/282.jpg)
Ventimiglia (Ventemiglia in the local dialect intemelio,
Vintimiggia in Genoese, Vintimille in French, Ventemilha in Occitan,
Albintimilium in Latin) is an Italian town in the province of
Imperia in Liguria, with 24 142 inhabitants
The city of
Ventimiglia, which is often referred to as "the western gate of
Italy", "the border city" or "the Flowery Gate of Italy", maintains
strong economic and social relations with the nearby Cote d'Azur,
such as witnessed by the data relating to commuting.
Religious architecture
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in
Ventimiglia Alta. According to some historical sources, the cathedral of
the Assumption was built between the 11th and 12th centuries on the
ruins of a previous cathedral from the Carolingian era. According to
local traditions, the latter was built on the site where a pagan temple
dedicated to Juno once stood; the inscription in which this affirmation
is attested is still preserved inside today's cathedral.
Cathedral
baptistery. Adjacent to the cathedral, at a lower level, is the
baptistery, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Built in the 11th
century on an octagonal plan, it contains an ancient immersion tank
inside.
Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Ventimiglia Alta. Built in
the 10th century by the Counts of Ventimiglia as a monastic priory for
the Benedictine monks of the Lerino abbey, redesigned in Romanesque
style in the 11th century and again in the 12th century.
Convent of
the Lateran Canonesses and church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Ventimiglia
Alta. The convent complex was built during 1667 and 1668 by the will of
the local inhabitants themselves. The design and construction works were
carried out by the architect Pietro Antonio Corradi. In 1843 the
management of the female convent was entrusted to the Daughters of Maria
Santissima dell'Orto. In its recent history it also served as a city
hospital and, later, as a school building. In the church, inserted in
the complex, among the various pictorial and sculptural works, the
canvas attributed to Paolo Piazza depicting the Lamentation of Christ is
exhibited.
Oratory of San Giovanni Battista known as "dei Bianchi" in
Ventimiglia Alta, built by the Bianchi confraternity during the 17th
century. Converted into a cinema and theater after the Second World War,
it underwent restoration in the 1910s which brought the oratory back to
its original appearance.
Oratory of San Secondo known as "dei Neri"
in Ventimiglia Alta. It was built during 1650 at the behest of the
Confraternity of Mercy. The oratory was recently restored with the
reopening for religious worship in 2011.
Former church of San
Francesco d'Assisi in Ventimiglia Alta. The first structural system of
the building, deconsecrated and owned by the municipality, dates back to
the 14th century and was associated with the convent of the Order of
Friars Minor. The current body refers to the Baroque style. In 2013,
recovery work on the former church was contracted out, which since the
1950s has seen the structure used for different uses, completed in 2016
with the opening of the restored interior to the public. The frescoed
cycles of the fifteenth century depicting the Annunciation and Saint
Catherine are still preserved there.
Parish Church of Sant'Agostino
in Ventimiglia. Already annexed to the homonymous convent complex and
cloister, the church, whose first layout dates back to 1487, was
remodeled several times over the centuries. The last partial
reconstruction was necessary between 1958 and 1959 following the damage
caused by aerial bombing (1944) during the Second World War. The
interior has three naves, in neo-Gothic style. Among the works
preserved, the oval canvas of Sant'Agostino between Saints John the
Baptist and Anthony the Abbot, attributed to Francesco Brea, and a
wooden crucifix from the 15th century. On the walls of the presbytery
the frescoes were made by Luigi Morgari. The parish was established in
1882.
Parish Church of Christ the King in Ventimiglia. Located in the
Nervia area, it was initially born as a chapel of the parish church of
Sant'Agostino; in 1936 it became an autonomous parish. During the air
raids of the Second World War it suffered several damages to the
structure, so much so that after the war it was, in fact, rebuilt.
Parish church of San Nicola da Tolentino in Ventimiglia. The parish was
established in 1970.
Parish Church of San Secondo in Ventimiglia. The
parish, formerly a diocesan shrine, was established in 1967.
Church
of San Giuseppe in Ventimiglia, Navy chapel.
