Bajardo is a comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in the Province of Imperia

Province of Imperia

The Province of Imperia is a mountainous and hilly province, in the Liguria region of Italy, situated between the Maritime Alps to the north and the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea to the south...

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region Liguria

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...

. At the start of 2008 it had 306 inhabitants: less than a fifth of those counted in 1911. It is about 110 km southwest of Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

 and about 25 km west of Imperia.

Its principal settlement, Bajardo itself, is a medieval village which stands at an elevation of 900 m on a peak at the head of the basin of the Nervia torrent.

History

First ruled by the Counts of Ventimiglia, it passed to the Marquis of Ceva before coming under Genoese control

Republic of Genoa

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

 in 1259. It remained with Genoa until 1815 when it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia

Kingdom of Sardinia

The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

. The parish church of San Nicolò da Bari in Piazza Parrocchiale was built in 1893 to replace the church destroyed by the earthquake of 1887.

Traditions

Every year, various festivals are held in Baiardo. One occurs in June in remembrance of an event from hundreds of years ago. One of the ruling lords was engaged to a woman. However, this women was much younger and had a secret lover. One day, the secret lover and the woman attempted to escape into the woods. However, the rich lord sent for them. When found, she was decapitated. What happened to the secret lover is unknown. In remembrance, Bairado holds a tree-cutting festival at the beginning of every June. The townspeople setup the tree in the central square, have various festivities throughout the day, and then chop down the tree.

External links

• Comunità Montana Intemelia, Baiardo.