Sanremo

Sanremo’s medieval old town is called La Pigna (“the pine cone”) because its houses, packed against the hillside, form a cone shape that recalls a pine cone. It is a maze of carruggi (narrow alleys), stairways, arches and covered passages built as a defence against pirates, climbing from the market area up to the Regina Elena gardens. On the way up you find quiet little squares, oratories and old fishermen’s and farmers’ houses.

At the top of La Pigna, about a hundred metres above the sea, stands the Baroque sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa, with a great dome visible from all over town and a churchyard decorated with a pebble mosaic. It is the best viewpoint in the centre: from here you can see the rooftops of La Pigna, the harbours and the coast as far as Capo Verde.

Just below the sanctuary, the gardens dedicated to Queen Elena of Montenegro are a viewpoint with palms, flowerbeds and sea views. They are the perfect place for a rest on the climb up through La Pigna.

This is the oldest church in Sanremo: the current Romanesque building dates from the 12th century and was built over the remains of a small early Christian church. Inside is a black crucifix from the 15th century. The base of the bell tower dates from the 13th century, while the upper part was rebuilt after the Second World War.

Corso Matteotti is the street for shopping and strolling, pedestrianised and controlled by the ZTL (limited traffic zone) gates. Here you will find shops, historic cafés, the Ariston Theatre and Palazzo Borea d’Olmo. On Saturday evenings and during the Festival it is the heart of the town’s life.

Since 1977 the theatre on corso Matteotti has hosted the Italian Song Festival, which began in 1951 at the Casino. During the year it works as a cinema and theatre, and in autumn it hosts the Premio Tenco, devoted to singer-songwriters. Everything about the Festival, from the 2027 dates to practical tips, is in the guide to the Sanremo Music Festival.

The Casino, designed by the French architect Eugène Ferret and opened in January 1905, is one of the symbols of the Belle Époque on the Riviera. It is open every day of the year; entry is free and restricted to over-18s with ID. Shorts, vests and flip-flops are not allowed in the traditional gaming room, but a jacket is not required. The building also houses a theatre and the Roof Garden terrace.

The palm-lined seafront is Sanremo’s open-air drawing room. It is named after the Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II, who spent the winter of 1874–75 in the town and, before leaving, donated the palms for the new avenue. It runs west from the Casino between flowerbeds, statues and historic hotels.

With its five onion domes, the Orthodox Church of Christ the Saviour is one of the most photographed monuments on the Riviera. It was designed by Alexey Shchusev, who would later design Lenin’s Mausoleum, and consecrated in 1913 for the Russian community; the interior was left unfinished because of the 1917 revolution. King Nicholas I and Queen Milena of Montenegro, the parents of Queen Elena, were buried in the crypt until 1989. It is open every day, in the morning and afternoon.

Alfred Nobel bought this seafront villa in 1891, named it “Mio Nido” (“My Nest”) and died here on 10 December 1896. Today it is a museum dedicated to the inventor of dynamite and to the prize that bears his name, with an audio guide included. It is open Tuesday to Friday, in the morning.

Opposite Villa Nobel, the large public park of Villa Ormond has palms, exotic plants and a Japanese garden created through the twinning with the city of Atami. It is listed in the Grandi Giardini Italiani guide to Italy’s great gardens. The villa, rebuilt after the 1887 earthquake, is home to the International Institute of Humanitarian Law.

On corso Matteotti, the noble palace of the Borea d’Olmo family houses the Civic Museum on its second floor, with archaeological finds from prehistory to Roman times, a picture gallery and Garibaldi memorabilia. It is open Tuesday to Saturday.

The triangular fortress by the harbour was built by the Republic of Genoa in the mid-18th century, after a revolt by the people of Sanremo, to keep the town under control. It later became a barracks and, until 1997, a prison. Since 2 July 2026 it has been open again, with exhibitions, concerts and workshops.

The Riviera dei Fiori cycle and pedestrian path follows the old seaside railway line, closed in 2001. It crosses the whole of Sanremo, from Pian di Poma to Bussana, passing the former station, Portosole and Tre Ponti, with lit tunnels and separate lanes for bikes and pedestrians. Since June 2026 it has run continuously for almost 48 kilometres between Ospedaletti and Andora. Bikes and rickshaws can be hired along the way.

The Porto Vecchio, at the foot of the Forte di Santa Tecla, is the harbour of fishermen and traditional boats, now at the centre of a major redevelopment project. To the east, Portosole is the marina, awarded the Blue Flag in 2026, from which boat trips along the coast depart.

A few kilometres from the centre, on the hillside, the village of Bussana Vecchia was destroyed by the earthquake of 23 February 1887 and abandoned. Since the late 1950s it has been reborn as an artists’ village, with stone houses, studios and the roofless church.

The Civic Museum of Sanremo in Palazzo Borea d'Olmo: archaeology from prehistory to Roman times, a picture gallery and Garibaldi memorabilia.

The Forte di Santa Tecla, an 18th-century Genoese fortress on Sanremo's harbour and former prison, reopened on 2 July 2026 with exhibitions and concerts.

The Baroque sanctuary at the top of the Pigna, its dome dominating Sanremo and with wide views over the bay.