Bordighera
Encyclopedia
Bordighera is a town and comune
in the Province of Imperia
, Liguria
(Italy
).
.
Historically, it has been a favourite winter resort, especially for visitors and retirees from England
, and is renowned for its beautiful coast scenery. Its flowers and palms have been well known, with the flowers having been exported and the palms used on Palm Sunday
at St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome
and other churches. A museum contains a unique collection of the flora of the Riviera.
From 1682 until the Napoleonic period, Bordighera was the capital of a small republic
of the villages of the neighboring valleys.
lived and worked for parts of the year in Bordighera. His house was an important cultural centre for the British colony. He is buried at the churchyard of the former Anglican church. John Goodchild
also ran a medical practice here for a number of years. It was here that he bought the blue bowl which he later took to Glastonbury
.
Claude Monet
lived in Bordighera and painted numerous pictures of the town.
, France
, since 1956 Neckarsulm
, Germany
, since 1963
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...
, 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:...
(Italy
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...
).
History
The city was founded around the 4th century BC by the LiguresLigures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
.
Historically, it has been a favourite winter resort, especially for visitors and retirees from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is renowned for its beautiful coast scenery. Its flowers and palms have been well known, with the flowers having been exported and the palms used on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and other churches. A museum contains a unique collection of the flora of the Riviera.
From 1682 until the Napoleonic period, Bordighera was the capital of a small republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
of the villages of the neighboring valleys.
Main sights
- Church of Santa Maria Maddalena (17th century).
- Lowe and Moren Gardens along the Via Julia AugustaVia Julia AugustaThe Via Julia Augusta is the name given to the Roman road formed by the merging of the Via Aemilia Scauri with the Via Postumia. The road runs from Placentia to Arelates through Derthona , Vada Sabatia , Albingaunum and Album Intimilium .It was begun in 13 BC by Augustus, and originally stopped...
(now Via Romana). - Several buildings designed by Charles GarnierCharles GarnierCharles Garnier may refer to:*Charles Garnier , Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada in 1649*Charles Garnier , 19th century French architect...
, architect of the Paris Opera, in particular the Villa Garnier on the Via Charles Garnier, and the Church of Terrasanta. - Church of St. Ampelio
- Museo Biblioteca Clarence Bicknell houses the collections and illustrations of Clarence BicknellClarence BicknellClarence Bicknell was a British amateur botanist and archaeologist.While employed as a vicar in Bordighera, Italy, Bicknell became noted for his identification of the plants and petroglyphs of the Ligurian Riviera...
.
Culture
The Scottish writer George MacDonaldGeorge MacDonald
George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S...
lived and worked for parts of the year in Bordighera. His house was an important cultural centre for the British colony. He is buried at the churchyard of the former Anglican church. John Goodchild
John Goodchild
John Arthur Goodchild, , was a physician, and later author of several works of poetry and mysticism, most famously Light of the West....
also ran a medical practice here for a number of years. It was here that he bought the blue bowl which he later took to Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
lived in Bordighera and painted numerous pictures of the town.
Twin cities
Villefranche-sur-MerVillefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since 1956 Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Stuttgart, and part of the district Heilbronn. As of 2004, Neckarsulm had 27,296 inhabitants....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1963