Gallardi Chapel in
Ventimiglia.
Parish church of San Giovanni Battista in the hamlet of
Bevera. Located on the edge of the hamlet, the parish was established in
1619 while the structure dates back to 1749 (perhaps a renovation).
Inside there is a polyptych from 1584 by the Monegasque painter Michele
Manchello.
Oratory of San Giovanni Decollato in the hamlet of Bevera.
Chapel of San Rocco in the hamlet of Bevera.
Former convent of the
Marist friars in the hamlet of Bevera.
Parish church of San Pancrazio
in the hamlet of Calvo. The parish was established in 1849.
Chapel of
Santa Reparata in the hamlet of Calvo.
Parish church of the Santi
Angeli Custodi in the hamlet of Grimaldi. The parish was established in
1947.
Parish church of San Bartolomeo in the hamlet of Latte. The
parish was established in 1782.
Parish church of San Mauro in the
hamlet of Mortola Inferiore. The parish was established in 1921.
Parish church of the Nativity of Mary Most Holy and sanctuary of Our
Lady of Open Air in the hamlet of Mortola Superiore. Dating back to the
17th century, the parish was established in 1961.
Shrine of Our Lady
of Open Air in the hamlet of Mortola Superiore.
Parish church of the
Nativity of Holy Mary in the hamlet of Roverino. The parish was
established in 1969.
Church of the Madonna di Loreto in the hamlet of
Roverino.
Church of Sant'Antonio in the hamlet of Roverino.
Shrine
of Our Lady of Virtues in the hamlet of Roverino.
Parish church of
Our Lady of Lourdes and San Lorenzo in the hamlet of San Lorenzo. The
parish was established in 1949.
Parish church of San Michele
Arcangelo in the hamlet of Sealza. The parish was established in 1962.
Parish Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and San Luigi in the hamlet of
Torri. The parish was established in 1921.
Oratory of San Luigi in
the hamlet of Torri.
Parish church of Saints Peter and Paul in the
hamlet of Trucco. The parish was established in 1962.
Parish church
of Santa Teresa d'Avila in the hamlet of Villatella. The parish was
established in 1961.
Church of Sant'Antonio abate in the hamlet of
Villatella.
Oratory of the Assumption in the hamlet of Villatella.
Monumental cemetery of Mortola, and, within this, the Russian tomb.
Loggia of the Parliament in Ventimiglia Alta. Also known more
properly as Magazzino dell'Abbondanza, it is a public building from the
15th century.
Porta Canarda. A double Gothic arch, built in the XIII
century, restored in 1887 by Thomas Hanbury, it was the western gateway
to the walled city, and under it passed the Via Julia Augusta.
The
16th century Genoese walls (with the characteristic loopholes) and the
gates:
New door
Porta Nice
Porta Piedmont
Marine Gate
Building of the Aprosiana Library (formerly the Civic Theatre).
Town
hall building, in fascist architectural style.
Municipal Theater of
Ventimiglia. Commissioned by Thomas Hanbury (who donated the land), with
a characteristic Art Nouveau facade, it was inaugurated in 1904 with the
name of "Nuovo Politeama Sociale"; closed in 1983 for reasons of
usability (especially since it did not meet the new safety requirements
established after the fire of the Statuto cinema in Turin), it was
completely restored and reopened in 2007. The capacity of the hall is
260 seats in the stalls and 160 in gallery. It is the only cinema in the
city, but not the only theater in the Ventimiglia area: the other is the
Centro Polivalente San Francesco, venue for conferences and theatrical
works in dialect.
Villa Hanbury (within the Gardens of the same
name).
Gymnasium (ex "casa del Balilla", 1933).
Castel d'Appio.
Fort St. Paul.
Fortress of the Annunziata.
Voronoff Castle in the hamlet of Grimaldi.
Other
Carrugi in
the historic center of Ventimiglia, with the characteristic "scuri"
(archivolts).
Stroll Colla in the historic center of Ventimiglia.
Hanging gardens of via Lascaris in the historic center of Ventimiglia.
