Cervo
Encyclopedia
Cervo is a small, ancient town and comune
, built on top of a hill along the Italian Riviera
in the province of Imperia
, 1,200 inhabitants.
marquis, who was a subject of the Republic of Genoa
, to which Cervo had always been faithful. The present character of Cervo dates from these times: 16th century towers and ramparts are still protecting the village.
One of its main attractions is the fine baroque
church of St. John the Baptist, overlooking the sea. The Romanesque
"Oratorio di Santa Caterina
" contains semi-perished 16th century fresco
es. The medieval Clavesana stronghold hosts the remarkable Ethnographic Museum of Western Liguria and the Palazzo Viale-Citati.
People used to earn their living as coral fishermen in the Corsica
n and Sardinia
n seas, in addition to being olive growers and seafarers. But the economy of Cervo is nowadays based on tourism and agriculture.
Cervo's connections with classical music date from to 1964, when the International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo
was established by the famous Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh
. The event has been held every summer ever since. Music master classes - Accademia di Cervo
- are held in September, and a guitar academy is held in June.
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:...
, built on top of a hill along the Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
in the province of Imperia
Imperia
Imperia may be:* Imperia , an Italian city* Province of Imperia, the Italian province of the above city of Imperia* IMPERIA, a vodka produced by Russian Standard* Imperia , a statue in Constance, Germany...
, 1,200 inhabitants.
Overview
Originally, it was, in Roman times, a mansion along the Via Julia Augusta. Slowly expanding, it became, in medieval times, a fief of the ClavesanaClavesana
Clavesana is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km south of Turin and about 30 km northeast of Cuneo...
marquis, who was a subject of the Republic of Genoa
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....
, to which Cervo had always been faithful. The present character of Cervo dates from these times: 16th century towers and ramparts are still protecting the village.
One of its main attractions is the fine baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
church of St. John the Baptist, overlooking the sea. The Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
"Oratorio di Santa Caterina
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
" contains semi-perished 16th century fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es. The medieval Clavesana stronghold hosts the remarkable Ethnographic Museum of Western Liguria and the Palazzo Viale-Citati.
People used to earn their living as coral fishermen in the Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n seas, in addition to being olive growers and seafarers. But the economy of Cervo is nowadays based on tourism and agriculture.
Cervo's connections with classical music date from to 1964, when the International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo
International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo
The first International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo was inaugurated in 1964, the brainchild of the renowned Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh. It is held every summer in the picturesque church square...
was established by the famous Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh
Sándor Végh
Sándor Végh was a Hungarian, later French, violinist and conductor. He was best known as one of the great chamber music violinists of the twentieth century.- Education :...
. The event has been held every summer ever since. Music master classes - Accademia di Cervo
Accademia di Cervo
Founded in 1988 by Professor Arnulf von Arnim and his wife Elfe in the attractive Italian seaside resort town of Cervo, this prestigious music academy on the Ligurian Riviera has attracted the finest performers of classical and contemporary music from scores of countries, as diverse as Germany,...
- are held in September, and a guitar academy is held in June.