News & lifestyle in Riviera - A Blog by LiguriaHomes Casamare

The San Remo Music Festival is coming!

San Remo is a small Italian town near the border of France. Located on the Ligurian coast, San Remo is known as a beautiful resort town, but its true claim to fame is the music festival held there every year. The festival della canzone Italiana, commonly called the Sanremo Music Festival is one of the oldest singing competitions in Europe.

The song contest began in 1951 and has been held in Sanremo every year since. Well beloved in Italy and beyond, the Sanremo Music Festival even served as the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The festival has launched the careers of incredibly famous Italian singers, including Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero, Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini and Massimo Ranieri. But Sanremo is almost as much about the host as the talented performances. Every year, eager audiences tune in to see who will present the show. This year, Italian pop legend Gianni Morandi will host the show, with George Clooney’s latest love interest, Elisabetta Canalis and Italo-Argentinian model and TV star Belén Rodríguez as co-host.
The festival begins this year on February 15 and goes until February 19. On February 17, exactly one month before the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of a united Italy, the festival will celebrate the event with a special programme which will include Verdi’s “Va, pensiero”, “‘O sole mio”, “Viva l’Italia” and other songs that Italians love and which represent their history. Below is a list of the singers who will participate this year and the famous songs they will sing on the 17th.

Patty Pravo – Mille lire al mese
Nathalie – Il mio canto libero
Roberto Vecchioni – ‘O surdato ‘nnammurato
Giusy Ferreri – Il cielo in una stanza
Luca Madonia con Franco Battiato – La notte dell’addio
Max Pezzali – Mamma mia dammi 100 lire
La Crus – Parlami d’amore Mariù
Anna Oxa – ‘O sole mio
Modà-Emma – Here’s To You, La ballata di Sacco e Vanzetti
Tricarico – L’italiano
Al Bano – Va’ pensiero
Anna Tatangelo – Mamma
Luca Barbarossa e Raquel Del Rosario – Addio, mia bella, addio
Davide Van De Sfroos – Viva l’Italia

The song contest features many more participants than it has in the past and is now a huge television event. Italian audiences will be tuning in for an extravaganza: music, fashion, entertainment and awards. But you don’t have to be in Italy to view the annual affair. To see international broadcasts, check the Rai programming schedule by selecting your geographic area. The festival will also be broadcast on Radio1 Rai.

The San Remo Festival is always an Italian entertainment experience, and with special secret guests expected this year, there’s no excuse for missing the singing or the spectacle!

Skiing in Riviera: Limone Piemonte

It is amazing to know that just 50 min drive from Sanremo, you can find one of the most fascinating ski resort of North Italy: Limone Piemonte

80 km of runs, 16 ropeways, a wonderful conch which links the 3 valleys and offers both begginers and experts the chance to choose their level of difficulty: this is the Riserva Bianca’s visiting card in Limone Piemonte province of Cuneo.
This ski area, already gives the so called “Regione delle Alpi del Mare” (low Piemonte, Liguria di Ponente and Costa Azzurra) a decidedly convenient and easy tourism: obviously close at hand for the three above stated areas, it gives people the chance to ski in a resort at competative prices and where the runs (although some ski lifts are still to be totally completed), give great satisfaction for those who love skiing in a place where the environment is both fascinating and wild.
There is no doubt about the beauty of the scenery at the Riserva Bianca: all you need to do is spend a day in the conch of Limone Piemonte to realize the uniqueness of the place. In winter it nearly always has natural snow and a temperature which allows you to ski in comfort, unlike some of the other known resorts in the Alps.

As far as the quality of the runs is concerened it has been approved not only by the fact that the Isolde Kostner, Olimpic Champion national French and Italian teams trained at the Riserva Bianca last year, but also by a statement made to the papers by the champion Isolde Kostner after training: «The impression I have after these days of training is unquestionably positive. Even though the runs are not yet at the level of the major national and international ski resorts, Limone offers extraordinary runs which can easily compare with first class resorts such as val d’Isère. I really believe that if Limone adapted their structures to the modern skiing and snowboard demands of the times it would be in the running to compete with even the most established resorts ».

www.riservabianca.it

Imperia Classic Yachts: Vele d’Epoca Regatta

Vele d’Epoca di Imperia celebrate this year its 16th edition. Over the years, the Imperia Regatta has become one of the most important competitions in European vintage sailing calendar.

From 8th to 12th September 2010 Imperia Bay will be the setting for the 16th Edition of the “Imperia Classic Yachts”, one leg of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2010 international circuit, an unmissable event reserved for vintage and classic sailing boats , sponsored for the first time by the Ministry of Tourism.