The Flower Market, the first structure built in Europe for this purpose
(1922).
Private Mediterranean gardens of Villa Voronoff in the hamlet
of Grimaldi Inferiore.
Private Mediterranean gardens of villa
Orengo-Sella in the hamlet of Latte.
Private botanical gardens of
Villa Piacenza-Boccanegra in the hamlet of Ville.
Calandre promontory
in the hamlet of Ville.
Pineta Scoglietti in the Marina San Giuseppe
area.
Piazza della Libertà: in the heart of Ventimiglia, facing the
Town Hall, bordered by via Roma, via della Repubblica and the "Reggio"
Public Gardens.
Belvedere Resentello: large roundabout on the sea,
recently built, theater of city events.
Cathedral square: historic
square in the upper town, overlooked by the cathedral of Santa Maria
Assunta and the convent of the Canonichesse Lateranensi.
Largo
Torino: main road junction of the city and gateway to the centre.
Piazzale De Gasperi: the last Italian square, near the state border of
Ponte San Ludovico, where the "Porta d'Italia", an imposing monument to
Italian spirit, will be erected
The commercial streets are via Cavour
(along the Aurelia, it is the shopping street, with adjacent pedestrian
areas, overlooked by the church of Sant'Agostino); via Roma (known above
all for its bars and cafes); via della Repubblica (the avenue par
excellence, which from the crossroads with via Cavour, skirting the
restored covered market, the piazza del Municipio and the Reggio gardens
near the characteristic "fountain of the putto", finds its natural
continuation on the Squarciafichi walkway).
The large tree-lined
avenues of Lungoroia G. Rossi, Lungoroia Oberdan and Via Vittorio Veneto
are "representative".
Among the monumental ones, via Garibaldi, in
Ventimiglia Alta, is undoubtedly to be numbered, along which you meet
the Aprosiana Library, the Loggia del Parlamento, the Oratorio dei Neri,
the Fontana del Leone (1820) and the ex-church of San Francesco.
Finally, they are extra-urban in nature:
the state road 1 Via Aurelia
(which in the municipal area takes the names of corso Genova, corso
Francia, corso Toscanini, corso Nizza, corso Montecarlo, corso Mentone
and corso Europa).
the state road 20 of Colle di Tenda and Valle Roja
(which, in its first section starting from the city, constitutes a ring
road).
the so-called "bretella di Bevera" (which directly connects
the motorway exit to the S.S. 20 at the Bevera hamlet).
Balzi Rossi
Balzi Rossi (toponym Italianized from the dialect
bàussirussi = red stones) is the name used to indicate a locality near
the state border of Ponte San Ludovico, characterized by the presence of
a rocky wall in which a series of caves opens. In some of these, during
various excavation campaigns carried out throughout the second half of
the 19th century, numerous finds dating back to the Upper Paleolithic
were discovered, among which, in addition to various objects and animal
remains, around twenty human burials, of which at least seven referable
to individuals of the Cro-Magnon type (Grimaldi man).
Roman
excavations
They occupy the area to the east of Ventimiglia at the
mouth of the Nervia torrent and include the Roman city of Albintimilium
with the thermal baths and the adjacent Roman theatre: the latter,
datable to the end of the 2nd century AD, is one of the smallest in its
kind and unique in Liguria together with the Roman amphitheater of Luni.
Part of the material found during the excavations is exhibited
inside the antiquarium.
Hanbury Botanic Gardens.
Oasis of Nervia.
Underwater prairie of
posidonia.
SIC of Roverino.
SCI Monte Grammondo - Torrente Bevera.
SCI River Roia.
Aprosiana civic library, one of the oldest Italian libraries:
Via
Garibaldi (houses the Fondo antico and part of the modern);
Via
Cavour 61 (branch, houses 8,000 volumes of the modern collection).
State Archives.
