Villa Nobel, San Remo

Recently restored by the Province to a renewed look always faithful to the charm of its past, the Villa Nobel garden still retains the uniqueness of an environment linked to a key figure in international scientific circles.

Alfred Nobel, who took refuge in San Remo because of his poor health, found his “Nest,” as he used to call it, here, soon the setting of his famous exploits and discoveries.

Entering the Villa from the main entrance on Corso Cavallotti, one can admire a small collection of rare botanical species, including some varieties of Cactaceae, such as 5 different types of aloes.

Continuing along the two small avenues that run along the diameter of the garden, one will notice 7 different species of palm trees, and looking carefully at the green space, one will find some fascinating corners typical of the taste of the time, such as a bamboo grove with stone seats or the cannon placed at the top of the lawn to evoke the scientist’s important experiments.

The cannon was actually donated in 1973 by Bofors, a Swedish war material factory bought by Nobel, when the Villa was inaugurated following its purchase by the Province.

To understand the palace’s charm, one need only read the words of Ligurian poet Francesco Pastonchi: “a bizarre mixture of styles, with slight whimsy of irons and flaunts of stained glass and a turret encrusted with pebbles to figure a crisp.”

The building houses the original spaces of the mansion, as well as on the garden level the interesting gallery great discoveries of the 19th century and about Nobel’s studies.