Sanremo's pedestrian shopping street: Ariston, Palazzo Borea d'Olmo, Civic Museum, markets and parking.
Via Matteotti is Sanremo’s pedestrian shopping street, the promenade locals call “la Vasca”. It runs from the Piazza Colombo area towards the Casino, and the Teatro Ariston, home of the Sanremo Festival, stands on it. You come for a stroll past shop windows and cafés, to see the places of Italian song, and as a starting axis for the Pigna and the seafront.
The street is named after Giacomo Matteotti, the socialist member of parliament kidnapped and killed by a fascist squad in June 1924. It is the main and most elegant street in the centre: fashion shops and chains, ice-cream parlours, bars and restaurants, with side streets leading towards the old town. Part of the route is fully pedestrian; I could not find the exact length in official sources, so I do not give one.
At number 212 stands the Teatro Ariston, built in 1953 at the initiative of Aristide Vacchino. It has hosted the Sanremo Festival since 1977. Along the street towards the Casino, bronze plaques record the winning songs of the Festival. Tours of the interior are not confirmed: to see inside you need a show or an event.
Palazzo Borea d’Olmo is one of the main Baroque buildings of western Liguria: a late medieval core, its present form from the 17th and 18th centuries, marble portals with statues attributed to Montorsoli and a monumental Genoese-style atrium. It is best admired from outside.
The Civic Museum left Palazzo Borea d’Olmo and since December 2016 has been in Palazzo Nota, with archaeological finds, a picture gallery and a Garibaldi section. Check the hours on the Comune’s website before going.
The street is right in the centre. You cannot drive into the pedestrian zone: the covered Palafiori car park in Piazza Colombo is about a minute’s walk from the Ariston. Blue-line street parking is paid Monday to Saturday, 8-20; since 8 June 2026 non-residents pay 2.10 € an hour (1.80 € for registered residents). Check the rates of individual car parks on site.
The covered food market, the Mercato Annonario, is not on the street but in Via Martiri della Libertà, and opens in the morning. The weekly clothing and household market takes place on Tuesday and Saturday in Piazza Eroi Sanremesi, a short walk away. During the February Festival the area is crowded and cordoned off, so allow more time.
To carry on: the Pigna is a few minutes away, the Casino closes the street, the Russian Church is a little further and the Imperatrice promenade leads to the sea. For the rest of the city read the guide to Sanremo.
Via Matteotti is in Sanremo (Riviera di Ponente, Riviera dei Fiori).
FAQ
Yes, the central stretch is pedestrian and controlled by electronic ZTL gates: only authorised vehicles may enter.
At Via Matteotti 212, in the heart of the shopping area. It has hosted the Festival since 1977.
Since December 2016 it has been in Palazzo Nota. It used to be in Palazzo Borea d’Olmo, which faces the street.
The covered Palafiori car park in Piazza Colombo is the closest to the Ariston. Blue-line spaces are paid Monday to Saturday, 8-20.
The weekly market is in Piazza Eroi Sanremesi on Tuesday and Saturday; the covered Mercato Annonario is in Via Martiri della Libertà.
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