Ventimiglia is home to the following schools:
State High School
"Angelico Aprosio"
Traditional scientific - Esabac scientific -
Linguistic - Gymnasium - Classical
State Institute "Enrico Fermi"
Surveyors - Accounting - Tourism
"Marco Polo" State Professional
Institute
Commercial/Corporate - Tourist
ENAIP professional
training centre
Electricians - Hairdressers
French schools
"Biancheri-Cavour" Adult Training Center (Study Centre)
Third Age
University "Unitre"
Old museum and new prehistoric museum of the Balzi Rossi, near the
caves.
"Girolamo Rossi" archaeological civic museum, at the
Annunziata fortress.
Antiquarium, a small museum annexed to the Roman
excavations.
Museum of Villa Hanbury, inside the gardens of the same
name.
Battaglia di Fiori: distinct from the other flowery courses, it is
divided into two days: on Saturday evening a parade of allegorical
flower floats followed by a sleepless night with local and international
dances and music, and on Sunday afternoon the actual battle, with
throwing of flowers from the floats towards the public and vice versa
(second half of June).
"Medieval August", historical procession and
gozzo regatta (6-14 August), has been held every year since 1977.
Patronal feast of San Secondo, on 26 August, with the characteristic
fishing boat regatta.
White night (between June and July).
"Maxy
tuning", a gathering of tuned cars and vintage vehicles.
"Straventimiglia", city marathon.
Regional final of the Miss Italy
contest.
Commercial demonstrations
Weekly market on Friday,
one of the main itinerant markets in all of Europe, in terms of goods,
size and visitors.
"Desbaratu", commercial day with entertainment
(first Sunday in August).
"Shopping under the stars", an evening
appointment with open shops and recreational music points.
"Brocante", flea and antiques market.
The black corsair
In his
famous novel, Emilio Salgari does not properly describe the city, but
the eponymous hero, the Black Corsair, comes from Ventimiglia. The
Cavaliere Emilio di Roccanera (or Roccabruna), lord of Ventimiglia and
Valpenta, is the protagonist of the first two novels of the cycle of The
Corsairs of the Antilles, namely The Black Corsair and The Queen of the
Caribbean.
To create the figure of the Count of Ventimiglia, it
seems that Salgari was inspired by the real Captain Romero, a corsair
operating in the Mediterranean, by the actions of Salagro and Luchino,
two corsairs of the noble family of the Marquises Di Negro.
Beaches
The beaches of Ventimiglia are made up entirely of large
flat stones. Definitely bring your bathing shoes. From West to East:
Darsenún Beach (Just below the SS1).
Trei Brechi beach. Nudist
beach.
Milk (At the Dort Hotel Holiday's Beach), ☎ +39 0184 229508.
The Calandres. Sandy beach. edit
In the city there is the Libeccio
beach.
By plane
The nearest airport is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (IATA:
NCE) across the border. Genoa-Sestri Airport (IATA: GOA) is a little
further away. There are direct train connections from both directions.
By car
Long-distance traffic uses the motorway (E80) which runs a
few kilometers inland, on the Italian side as the SS1, towards Nice and
Monaco as the A8.
If you have the time, coming from France you
should take the spectacular coastal road, known as the D6327 from
Menton, and as the SS1 or "Corso Europa/Mentone" on the Italian side.
A large car park, especially for trucks, is the Autoporto at the
freight yard.
On boat
From the port of Genoa.
On the
train
Ventimiglia station. The Ventimiglia station can be reached
during the day from France approximately every 30 minutes with the
regional trains of the SNCF (ter) from Nice via Montecarlo without
changes. Always buy a return ticket from one of the blue SNCF machines
in France – the machines in Ventimiglia are not only often associated
with long queues, they also repeatedly break down. It is not possible to
buy tickets on board the trains.
To and from other destinations in
Italy, it is best to use the Trenitalia regional train to Genoa or one
of the Intercity trains to Milan, which run several times a day.
The
'new' town center and waterfront are within easy walking distance south
and along the coast from the train station. The original/historic part
of town is across the river to the west and can be easily reached on
foot.
The bus service is managed by Riviera Trasporti (RT). The network
extends from the French border to Andora. There is a zone system, the
single 100-minute ticket costs €1.50-4.50 if you buy it from the driver
€1.00 more. Day tickets €4.00-10.00. Ducato minibuses are used on routes
with few passengers (December 2022).
