 Introduction
Arrival Plane
The closest airport to San Remo is in France, the Cote d'Azur International Airport airport in Nice, only 45 minutes away by car or train and from here you can get both to the main international and intercontinental airports and to Paris - with a flight every hour. Genoa Airport GenoaCristoforo Colombo is 137 km from San Remo from here you can get to Rome Airport - Fiumicino - and to the main cities in Northern Europe. In both airports you can also rent a car, or you can get a bus from the airport to the railway station where you will find a train to San Remo.
Train
You can travel by train from all the main Italian and European railway stations. Take a train directed to Ventimiglia. Stop at San Remo railway station.
Car
The A10 Genoa-Ventimiglia motorway will enable you to reach San Remo and all the other resorts along the Ligurian Riviera easily. The motorway is connected to the most important Italian motorways that lead to Genoa (i.e., A36 Gravellona Toce-Sempione; A8 from Milan; A12 from Leghorn).
From France, you can reach Ventimiglia - at the border between Italy and France - via the Cote d'Azur motorway (A8 Autoroute Esterel de Cote d'Azur) and here you only need to drive along the A10 towards Genoa. If you prefer to enjoy the scenery, then you can drive along the Via Aurelia - the ancient Roman road - that passes through all the resorts along the coast.
From the Alps, you can reach the Riviera via the Colle di Nava (SS28) and Colle di Tenda roads.
History and Culture
San Remo was independent from Genoa for a long time, but in 1753, after twenty years of strong conflicts, it rose against the hegemonical attempts of that city-state. The Genoveses built against the town the fortress of Santa Tecla (a prison until 2002, now being transformed into a museum) situated on the beach near the historical port.
After the French domination and the Savoy restoration (1814), it was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. The town increased beginning from the middle of the 18th century with the development of tourism: the first Grand Hotels were built and the town extended along the coast. In that period famous personages sojourned in San Remo, such as the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, whose reminder is still in the homonymous promenade on the sea and in the attractive Russian Orthodox church of San Basilio, erected in 1912 on the will of the Russian Community present in the town.
Churches and Museums
The Romanesque-Gothic cathedral was built in the 13th century. By the north door is a relief showing the paschal lamb between palms, by the south door a Madonna between saints. The late medieval bell-tower was given a new dome in the Baroque period, and was rebuilt after the Second World War. Inside are a large crucifix above the high altar and a painting of San Siro (1550).
Orthodox Russian Church
The Church was consecrated to the Saviour and St Catherine and is a fairly eccentric monument. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, many Russians decided to spend their winters in San Remo and this was due to the tsarina Maria Alexandrovna who had spent an unforgettable winter season in San Remo in 1874 and then "promoted" it once back to her country. The Church was finished in 1913 and it is slightly similar to the church of San Basilio in Moscow.
Santo Stefano
Church of Santo Stefano, was reconstructed by the Jesuits beginning from the middle of the 17th century. It keeps the painting illustrating the Madonna with the infant Jesus and the Saints Anne and Francesco Saverio by Domenico Piola and frescoes by Giovanni Battista Merano.
Madonna della Costa
The town is dominated by the sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa, built with a single nave in the 17th century and enlarged in the presbytery and in the transept in 1778 by Domenico Belmonte. Here we can admire frescoes by Giacomo Antonio Boni, the painting of the Madonna with the infant Jesus belonging to the school of Barnaba da Modena (end of the 14th century) and a painting by Domenico Fiasella.
Civico Museo Archeologico
At the top of Corso Felice Cavalotti lies the Palazzo Borea D'Olmo, an impressive 15th century palace with a Baroque facade. It houses an archeological museum, with finds from Palaeolithic and Bronze and Iron Age settlements in the San Remo region.
Historical buildings and monuments
Alfred Nobel, famous as the discoverer of dynamite, lived and died (1896) in this villa on Corso Felice Cavalotti. Since 1973 it has served as a cultural center; there is also a small Nobel Museum.
Parco Marsaglia
The Corso Imperatrice is a promenade shaded by palms in the west of the bay. At its far end is the beautiful Parco Marsaglia with an auditorium (theater, concerts).
Places of Interest
One of the major attractions is the Town Casino (360,000 visitors a year) where the traditional green cloth goes hand in hand with Las-Vegas-style electronic slot machines. The gambling house was first designed at the end of the seventeenth century and later its construction was financially supported by the local banker Bartolomeo Acquasciati, who in 1898 paid out as much as L.1,200,000 to the town council to have it laid out in its current Art-Nouveau style by the French architect Eugenio Ferret. Its construction reached its final stage on January 12nd, 1905.
La Pigna
San Remo's medieval old town nestles on the hillside. Here you can wander amongst the steep winding streets, alleyways and secluded piazzas. La Pigna translates literally as 'pine cone' something that will make sense as you curl your way around the old town before finally arriving at the top. At the will be greeted not only by the church of the Madonna della Costa but also with an impressive view of both the town and the bay.
Mercato del Fiori
Corso Garibaldi forms the eastward continuation of Corso Matteotti, with a covered flower market (Mercato del Fiori), where auctions are held early every morning.
Bussana Vecchia
Bussana Vecchia is a very original village 9km east of San Remo, a hill village, which was destroyed in 1887 by an earthquake.: here you can find every type of craftsmen's and artists' workshops, ranging from goldsmith's to designer's or botanist's. The village has been literally reborn and every year its peculiar atmosphere attracts thousands of tourists, who are eager to find out what spell seems to hover above this Medieval village.
Harbor
The harbor lies between the east and west bays. The Forte Santa Tecia dates from the Genoese period. To the east of the fort lies the old fishing harbor which is also used by pleasure craft. The modern yacht harbor with its 1,025m long breakwater can accommodate over 800 boats.
Events
The Festival della canzone italiana is a popular Italian song contest running since 1951 and held annually in the city. Usually referred to as Festival di San Remo, it was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Tenco Prize - October
It was Amilcare Rambaldi who created this competition so as to commemorate his friend, Luigi Tenco - a famous Italian singer back in the 1960's. The competition attracts singers who come from every side of the world and they are representatives of songwriter music. It thus celebrates their preference for poetic words, tormenting emotions, and suggestive melodies.
Flowers Parade - January/Febraury
Every city of the Italian Riviera presents an original composition of flowers displayed on a Carnival/Mardi-Gras style moving car.
Milan-San Remo race - March
The race is traditionally held in March, and is one of the first major fixtures on the cycling season. Milan-San Remo is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. Currently it is the longest of all professional one-day cycling races (294 km). The first edition was held in 1907. Today it is regarded as one of the “Monuments” of the European professional cycling calendar, and is part of the UCI ProTour.
San Remo Car Rally - September
The San Remo Car Rally Race that used to be part of the FIA World Rally Championship, (a pure tarmac rally, takes place around the mountains).
San Remo Classic Rally - May
It is one of the major competitions for vintage cars, has been recognized by the FIA as the “Trofeo Europeo Rally di Regolarita”. The origins of this event are to be found in a race through the regions of Liguria and Tuscany which was designed as a method of touring these beautiful areas whilst indulging a passion for driving these classic cars.
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San Remo Travel Guide
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