ITALY
Population:
56 000
Province: Liguria
Year visited: 2002 and 2008
San Remo is a very beautiful city situated in a beautiful setting between the Maritime Alps and the Mediterranean coast. Sanremo (another spelling) is also probably the most popular on the Italian Riviera, considering the large number of tourists on the streets. A famous music festival is just one of many events that take place every year. Many famous people have lived in San Remo. In 2002 everything was closed when I arrived because of the siesta (that is hard to get used to). In 2008 we went to San Remo for one day on the way to Genova and Milano after having visited some friends in Nice.
The Casino San Remo is the most famous building in the city.
Ariston Theater, the cinema where the Sanremo Music Festival takes place. Concerts, operas and theaters can be arranged in this not so beautiful building. The festival inspired the Eurovision Song Contest, which started in 1956. There are also many other events, for example flower contest and a firework contest.
The splendid Russian Orthodox church of San Basilio. It was erected in 1912 by the local Russian community.
Via Matteotti, a main shopping street of San Remo that turns to a pedestrian street in the late evenings.
Piazza Colombo is situated right in the heart of San Remo. I tried to find a moderately priced typical Italian restaurant there first time I visited San Remo, but unfortunately ended up at the McDonald´s in the center (in 2008 we managed to eat a pizza). As you see, motorcycles and scooters are very common in Italy.
A nice church at Piazza Colombo.
Palazzo Borea d'Olmo, that includes the Museo Civico (local museum) at Via Matteotti.
This modern and large central station was built
when the railtracks were moved (the old station is not a great sight today). This
is were we arrived, just a few blocks from the city center.
You have to go through
eternally moving walkways (horisontal escalators) that goes through the mountain
to the station building that is very far from the tracks. When the long
walkway has stopped, you have to transport yourself through yet another walkway.
Villa Ormond?
Beautiful gardens with palms close to the harbour.
The fountain in the city center with the text "San Remo".
Villa Nobel.
The residence of the Swede Alfred Nobel between 1891 and 1896, the year he died in this house.
Villa Nobel has a permanent exhibit, but unfortunately it was closed the Monday we were there. Still, the city of San Remo send flowers to the annual Nobel prize award in Stockholm every year.
Yes, there is a bike lane between the road and the harbour!
The nice harbour with its many yachts. There are
two tourist harbors in San Remo: Porto Vecchio and the modern Porto Sole.
The beach of San Remo between the 2 harbours Porto Vecchio and Porto Sole.
Sanremo seen from the train from Monaco.
Casino San Remo after dark.
A small church.
The Old Town is nice, but it is horrible to hear loud party music everywhere.
We had a pizza in the old town. The prices are really high, especially with Italian standards. However, the prices have increased a lot the latter years.
TThe Russian-Orthodox church was located just down the hill from our hotel in the west part of San Remo.
Villa Maria, the 3 star hotel where we stayed, was located on the hills in the west part of Sanremo.
Villa Maria was definately not a bad hotel for its price. The interior is very nice with antiques and oldfashioned furniture.
The rooms were really big for the price. The only thing missing is a working air condition on the room and a better elevator.
Via L. Nuvoloni is the typical Italian serpentine road leading from our hotel to the russian orthodox church.
A nice entrance to an apartment building.