The thirty-kilometre-long
trolleybus line runs along the Riviera from Ventimiglia via Sanremo to
Taggia.
The "new town" has a good selection of shops offering quality goods
at some savings. You'll find decent bakeries/pastry shops everywhere,
but for a better deal, walk at least a few blocks from the train
station.
The Covered Market, 100 meters from the train station,
is open from Monday to Saturday and offers fish, meat, fresh vegetables,
fruit and sauces, jams, jellies and the like of local/regional
production.
The "big market" is held on Fridays. In several
blocks along the coast on the Lungomare Cavallotti in the new city,
vendors sell often counterfeit goods on offer such as clothes, bags,
shoes, etc... at very "competitive" (after negotiation) prices. Savvy
shoppers occasionally find unbranded, authentic bargains often made in
Asia. Relatively few stalls have anything other than clothing, and most
of these are near the riverfront.
If you come by car on a Friday
it can be very difficult to find a parking space.
Travelers
arriving from Ventimiglia on Friday and entering France by car are often
questioned by police at the border; even more rarely, westbound trains
that stop here are also checked in a similar way. If you are caught with
fake goods, they will be confiscated and you will likely face a hefty
fine.
Cigarettes and tobacco are considerably cheaper than in
neighboring France.
The station has an indoor buffet restaurant which has a good reputation for food and cost. For more demanding offers, the proximity to the coast in the "historic center" is recommended, e.g. Pasta & Basta, an excellent pasta restaurant. Advance booking is essential on Friday market days and recommended on other days. There are a few restaurants (e.g. La Sirena) and several beach bars.
Average prices
1 Camping Por La Mar, Corso Nizza 107 (Milk
District).
2 Casa Trucchi, Via Ruffini 6 (From the station square
continue for 50 meters along the SS1, then left for another 50 meters on
the second street on the right). B&B.
3 Albergo Bruno, Corso Limone
Piemonte 85, ☎ +39 0184 356272.
4 Hotel Calypso, Via Matteotti 8, ☎
+39 0184 351588. edit
5 Holiday Home Bungalow I Girasoli, Via alla
Spiaggia 41. Apartments for 4-7 people.
Many African migrants, landed in Italy as asylum seekers but poorly received there, try to cross the border with France, subject to stricter controls since July 2015 and not a few migrants are rejected at the border. To ensure their survival, this leads to a certain level of petty crime by refugees, such as pickpocketing and attempted fraud. Also, there are more or less intrusive beggars.
Hanbury Botanical Gardens (Lower Mortola).
Menton
Principality
of Monaco
A ride on the Tenda railway line through the spectacular
Val Roya to Cuneo. The route crosses the French border twice, once
through an 8,100m long tunnel. Duration 2 hours.
The city develops at the mouth of the Roia river, 8
km from the French border. The point of the municipal territory
located at the highest altitude is Mount Grammondo (1378 m above sea level).
Other peaks in the Ventimiglia area are the Renuit peak (1300
m), the Veglia peak (1159 m), the Bravona peak (1013 m), the
Pellegrio peak (922 m), the Grosso mountain (909 m), the top of the
'Arpetta (861 m), Mount Cogorda (838 m), Mount Fuga (786 m), Mount
Carpano (772 m), Testa Maimona (732 m), Mount Erisetta (664 m),
Mount Pozzo (570 m), Mount Bellenda (540 m), the top of Terca (505
m), Mount Magliocca (500 m), Mount Carbone (442 m), the top of Gavi
(440 m).
The climate is Mediterranean, very mild, only occasionally disturbed by the north wind, a wind that descends from the Roia valley.
The toponym
Ventimiglia probably derives from the Ligurian word Albom "capital
city" and from the plural genitive of the ethnic name Intemeliom,
therefore "capital city of the Liguri Intemeli". The two words,
through the Latinized form Album Intimilium (attested for example in
Pliny the Elder), then merged into Albintimilium, with a crasis
similar to that which occurred for Albingaunum, today's city of
Albenga. Following the swallowing of the initial al- and the
consequent passage b> v, a form Vintimilium (interpreted by popular
etymology as Vigintimilium) was reached, which in the Middle Ages
finally became Vintimilia.