This is an event which attracts increasing numbers of Queens of the Sea, each with her own fascinating story. But it is the warm hospitality and the series of events organised around the regattas which has drawn all eyes along the coast to this Italian town.
Visitors from all over the world are bewitched by the Riviera climate, the colours, perfumes and flavours of the Province of Imperia, and the breathtaking sight of a thousand sails silhouetted against the setting sun.

“There’s a lot of hard work on a classic boat…. no electric winches, only bent backs and arms hauling the sheets and hoisting the halyard on these masterpieces of the sea which the passion of a few have restored to their original splendour” – says Lucio Carli – President of Assonautica Provinciale di Imperia which has been the organiser of the event from the very outset.

The new face of PORTO MAURIZIO means a more elegant setting for IMPERIA CLASSIC YACHTS: and improved facilities for participating boats which must have been built prior to 1950, the classic yachts built between 1950 and 1975 and their replicas recognised under C.I.M. regulations 2010-2013. Modern sailboats can also take part in the special “Spirit of Tradition” section if the design or construction materials are in the traditional style. Among these are the “classics” and the metric classes which include the 12 metre (International Rule), which have been the protagonists of the America’s Cup classic challenges.
2008 saw a new section with the invitation to craft in the historic “J Class” which will take part alongside the other well-loved sections. The “J Class” made history in the America’s Cup in the 30s thanks to characters like Lipton, Sopwith and Vanderbilt.
Since 2006 the Panerai – Imperia Classic Yachts event has been part of the “PANERAI

CLASSIC YACHTS CHALLENGE” which touches on some of the historic ports on the Mediterranean (Antibes, Cannes and Mahon) as well as overseas ones like Antigua, Nantucket and Newport. Every two years, Imperia is also part of the Circuit and plays an increasingly important role. Craft are divided into categories and challenge one another in exciting regattas.

The circuit, organised by A.I.V.E. (Associazione Italiana Vele d’epoca =Italian Classic Yachts Association) and C.I.M. (Comité International de la Méditerranée =International Mediterranean Committee) is divided into four regattas, plus some high seas races. At the end of the various trials, the Challenge winners will be declared in each class and category.

FRATELLI CARLI, AGNESI, has long been a byword for Mediterranean cooking and Imperia, together with FONDAZIONE BANCA CARIGE, PORTO DI IMPERIA SPA and IMPERIA YACHT SRL, are present at this edition alongside the TITLE SPONSOR OFFICINE PANERAI and, together, have contributed much to a deeper understanding of the seagoing tradition. The Imperia Classic Yachts event will also see the Italian debut of EILEAN, the 22 metre ketch from Bermuda, designed and built in 1936 in the legendary Scottish Fife boatyards, recently restored to her original glory in the wake of conservative philological restoration which took over three years to complete. Officine Panerai, the Florentine luxury watchmakers and sponsor of the Classic Yachts Challenge was behind the purchase and restoration of this historic craft.
In order to celebrate the return to the regattas of this Queen of the Sea, there will be a real feast for all lovers of classic yachts, an exhibition along the quays recounting the story of the painstaking salvage and rebuilding which brought Eilean back to life, using original parts and historical photos of the boat.

Since the first edition, the Classic Yachts has been organised by the Imperia Sailing Association, Assonautica Provinciale di Imperia, with a contribution from the Imperia Chamber of Commerce, under the sponsorship of the Liguria Region, the Province of Imperia, and the municipal authority and Prefecture of Imperia, with the administrative and logistical cooperation of the Harbour Office. The organisation and logistics of this event, one of the major ones in the Mediterranean, is possible thanks to the help of Yacht Club Imperia, Yacht Club San Marino, Yacht Club Marina degli Aregai, Club del Mare Diano Marina, Circolo Nautico Arma and Club Nautico San Bartolomeo al Mare.
The main area where the even will take place is in Calata Anselmi, the dock of Porto Maurizio but the entire city of Imperia is in a festive mood.

COLLATERAL EVENTS to be held in the International Naval Museum on the western Riviera of Imperia at Calata Anserlmi, Porto Maurizio from 8th to 12th September.

From: www.veledepoca.com

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Britons: Where to buy in 2010

Where to buy in 2010

From: Primelocation newsletter
Author: Alexander Garrett is a freelance property writer who contributes regularly to The Observer and British Airways’ Business Life.

After a dreadful 2009, this could well be the year when Britons’ interest in buying abroad is re-awakened. But which countries should you be looking at? Here are our top five selections, balancing perennial appeal with a couple of emerging hotspots.

