Page 240 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

238 І NOR THWEST IT AL Y

2 Villa Hanbury the village. The terraced
vineyards in the surrounding
Corso Monte Carlo 43, Località La
Mortola. Tel 0184 22 95 07. hills produce grapes for general
V Ven timiglia. @ from Ventimiglia. consumption, as well as for a
Open 9:30am–5pm (Mar–mid-Jun & robust red wine known as
mid-Sep–mid-Oct: to 5pm; mid-Jun– Rossese or vino di Dolceacqua.
mid-Sep: to 6pm; mid-Oct–Feb: to
4pm) daily. Closed Mon Nov–Feb. &
∑ giardinihanbury.com
In 1867, the English botanist
Sir Thomas Hanbury and his
brother bought this villa on
the Mortola promontory. They
took full advantage of the
exceptionally mild Ligurian
The spectacular gardens of the Villa climate to establish a garden of
Hanbury near Ventimiglia exotic plants along the sloping
pathways of the seaside villa. The Casinò Municipale in Sanremo,
The collection, gathered by completed in 1906
1 Balzi Rossi Hanbury on trips to Africa and
Asia, has grown to number 4 Sanremo
Imperia. V Ventimiglia & Menton.
@ from Ventimiglia to Ponte San more than 3,000 varieties of Imperia. * 57,000. V @ n Corso
Luigi & then a 10-minute walk. & tropical flora including rubber degli Inglesi 14 (0184 58 05 00). (
∑ archeoliguria.beniculturali.it trees, palms and wild cacti. Tue & Sat am. ∑ turismoinliguria.it
The garden is now run by the
An unassuming promontory is State and is one of the most Sanremo is a pleasant resort of
the setting for some of the most impressive botanical gardens in faded elegance. The composer
important caves in northern Italy, even during the winter. Tchaikovsky, Alfred Nobel (the
Italy. Guided tours lead through father of modern explosives)
the traces of the cave-dwelling and the nonsense poet Edward
civilization of pre-Iron Age 3 Dolceacqua Lear all stayed in the stuccoed
Liguria. The caves contain Imperia. * 2,000. V @ n Via mansions of the palm-lined
excavated burial sites where the Barberis Colomba 3 (0184 20 66 66). seafront avenue, the Corso
dead were adorned with sea- ( Thu. ∑ dolceacqua.it Imperatrice. The focus of the
shells. The Museo Nazionale town, then as now, is the Casino.
dei Balzi Rossi contains tools, This pretty village, 8 km (5 miles) A little further down the Corso
weapons and stone-etched north of Ventimiglia, is built stands the ornate Russian
female figures dating from on either side of the churning Orthodox church of San Borilio.
100,000 years ago. There is also River Nervia, its two halves The old town, La Pigna
a reproduction of an etching joined by an arching 33 m (fir cone), is a huddle of narrow
of a horse. (108 ft) medieval stone bridge. lanes with medieval houses
The highlight is the ruined 12th- and pastel-coloured shutters.
E Museo Nazionale to 15th-century castle, inhabited A coach service goes from
dei Balzi Rossi for a while in the 16th century Sanremo to San Romolo, a small
Via Balzi Rossi 9. Tel 0184 381 13. by the powerful Doria family village 786 m (2,579 ft) above
Open 8:30am–7:30pm Tue–Sun. from Genoa. The two square sea level that offers beautiful
Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. & towers at the front dominate views of the area.
A delightful flower market is
held in Valle Armea (5–7am,
Oct–Jun, by appt, 0184 517 11),
while the Italian Song Festival
takes place here in February.

5 Bussana Vecchia
Imperia. Off Sanremo–Arma di
Taggia road.
Bussana Vecchia is a marvellously
atmospheric ghost town.
In February 1887 an earthquake
shook the village, reducing
The village of Dolceacqua with its medieval bridge and ruined castle its Baroque church and
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p565–9 and pp584–90

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.3)
Date 13th June 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm