Ventimiglia

Coordinates: 43°47′25″N 7°36′30″E / 43.79028°N 7.60833°E / 43.79028; 7.60833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Ventimiglia (disambiguation).
Ventimiglia
Ventemiglia (
Ligurian)
Ventemilha (Occitan)
Comune
Città di Ventimiglia
Panorama of Ventimiglia
Panorama of Ventimiglia
Flag of Ventimiglia
Flag
Coat of arms of Ventimiglia
Coat of arms
Location of Ventimiglia
Map
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
18039
Dialing code0184
Patron saintSan Secondo
Saint day26 August
WebsiteOfficial website
Church of San Michele Arcangelo

Ventimiglia (Italian:

French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia
river, which divides the town into two parts. Ventimiglia's urban area has a population of 55,000.

Etymology

The name Ventimiglia derives from Album Intimilium, which later became 'Albintimilium', Vintimilium, then Ventimiglia. The similarity to the phrase venti miglia ("twenty miles") is coincidental, although the town was almost exactly 20

statute miles
from France between 1388 and 1860.

History

Ventimiglia is the ancient Album Intimilium, the capital of the Intimilii, a Ligurian tribe.

In the

Fraxinet. After a period as an independent commune, it was ruled by the Counts of Ventimiglia, and often had to fight against the Republic of Genoa
.

In 1139 the Genoese attacked it by land and sea and forced it to surrender; the count continued to hold the city and countship as a vassal of the victors. The city rebelled more than once against the Genoese and sided with their enemies.

In 1271 in a war with Genoa, its

King Ladislaus of Naples
(1410). In 1505 it was annexed to the Genoese Republic, sharing its history until the early 19th century.

Roman theatre

In 1269 the Count of Ventimiglia,

Savoy dynasty
.

Main sights

View from bridge in Ventimiglia

Remains of a Roman theatre (first half of the 2nd century) are visible, and remains of many other buildings have been discovered, among them traces of the ancient city walls, a fine mosaic, found in 1852 but at once destroyed, and a number of tombs to the west of the theatre. The ruins of the ancient Albintimilium are situated in the plain of Nervia, c. 2 kilometres (1 mile) to the east of the modern town.[5]

The caves of the

palaeolithic remains of the Quaternary period.[5] Remains of a family of Cro-Magnon
people were discovered, with several skeletons of men, women and children.

Very important architecturally and historically is the ancient medieval city centre, perched on a hill overlooking the new town. The Church of San Michele Arcangelo was erected in the 10th century by the Counts of Ventimiglia on the foundations of a pagan temple. Later it was entrusted to the Benedictines of

stoups and one supports the crypt
's vault.

The present

Diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo (just Ventimiglia until 1957, founded 670), is built on the ruins of an earlier Lombard church, which in turn was on the site of a Roman building, possibly a temple.[5]

The municipal library has the second-largest collection of 17th-century manuscripts and books in Italy (the biggest collection is in Venice).

The Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens), surrounding the villa of Sir Thomas Hanbury, La Mortola, are the biggest in Italy and among the finest in Europe, boasting many varieties of tropical and sub-tropical species that thrive in this mild climate.

Near Ventimiglia are the Genoese fortresses of Castel d'Appio, Forte San Paolo and Fortezza dell'Annunziata.

Tourism

Ventimiglia is a popular summer destination for tourists on the French Riviera. Particularly popular all year with visitors from France is the weekly street market (held on a Friday), along the seafront of the new town, which causes major traffic congestion.

Transportation

Ventimiglia is on the Via Aurelia Provincial Road, and has a junction on the A10 Motorway.

The

line from Genoa to France with the line to Cuneo
.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy

There is a Royal Spanish honorary consulate in Ventimiglia.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ventimiglia is

twinned
with:

See also

  • Diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo
  • Seborga

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Frisoni, Gaetano [in Italian] (1910). Dizionario Genovese-Italiano e Italiano-Genovese (in Italian). Genova: Nuova Editrice Genovese.
  4. ^ The History of the Col de Tenda, W.A.B. Coolidge, The English Historical Review, Vol. XXXI, ed. Reginald Lane Poole, (Longmans, Green and Co., 1916), 202.
  5. ^ a b c  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ventimiglia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ventimiglia.
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