Seborga (A Seborca in Liguria) is an Italian town of 279
inhabitants in the province of Imperia in Liguria. The municipal
territory of Seborga is located in the hinterland between
Ospedaletti and Bordighera, at the top of a promontory on the wooded
ridge which slopes down towards the coast from Monte Bignone and
Monte Caggio; a flat stretch surrounded by a semicircle of minor
reliefs closes the valleys of the rio Borghetto and rio Sasso to the
north.
Mount Carparo (911 m), the Cima Ferrissoni (760 m),
the Testa di Benzi (721 m), the Cima Crostiglioni (710 m) and the
Costa del Montenero (590 m) among the peaks of the Seborga area.
Since the 1950s, some members of the community of Seborga have
claimed independence from the Italian Republic, by virtue of an alleged
ancient status of Principality that the locality would have enjoyed in
ancient times, considering the annexation to the kingdom of Sardinia to
be invalid .
The citizens of Seborga therefore also elect a
prince with purely symbolic functions: the role was played from 14 May
1963 until 25 November 2009, the date of his death, by Giorgio Carbone
(Giorgio I), and from 25 April 2010 by Marcello Menegatto (Marcello I).
The prince is supported by a council of 9 ministers, without legal
power.
The principality minted a coin, called Luigino (a name
inspired by that of the coins minted in the 17th century), without any
legal value, but used as a voucher that can be spent in the city; this
has aroused a certain interest in the world of numismatic collecting.
The value given to the so-called luigino is set at 6 US dollars. The
stamps minted by the Ministate are also of collector interest.
Seborga also has its own car license plates which however cannot be used
except alongside the Italian ones. Passports and driving licenses
bearing the effigy and stamps of the Principality are then distributed
to applicants, which have solely a folkloristic and tourist promotion
function. The principality's claimed independence is, according to many,
just a publicity stunt to attract tourists and investors. The
principality of Seborga is not recognized by Italy which has de jure and
de facto real jurisdiction over the territory.
Parish church of Saint Martin of Tours. The first foundation of the
building of worship dates back to the first half of the 17th century.
The façade, frescoed in 1928 and in Baroque style, is colorful on two
orders marked by columns and pilasters and a large window above the
entrance door. In addition to a chalice dated to 1575, it preserves a
wooden statue depicting the Madonna and Child of Provençal or Spanish
manufacture.
Oratory of San Bernardo. Outside the historic center,
along the road that leads to the Negi agglomeration, the building has
ancient origins[26], probably from the 14th century, but the current
structure is the result of the Baroque architectural revisitation. Among
the pictorial works preserved inside, the sixteenth-century painting of
San Bernardo with saints Rocco, Lucia and Mauro.
Palace of the monks, in front of the parish church of San Martino.
The palace was the ancient seventeenth-century local residence of the
monks of Lerino and the mint of the principality and, after the
annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia, home to the town hall and state
schools. Today the building is privately owned and converted for
residential use.
In ancient times, access to the historic center of
Seborga was closed by four gates: Porta San Martino, Porta San Bernardo,
Porta del Sole; of the access to the north of the town only traces of
the hinges remain.
Spring Festival. Easter period. Traditional festival which is
combined with a painting exhibition and a floral arrangement
competition.
Feast of San Sebastian. 20 th January.
Feast of San
Bernardo. August 20th. On the occasion of the festival there is a
historical-folkloric procession with a display of flag-wavers.
By plane
Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa. It is connected to
the Genova Brignole railway station with the Volabus, a coach service
calibrated at national and international arrivals.
Direct flights:
Milan Malpensa, Turin, Cagliari, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Alghero,
Olbia, Trapani, Trieste, Rome Fiumicino.
International Flights:
London Stansted, Paris CDG, Cologne, Munich, Brussels, Amsterdam,
Barcelona, Istanbul.
Galileo Galilei Airport in Pisa. It is more
convenient to reach the Riviera di Levante, La Spezia or the Cinque
Terre as it is directly connected by train.
By car
A10
Bordighera tollbooth on the A10 Genoa - Ventimiglia motorway.
Provincial Road 57 Italy It is crossed by the provincial road 57 of
Bordighera.
On the train
Bordighera railway station.
In the village, the Seborghina broom and the Gaulois species mimosa
are produced in large quantities, in the open-air cultivations that can
be found almost everywhere in the surrounding area.
Extra virgin
olive oil, obtained from Taggiasca olives, is another important
production of Seborga, like its derivatives, such as dried tomatoes in
oil, for example.
The black tomato is a production that has recently
been recovered and enjoys particular protection
Stamps, coins,
documents, in short, all the gadgets of the Principality of Seborga.
«Coniglio alla Seborghina» is a local dish; the rabbit is enhanced by
the aromas of the aromatic herbs of the hinterland; accompanied by
browned corn liver mince, olives and washed down with good local wines,
it often appears on the village tables.
Average prices
Osteria
Del Coniglio Restaurant, Via Giuseppe Verdi, 7, ☎ +39 0184 223820.
Trattoria San Bernardo, Piazza Martiri Patrioti, 2, ☎ +39 0184 223918.
Marcellino'S Restaurant, Via Miranda, 2, ☎ +39 0184 223586.
Templar
Monks Agritourism and Educational Farm, Strada Villa, 11A, ☎ +39 328
8667390.
Average prices
Antico Castello, Via Vicolo Chiuso 10/4,, ☎ +39 320
573 9555.
B&B L'Intrigante, Strada della Villa 14, ☎ +39 320 0488561.
Post
Poste Italiane, Via Zecca 2, ☎ +39 0184 223828.
The municipal territory of Seborga is located in the hinterland
between Ospedaletti and Bordighera, at the top of a promontory on the
wooded ridge that descends from Mount Bignone and Mount Caggio towards
the coast; a flat stretch surrounded by a semicircle of minor hills
closes the valleys of the rio Borghetto and rio Sasso to the north.
Among the peaks of the Seborga area are Mount Carparo (911 m), Cima
Ferrissoni (760 m), Testa di Benzi (721 m), Cima Crostiglioni (710 m)
and Costa del Montenero (590 m).
With a climate with cool summers and mild winters, Seborga enjoys an excellent position, always sunny and with large mountains behind it that protect it from the cold northern winds. The municipality of Seborga falls under the climatic classification E (the city has 2342 degree days).
There is a copy
of a document dated to 954, in which a Marquis Guido, imperial count
of Ventimiglia, leaving for Spain to help King Alfonso (in subsidium
illustris D.ni Ildefonsi, regis Hispanie) who fought against
perfidos Saracenos, he allegedly donated properties located in
Seborga and Vallebona to the Benedictine monks of the abbey of
Lerino. The document also mentions a "Louis, emperor of the Romans",
Thomas, comite Sabaudie (as well as fratre uxoris mee) and a
Raimondo, marchione Montisferrati, or characters and titles that did
not exist in the year 954.
However, a donation of the fiefdom
of Castrum Sepulchri di Seborga in Lerino, by a Guido count of
Ventimiglia, not dated in 954, seems to be considered valid during a
process dating back to 1177, preserved in an authentic copy of the
year 1305. In fact , in the second half of the XII century the
municipality of Ventimiglia demanded that Seborga become part of its
territory. A lawsuit then began with the abbot of Lerino and on 13
July 1177 the sentence was issued by the bishop of Ventimiglia and
the Ventimiglia consuls who recognized the legacy of Count Guido,
based on the deed of donation (quod per privelugium bullatum bulla
dicti comitis comprobabat) and the testimony of twelve local majors.
The majority of academic historians admit the authenticity of the
act of 1177, but there is no shortage of authoritative authors who
also question the act of 1177, considering it a forgery of the year
1305.
In 1181 the Republic of Genoa, which had extended its
domains up to Nice, declared that it was assuming the protection of
the islands of Lerino and therefore also of Seborga; in fact,
Seborga continued to depend politically and administratively on the
County of Provence. This situation remained unchanged until the
eighteenth century, centuries however characterized by continuous
quarrels over the extent of Seborga's borders.
In 1666, on
Christmas Eve, Abbot Cesare Barcillon contracted out a mint to
Bernardino Bareste for a period of five years for a fee of 740 lire
a year. Imitations of the petit louis were minted from 1667 to 1671.
The coins bore the bust of St. Benedict on the obverse and the coat
of arms still in use on the reverse. The circulation of these coins
was prohibited by the king of Sardinia in 1667 and the coins
themselves were stigmatized as fraudulent by the bishop of Nice in
1672. Other contracts of the mint are known in 1679 and 1684, but no
products of these contracts are known. subsequent.
In 1697
Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy was on the point of buying the territory
of Seborga, but the opposition of the Genoese who put pressure on
Pope Innocent XII meant that the sale was completed only thirty
years later (January 31, 1729).
In 1793 Seborga became part
of the canton of Perinaldo, district of Mentone, French department
of the Maritime Alps. In 1805 Seborga was transferred to the canton
of Bordighera, in the new Sanremo district of the same department,
extended to the east by annexation of a part of the Ligurian
Republic.
Seborga entered, with Liguria, in 1815 to be part
of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1860, of the Kingdom of Italy.
From 1973 to 30 April 2011 he was part of the Intemelia mountain
community.
Starting from the fifties of the twentieth century, some members
of the community of Seborga have claimed independence from the
Italian Republic, by virtue of an alleged ancient status of
Principality that the locality would have enjoyed in ancient times,
considering the annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia invalid. .
The citizens of Seborga therefore also elect a prince with
purely symbolic functions: the role was played from 14 May 1963
until 25 November 2009, the date of his death, by Giorgio Carbone
(Giorgio I), from 25 April 2010 to 10 November 2019 by Marcello
Menegatto (Marcello I) and from 10 November 2019 by Nina Menegatto
(Nina), the first woman to hold the position. The princess is
assisted by a council of ministers, without legal power.
The
principality minted a coin, called luigino (name inspired by that of
the coins minted in the 17th century), without any legal value, but
used as a voucher that can be spent in the city; this has aroused
some interest in the world of numismatic collecting. The value given
to the so-called luigino is set at 6 US dollars.
Seborga also
has its own "car plates" which, however, cannot be used except
alongside the Italian ones. They are then distributed to applicants
for "passports" and "driving licenses" bearing the effigy and stamps
of the principality which have only a folkloristic and tourist
promotion function.
According to many, the claimed
independence of the principality would only be a publicity stunt to
attract tourists and investors.
The self-styled principality,
like the other micronations, does not boast any international
recognition; Italy exercises de jure and de facto jurisdiction over
the Seborga territory.
The municipal territory consists of the capital alone for a land area
of 4.87 km².
It borders to the north with the municipalities of
Perinaldo and Sanremo, to the south with Vallebona and Ospedaletti, to
the west with Perinaldo and Vallebona, to the east with Sanremo.
In the town there is a sports center which includes a multipurpose
synthetic field for futsal, tennis and handball.
The Principality
has its own Football Federation, active since 2014 and affiliated to the
NF-Board.
In addition to being a tourist destination, Seborga is known for its agricultural activity: in particular, the cultivation and harvesting of olives and flower production, especially mimosa.
Streets
The territory of Seborga is crossed by the provincial road
57 which allows the road connection to the south with Vallebona and
Sasso di Bordighera.