The nameVentimiglia derives fromAlbum Intimilium, which later became 'Albintimilium',Vintimilium, thenVentimiglia. The similarity to the phraseventi miglia ("twenty miles") is coincidental, although the town was almost exactly 20statute miles from France between 1388 and 1860.
In theGothic Wars it was besieged by the Byzantines and the Goths, and later suffered from the raids ofRothari, King of the Lombards, but flourished again underRodoald. In the 10th century, it was attacked by the Saracens ofFraxinet. After a period as anindependent commune, it was ruled by the Counts of Ventimiglia, and often had to fight against theRepublic of Genoa.
In 1139 the Genoese attacked it by land and sea and forced it to surrender; the count continued to hold the city and countship as a vassal of the victors. The city rebelled more than once against the Genoese and sided with their enemies.
In 1271 in a war with Genoa, itspodestàLuca Grimaldi was captured. Ventimiglia was thus temporarily held by thedukes of Savoy (1389 and 1746) andKing Ladislaus of Naples (1410). In 1505 it was annexed to the Genoese Republic, sharing its history until the early 19th century.
Remains of a Roman theatre (first half of the 2nd century) are visible, and remains of many other buildings have been discovered, among them traces of the ancient city walls, a finemosaic, found in 1852 but at once destroyed, and a number of tombs to the west of the theatre. The ruins of the ancientAlbintimilium are situated in the plain ofNervia, c. 2 kilometres (1 mile) to the east of the modern town.[5]
The caves of theBalzi Rossi have proved rich inpalaeolithic remains of theQuaternary period.[5] Remains of a family ofCro-Magnon people were discovered, with several skeletons of men, women and children.
Very important architecturally and historically is the ancient medieval city centre, perched on a hill overlooking the new town. The Church ofSan Michele Arcangelo was erected in the 10th century by the Counts of Ventimiglia on the foundations of a pagan temple. Later it was entrusted to the Benedictines ofLirins. In the 11th-12th centuries, it was rebuilt inRomanesque style. In 1628 its aisles were lost after an earthquake. It houses milestones from the oldVia Iulia Augusta, two of which are used asstoups and one supports thecrypt's vault.
The presentRomanesqueCathedral dedicated to the Assumption, Cattedrale di Nostra Signora Assunta, with an 11th-century baptistery,see of the presentDiocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo (just Ventimiglia until 1957, founded 670), is built on the ruins of an earlier Lombard church, which in turn was on the site of a Roman building, possibly a temple.[5]
The municipal library has the second-largest collection of 17th-century manuscripts and books in Italy (the biggest collection is inVenice).
TheGiardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens), surrounding the villa ofSir Thomas Hanbury, La Mortola, are the biggest in Italy and among the finest in Europe, boasting many varieties of tropical and sub-tropical species that thrive in this mild climate.
Near Ventimiglia are the Genoese fortresses of Castel d'Appio, Forte San Paolo and Fortezza dell'Annunziata.
Ventimiglia is a popular summer destination for tourists on theFrench Riviera. Particularly popular all year with visitors from France is the weekly street market (held on a Friday), along the seafront of the new town, which causes major traffic congestion.
^Frisoni, Gaetano[in Italian] (1910).Dizionario Genovese-Italiano e Italiano-Genovese (in Italian). Genova: Nuova Editrice Genovese.
^The History of the Col de Tenda, W.A.B. Coolidge,The English Historical Review, Vol. XXXI, ed. Reginald Lane Poole, (Longmans, Green and Co., 1916), 202.