In recent times, due to the
inaccurate toponymy of certain road signs, which arbitrarily
shortened the name to "XXmiglia", the erroneous belief has spread
that the name of the city derives from a road distance, also because
actually, for a curious coincidence, the town of Ventimiglia is
about 20 nautical miles from the nearby French city of Nice, to
whose county Ventimiglia has been historically linked. However, this
popular theory on the origin of the name has no historical basis.
Roman times
According to some historical
sources, the primitive settlement was founded by the Ligurian
Intemeli tribe in prehistoric times on the hill of Colla Sgarba in
the valley of the Nervia stream. In the 2nd century BC the village
was conquered by the army of the Roman Empire, which renamed the
settlement in Albium Intimilium, later Albintimilium, rebuilding a
new city surrounded by walls near the mouth of the Nervia.
In
49 BC, during the Roman domination, the city hosted Caesar, on his
way to Spain; here resided by a certain Domizio, his supporter. This
aroused the indignation of the Pompeians: Domizio was killed shortly
afterwards by a certain Bellieno, a servant of Demetrio, the latter
commander of the Roman military garrison of today's Ventimiglia. The
population, for the most part loyal to Caesar, according to what
Celio writes, Cicero's correspondent, then rose up against the
garrison, taking over the few Roman guards, and Celius himself tells
of how he had to intervene with a small army to quell the revolt
between soldiers and people. The historical fact is testified by the
motto that is still inscribed in the municipal coat of arms: Civitas
ad arma iit: "the population ran to arms".
Ventimiglia always
remained faithful to Rome, and this gratitude was rewarded by Caesar
himself when he recognized it as a municipium of the empire, thus
favoring prosperity and expansion. In 68 it suffered a sacking
caused by the confusion of the pretenders to the throne that was
created after the death of the emperor Nero. In the clashes on a
farm in Ventimiglia, the noble Giulia Procilla, mother of Gneo
Giulio Agricola, was assassinated. She participated in the funeral
and repaired the damage suffered by the looting by allocating
special contributions to the city intemelia.
The city borders
in the meantime expanded considerably, reaching Villa Matutiæ
(today's Sanremo) to the east and Menton to the west, taking
advantage of the route of Via Julia Augusta built by Octavian
Augustus. The city intemelia underwent several and notable urban
changes, thanks to a complete review of the architects and engineers
of Rome who created new squares, villas and houses, aqueducts,
fountains, thermal baths, a public forum and a theater.
The
new urbanization recalled the classic Roman design style, using a
rectilinear and orthogonal technique: the new urban center, very
different from the pre-existing old Ligurian city on the heights of
Colla Sgarba, extended along two main streets - the Cardo and the
Decumano - , which intersected at right angles with other minor
streets called vici or subvici.
Middle Ages and the Republic
of Genoa
After the invasion by the Lombard king Rotari in 644, the
inhabitants in the medieval period abandoned the ancient Roman city
and took refuge to the right of the Roia river, where they built the
new city with the name of Vintimilia. With the fall of the Western
Roman Empire, the city became part of the domains of Charlemagne
from 744 and, subsequently, it will become a county dependent on the
Marca of Turin, of which we have the first news in 962.
In
the feudal age it declared itself a free Municipality, becoming the
domain of the local Counts - called Lascaris di Ventimiglia -; they
dominated various hamlets and villages of the Riviera di Ponente,
clashing several times with the other local lords but above all with
the Republic of Genoa. The latter, after having conquered the entire
Riviera di Levante and part of the Ligurian west, pushed more and
more towards Ventimiglia, giving way, in the thirteenth century, to
a real siege.
In 1221 Genoa entrusted the task to the Genoese
commander Lotaringo di Martinengo to bring down the city of the
Intemeli and then submit it to the will of the Republic. After a
long and bitter struggle, in which the city suffered continuous
bombardments from the heights of San Giacomo, Maure and Siestro and
the swamping of the port-canal at the mouth of the Roia, Ventimiglia
was conquered, becoming an important strategic fortified base for
the Republic border.