France. Any further weakening of the Euro will provide a green light for Brits to resume their love affair with France. The attractions are obvious: gastronomy and wine, uncrowded towns and countryside, and a better climate than at home – especially in the south. On top of that, France has one big advantage over all other destinations: accessibility. Security checks and airport congestion have taken much of the gloss off flying; but to France you can travel in your own car, or increasingly, by high-speed train. The choice of properties and locations in France is virtually unparalleled, from a run-down farmhouse in Normandy costing €30,000 to a super-villa in the playground of the Cote d’Azur costing millions.

Croatia. 2010 could be the year it finally happens for Croatia, a country that has unparalleled attractions for buyers of holiday homes, with 1,800km of unspoilt coastline, and more than 1,000 islands in the Adriatic Sea. What’s more, it is set to join the EU in 2012, less than two years time. The country promotes itself as “the Mediterranean as it once was”, reflecting the unspoilt character of the coastline, with low-key development. It’s already a favourite among the sailing fraternity and while Dubrovnik is a world-famous heritage site, the peninsula of Istria is just coming to the fore as a rival to Tuscany with its olives, truffles and wine. Central Dalmatia, around the second city Split, is ripe for discovery. In the medieval town of Trogir, a three-bedroom house would cost you around £350,000.
Turkey. The hit destination of this latest recession, Turkey offers fantastic coastline properties at bargain prices. Being outside the Euro has made it even more attractive to British buyers, while the prospect of eventual EU accession enhances the overall investment proposition. Turkey’s Turquoise Coast is arguably one of the best value locations you could find a holiday home anywhere in Europe. And Kalkan is the most sought-after spot on this coastline, a former fishing village now bustling with restaurants and gift-shops, with boat trips readily available. Here you can buy a high-quality villa with fabulous sea views starting from around £200,000 – a fraction of what it would cost on the Costa del Sol. Prices still have some way to go as Turkey catches up with the western Mediterranean.

Barbados. There has to be one exotic inclusion in the list, and Barbados has shrugged off the recession to reinforce its position as Britain’s favourite Caribbean island. Rum punch, palm-fringed beaches, a vibrant nightlife and plentiful flights are among the plus factors. Barbados goes from strength to strength with ongoing development attracting high-profile buyers such as Wayne Rooney in the last 12 months. Knight Frank estimates that prices have fallen by an 22 per cent over the last two years; nevertheless, property is among the most expensive in the Caribbean, starting at around £150,000 for a one-bed seafront apartment and heading quickly up into the millions for properties at exclusive estates like Royal Westmorland or Sandy Lane.

Italy. While prices plummeted in Spain over the last two years, on another Mediterranean peninsula – Italy – property has held up fairly well. The simple reason is that Italy has never participated in the wholesale over-development that took place in Iberia, a policy that is now paying some dividends. Now other Italian regions are encroaching on the radar: Liguria, Puglia, Abruzzo and Piedmonte to name a few. As a brand, Italy has class and is likely to prove an investment that holds its value.

The Giraglia Rolex Cup comes back to San Remo

Giraglia Rolex Cup
St.Tropez, France / San Remo, Italy
June 12 – 19, 2010

One of the most renowned distance races in the Mediterranean, the Giraglia Rolex Cup has been a tradition for European sailors for over 50 years. From the race start off the historic port of Saint-Tropez the fleet heads through the idyllic Iles des Hyeres and across the sea to round the Giraglia, a rocky islet off northern Corsica, before racing to the finish off San Remo, a total distance of 243 nautical miles.

The first inshore race will start Friday 11th June from San Remo to St Tropez. Then 3 more days of races in St Tropez and, after the fantastic party & prize-given at the Castle, the race start of the Giraglia Rolex Cup with finish line again in San Remo.

Cycle from San Lorenzo al Mare to Ospedaletti

Once upon a time, an unsightly train line ran on the sinuous coastline between San Lorenzo al Mare and Ospedaletti, looming large and metallic over the cobalt sea. Several years and an enlightened administration later, the railway line has been moved inland, and the former tracks have been turned into a 24-km route open to ramblers and cyclists.

The views along the way are enchanting, with verdant trees and pretty villages on one side and wavelets lapping the foot of the trail on the other. Four large terraces allow visitors to rest and make the most of the panorama. Bikes are available to rent at either end of the track, making it perfect for families and occasional cyclists. Die-hard ones, though, can continue on to the 2,000 km of the Alpi del Mare route, which starts from sea level and climbs all the way up the mountains.

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