Claude Monet, Lettera da Bordighera, 1884
Bordighera was popular with writers, painters, botanists, and members of the European intellectual elite from during the 1800s and 1900s. Mariani, Monet, De Amicis, Dickens, Winter, Bicknell, Garnier and many others contributed to the cosmopolitan and refined nature of the city. Traces of their contributions, or simply of their stay in Bordighera, can be seen in its wonderful villas, libraries, museums and gardens.
Villa Mariani and its park, originally owned by Pompeo Mariani, is of particular interest. Mariani, active in the second half of the XIX century, was a painter and collector; the villa, the park and their respective treasures have wisely been kept unchanged thus preserving the original atmosphere.
The fascinating Anglican Church is the setting for many cultural events. The Lawn Tennis Club, founded in 1878, and second only to Wimbledon, and the Yatch Club in the tourist harbour are two more of Bordighera’s points of interest.
Bordighera is well-connected to the most important Italian cities through the highway system and it is just a 30-minute-drive from the Nice-Cote d’Azur airport.