibaldi is one of the best places to experience the diversity of the mansion buildings of Genoa’s leading families.

Read more about Genoa

Geolocation

In short

Travel Expert

Stig Albeck

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