Visit Sanremo
THE OLD TOWN AND HER ”PINE“
The historic center of Sanremo is a visual witness of the ancient history of the city, founded in Roman times, the Matuzia Villa, then developed in the Middle Ages, in its characteristic shape of Pine as the fruit (name derived precisely from its similarity to a pine cone) up to between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to a Ville de Saison that is a city with a rather mild and sweet climate, suitable for the wintering of the rich bourgeois of the time.
From the end of the XIX century its history and urbanism has expanded seeing to rise the structures in the style of beautiful Epoque of which the Grand Hotel & Des Anglais is part, becoming a tourist destination of the Grand Tour and hosting many prominent historical figures and artists such as Winston Churchil, Gabriele D'annunzio, Guglielmo Marconi, Alfred Nobel.
Councils of Visit
Take a walk in the ancient Pine, the heart of the old city, in a backwards route to explore the ancient village, fortified, medieval still inhabited and reachable through several doors. The most famous and characteristic is the Door of Santo Stefano accessible from Via Cavour; it was used as a fortified entrance and the houses were themselves the fortification of the citadel often targeted by the incursions of the Barbarian Pirates. The town clings to the hill in concentric circles, covered passageways, arches, courtyards, fountains and stairwais, to reach on the top the sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa a precious monumental casket that dominates the city.
In the historic centre visit the the Cathedral of San Siro in Romanic style, that keeps inside a beautiful original mosaic reproduced on the main facade. The church has been renovated several times pursued by various bombings, so changing its architectural appearance.
SHOPPING:
-VIA MATTEOTTI: A 5 minute walk from the hotel, Via Matteotti, pedestrian street in the heart of the city centre presents exclusive boutiques, craft shops selling clothing, handbags, perfumes and jewellery, but also many places where you can taste the typical Sardenaria or have an aperitif with friends.
Walk all the way paying attention to the bronze plates placed in the center of the road that indicate the winners of each Sanremo Festival, Take a photo with the legendary Mike Bongiorno, smells the refined scents of the Riviera dei Fiori produced by the Daphne company and make an aperitif in the bars of the Movida in Piazza Bresca under the characteristic wild oranges.
- MARKET: For the alternative shopping, we signal with strong tourist interest The Annonario Market of Sanremo: Fruit, vegetables and fish and typical Ligurian products, open every day from Monday to Saturday in the morning, while on Tuesday and Saturday you can find clothes, bags, shoes and household items, in the square of the Saracen Tower.
- THE MALL: For lovers of high fashion, we recommend The Mall, the Luxury Outlet, a few km from the city center, where through a fashion experience and elegance you can find the most exclusive brands of fashion.
THE CASINO:
From Corso Matteotti continuing to the west, you arrive to the beautiful Municipal Casino of Sanremo, a beautiful Liberty Style building built in 1905, preserves its splendor; inside the Casino Theatre, The Slot Machines Room and the Gaming Table Room. Excellent starting point for an exotic walk on Corso Imperatrice, in the shadow of its high Palms, delivered to the City of Sanremo as a gift from the Tsarina Alexandrovna. The royal waterfront is richly embellished with red, black and white marble flooring and from it you can enjoy a splendid panorama of the sea. Continuing almost to the Grand Hotel & Des Anglais you get to the Statue of Spring, work of the sculptor Vincenzo Pasquali and symbol of the City.
WALKS IN THE GREEN:
The city has a large urban and botanical heritage, to enjoy during your pleasant stay.
The famous Imperatrice Promenade, boasts of many varieties of tropical palms given as a gift to the city of Sanremo by Zarina Maria Alexandrovna.
VILLA ORMOND: located about 2 km from Des Anglais, hosts a wonderful garden full of exotic and rare plants: Villa owned by the wealthy family of Dr Ormond, also included the gardens below the current, reaching the sea. The villa, in classic style which today hosts floral exhibitions and tourist events and its gardens, were purchased by the City in the 1930s who rearranged them by giving them a new light. The gardens are divided into rooms with the presence of plant elements of various origins ( the Italian garden, the ficus area, the palm grove, the cedars and succulents).
CINEMAS AND THEATRES:
Pioneer in the presence of cinemas, proposes theatrical seasons of great profile, with first international visions and to not forget the Ariston Theatre that hosts every year the famous Italian song festival, the Sanremo Festival.
MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS:
- CIVIC MUSEUM: The monumental seventeenth-century building of Palazzo Nota, in the past place of residence of the genoese commissioner and ancient municipal seat, has been fully recovered after a long restoration work that brought to light, in all their beauty, the large rooms decorated with stucco and frescoes of the eighteenth century.
- SANTA TECLA: is an interesting example of military fortification of Ligurian the eighteenth century. It owes its current name to the fact that in the laying of the first stone was placed a relic of Santa Tecla, but its original name was Fortezza San Giorgio. The fort was built on the basis of a triangular plan with a bastion towards the sea, and a horn work to the city formed by two half bastions separated by a long curtain on which were placed numerous pieces of artillery to threaten the city. Inside, on the ground floor, there was the chapel in the center of the courtyard, warehouses, the cistern and the commander appartment; on the first floor accommodation for soldiers and attendants with the powder keg in the ancient sixteenth-century tower which had been incorporated into the fort; on the second floor housing for bombers and gunners, commanders, infantry and warehouse. The fortress was built in only eleven months of work which ended on 12 March 1756.