Casinò di Sanremo
The French architect Eugène Ferret won a competition to build Sanremo a Kursaal and opened it in January 1905 — a Liberty palace of gaming and concerts, the first casino in Italy.
At a glance
The Casinò di Sanremo crowns the seafront town of the Riviera dei Fiori, a Liberty building designed by the French architect Eugène Ferret and inaugurated in January 1905. Conceived as a Kursaal — gaming rooms, a theatre and a concert hall for the winter visitors — it was the first licensed casino in Italy, and remains one of only a handful.
Key facts
- Built: 1904–1905, inaugurated January 1905
- Architect: Eugène Ferret (French)
- Style: Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau)
- Originally: a Kursaal (casino, theatre, concert hall)
- Status: a working casino, the first in Italy
History
By 1900 Sanremo was a fashionable winter resort for European and especially Russian aristocracy, and it wanted a Kursaal to match its rivals on the French Riviera. A competition was held; the Parisian architect Eugène Ferret beat six other projects and built the casino between 1904 and 1905.
It opened in January 1905, under the mayor Augusto Mombello, as a place of gaming, theatre and concerts. Gambling was later regulated, and the Casinò di Sanremo became — and remains — one of the few licensed casinos in Italy, and the oldest of them.
The building has been altered over the decades but keeps its Liberty front above the town.
What you see
A symmetrical Liberty façade rising above Corso degli Inglesi, with a domed silhouette, sculpted ornament and the confident scale of a Belle Époque pleasure-palace. The terraces look out over the sea.
Inside are theatre and gaming halls; the casino is open to visitors under the usual rules.
Practical information
- A working casino; the exterior is freely seen, interiors per casino rules
- Above the seafront, on Corso degli Inglesi
- Combine with the Russian church and the old town (La Pigna)
- Allow 15 minutes
Getting there
Sanremo is on the Ligurian coast near the French border, on the Genoa–Ventimiglia railway. By car, leave the A10 motorway at Sanremo.
Nearby
- The Russian Orthodox church
- The old town (La Pigna)
- The seafront and the Corso Imperatrice
Sources
- Comune di Sanremo / sanremostoria.it
- Eugène Ferret — architectural literature
- Touring Club Italiano — Liguria
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