The city in the following centuries,
however, was always disputed by other local lords, despite being now
included in the Genoese territories, and there were several
pretenders, such as the Grimaldi, the Angevins, the Visconti, the
Savoy, the Sforza and also from France; from 1505 it definitively
became a Genoese dominion, undergoing its fate and glories.
In 1514 the Republic ceded sovereignty over Ventimiglia to the House
of San Giorgio. However, since the administration of the territorial
possessions had proved uneconomical, the House of San Giorgio
returned to the Republic all the territories that remained in
sovereignty, including Ventimiglia, in 1562.
The Republic
later appointed it as the seat of the local capital city of the same
name, to which nearby villages, hamlets and municipalities were
subjected. In the seventeenth century it obtained its own economic
and fiscal autonomy from Genoa, above all due to the continuous
complaints of the population who, according to sources of the time,
expressed their disagreement more with the local nobles themselves.
Napoleon and the Kingdom of Italy
Ventimiglia subsequently
followed the fate of Genoa, also suffering from the Austrian
domination of 1747 and the French invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in
1797. It was during the new domination of the Alps that the
community of Ventimiglia was constituted in the municipality of the
newly established Republic Ligure, in the Department of Palms with
Sanremo as its capital.
Administratively it was therefore
part of the IX canton of Ventimiglia in the Jurisdiction of the
Palms and from 1803 the main center of the X canton of the Palms in
the Jurisdiction of Olives. Annexed to the First French Empire, from
13 June 1805 to 1814 it was included in the Department of the
Maritime Alps. In 1815 the territory was incorporated into the
Kingdom of Sardinia, as established by the Congress of Vienna in
1814 after the fall of Napoleon, subjected to the County of Nice,
while the ratification of the new municipal boundaries between the
two municipalities of Airole dates back to 12 August 1820. and
Ventimiglia. From 1861 it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. From
1859 to 1926 the territory was included in the VIII district of
Ventimiglia in the district of Sanremo, part of the province of Nice
(later the province of Porto Maurizio and, from 1923, of Imperia).
In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, it was occupied by
France, then again passed under the control of Italy.
From
1973 to 31 December 2008 he was part of the Intemelia mountain
community.
Press
La Voce Intemelia, monthly with local diffusion.
Internet radio.
Radio International.
Radio Relax International.
Theater
In Ventimiglia there is a dialectal theater company, the
Cumpagnia d'u Teatru Ventemigliusu (section of the Cumpagnia d'i
Ventemigliusi).
Music
Ventimiglia is home to the "Città di
Ventimiglia" polyphonic choir and the "Cumpagnia cantante" choir
(section of the Cumpagnia d'i Ventemigliusi).
Ventimiglia also
has its historic musical band to its credit, with a rare continuity in
the band music scene: the "Città di Ventimiglia" musical band, in fact,
was founded in 1853.
In 2009 the "Città di Ventimiglia" youth
philharmonic orchestra was founded.
Dishes based on fish:
u buiabasciu: fish soup;
u brandacuiun:
based on creamed stockfish, EVO oil, olives and parsley;
anciue cine:
anchovies stuffed with vegetables, two by two and fried;
Ventimiglia
style sea bream.
Meat dishes:
u cuniu in scivé: stewed rabbit or
'cun e aurive' with Taggiasca olives;
a crava e faiscioei: goat stew
with Pigna white beans;
Vegetable dishes:
ravioei de buraije:
ravioli filled with borage;
barbagiuai: ravioli stuffed with pumpkin,
brussu (goat cheese cream and EVO oil), fried in oil;
the green cake
(with a filling based on chard and, or zucchini, or artichokes or
pumpkin);
Farsi: stuffed vegetables (onions, courgette flowers,
aubergines, peppers, courgettes) in bite-sized pieces, stuffed and baked
or fried;
u cundiiun il condiglione: a salad with tomato, basil, EVO
oil, Taggiasca olives and salt;
a pisciadela: a pizza by the slice,
topped with tomato and onion sauce, Taggiasca olives, anchovy fillets
and garlic cloves.
among the desserts:
fresciœi: apple fritters
sprinkled with bitter orange flower water and sugar;
e castagnole:
sweets made with flour, cocoa, coffee, sugar, cinnamon, and a glaze with
bitter orange blossom water and sugar;
u castagnun: castagnaccio
(chestnut flour, raisins, pine nuts, EVO oil);
and pansarole;
e
bane: sweets of shortcrust pastry and hazelnuts.
