Overview

The principality of the Ligurian hinterland

There is a suspended atmosphere in the alleys of Seborga. Here, on the heights of the Ligurian hinterland, near Bordighera and Sanremo, time seems to stand still and one almost expects to run into a medieval lady or knight.

First, visit the baroque Church of St Martin and its churchyard, where the Knights Templar cross is depicted. The Palace of the Monks, the old prisons and the museum of musical instruments are also worth a visit.

Seborga is a must-see destination for anyone visiting the province of Imperia is its history and struggle for independence. In the 1700s, then King of Sardinia Victor Amadeus II acquired this territory as a personal possession to avoid annexing it to the Kingdom. In the 1960s, Seborga’s inhabitants contested the legitimacy of the acts by which the principality was ceded to the Kingdom of Italy in the 1800s. Even today, they still claim the existence of the Principality of Seborga, which, although not recognised by the Italian State or internationally, retains its own prince, or rather, princess, guardhouse, Council of the Crown and currency, the Luigino, which can be used for purchases in the city’s shops.

If you are in the village on 20 August, enjoy the events for the St Bernard festivities, when the princess and knights parade through the streets of the municipality in full dress uniform. Also, between February and March, the village turns bright yellow thanks to the blossoms of the numerous mimosa trees.

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