San Remo: Culture, Old Town and Riviera Experiences

San Remo combines historic urban structures, art, archaeology and green spaces with the Cycling Riviera. If you explore San Remo by theme, you can distinguish between museums and urban history, walks through old quarters, and exploration by bicycle and rickshaw.

Museums in Palazzo Nota and Villa Nobel

The Museo Civico di Sanremo is housed in the monumental Palazzo Nota. The Museo di Palazzo Nota is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and closed on Mondays. The archaeological department preserves the oldest evidence from the Sanremo area, beginning with prehistory. In the picture gallery, you can see paintings and sculptures from the 17th century to the present day. Multimedia tours focus on the history, art and traditions of Sanremo.

La Pigna: Old Town between Alleys and Fortifications

La Pigna, the old town of San Remo, was founded around the year 1000. It owes its name to the shape of its streets and fortifications, which resemble a pine cone. La Pigna was expanded and fortified until the 16th century so that its inhabitants could protect themselves from the attacks of the Saracens, which became increasingly frequent from the 9th century AD onwards. A walk through the district begins at the 14th-century Porta di Santo Stefano, a Gothic stone arch between the modern and old towns.

Villas and Roman History

The Casinò di Sanremo is an architecturally remarkable building in the Liberty-Deco style. Alfred Nobel acquired Villa Nobel in 1892; it houses an exhibition about his life and inventions, as well as the history of the Nobel Prize that bears his name. In the Foce district west of San Remo lies Villa Matutia, a Roman villa. Villa Matutia was built between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD and used until the 5th or 6th century AD.

Parks and Practical Places to Stay

The Giardini di Villa Ormond are a public park in Sanremo. The park contains collections of palms, trees and shrubs from all continents. Green Park in Pian di Poma has picnic tables, a bar kiosk, Wi-Fi access pillars, a dog area and toilets. The Giardini therefore represent plant collections, while Green Park offers practical facilities such as picnic tables and toilets.

Getting Around by Bicycle and Rickshaw

The Cycling Riviera is equipped for bicycle and rickshaw hire and can be used year-round due to its special weather conditions. This means that the Cycling Riviera can be planned as a separate day trip by bicycle or rickshaw.

Discover Bussana Vecchia

Also, Bussana Vecchia is part of Sanremo as a district. The village preserves narrow alleys, known as “caruggi”, stone stairways, medieval castle walls and entrance gates. Its history stretches back thousands of years and includes traces of Roman colonization.

Discover More Places

San Biagio Della Cima, Vallecrosia, Pontedassio, Termini, Monade Santa Lucia, Isolabona and Rezzo.

To the higher-level travel overview: Imperia.