You come
reds: Rossese della Riviera Ligure and Rossese di Dolceacqua.
whites:
Vermentino and Piematun di Latte.
The main resource of the municipality is the activity linked to
seaside tourism, fishing and floriculture. Today the Roia-Bevera area
performs the function of the industrial zone of the city.
The
commercial activities are also important, linked to the proximity of the
border, represented by the numerous shops and the weekly market on
Friday which attracts, among others, numerous visitors from France.
There are many restaurants, bars and pubs that follow one another almost
uninterruptedly along the city seafront and in the streets of the
centre.
Streets
The territory of Ventimiglia is mainly crossed by the
state road 1 Via Aurelia which allows it to connect by road, to the
east, with Camporosso and Vallecrosia, and to the west towards the state
border with France. The state road 20 also originates from the
intemelian city (the initial stretch of which represents a ring road,
which avoids a level crossing and crossing Roverino), which, going up
the Val Roia (for a large stretch in French territory, where it assumes
the denomination of RN 204) and after passing the Colle di Tenda, it
leads to Limone Piemonte, Cuneo and finally to Turin.
In 1903 the
first extra-urban line with bus in Italy was established, connecting
Ventimiglia to Garessio in the Cuneo area.
It can also be reached
thanks to its own tollbooth on the A10 motorway.
Railways
There are two stations: an international border railway station, in the
heart of the city, and the Bevera station in the homonymous Ventimiglia
hamlet, the latter along the line to Cuneo. Three lines originate from
the central station: the Genoa-Ventimiglia line, the
Cuneo-Limone-Ventimiglia line and the Marseille-Ventimiglia line.
The railway line to Cuneo, also known as the Col di Tenda line, is
considered one of the most valuable in Europe in terms of landscape. A
TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) of the French railways departs daily from
Ventimiglia to Paris.
You bring
In the locality of Scoglietti
there is the local tourist port - called Cala del Forte - whose works
involved the area between 2010 and 2020; the final completion of the
work is scheduled for June 2021. The landing can currently accommodate
178 boats, from 6.5 to 70 meters in length.
Urban mobility
Ventimiglia is connected to Sanremo and Taggia by a long trolleybus
line, called the trolleybus of the Riviera dei Fiori. In the city, it
follows the route of the pre-existing Ventimiglia-Bordighera tramway;
the latter, built by Woodhouse & Baillie, a company linked to the first
electric company in the city, the Riviera Electric Supply Company, was
in operation from 1901 to 1936.
Sail
A.S.D. Ventimiglia Sailing Club 1936
Stand Up Paddles
A.S.D. XXMILESin SUP
basketball
Sport Club Ventimiglia
Basketball
Archery
A.S.D. Archery Club Ventimiglia FITARCO
affiliate
Soccer
A.S.D. Ventimiglia Calcio, militant in the
championship of Excellence Liguria.
Judo
A.S.D. Tsukuri Judo
A.S.D. Judo Club Ventimiglia.
Sport facilities
Palasport of
Roverino.
Ex-GIL municipal gymnasiums.
Municipal stadium "Morel".
Municipal sports field (Peglia).
Soccer fields (Peglia and Porra).
Peglia tennis courts.
Shooting range.
Bocciodromi of Peglia,
Roverino and Gianchette.
Swimming pool "La Caletta".
Ventimiglia
Sailing Club (Nervia).
Calandre surf spot.
Sampdoria full-back and
(skater) Manuel Terribili was born in Ventimiglia