South African Club Lunceon, October 23

The South African Club of the Cote d'Azur is having a luncheon on Sunday October 23rd in the fabled "Principality of Seborga". The host will be local personality Mark Dezzani, a long time resident of Seborga. Mark will be giving commentary, background and the history of the Principality during pre-lunch drinks. Nothing fancy or formal: just casual and good fun. The all inclusive Italian menu including wine and coffee is €17 per person with a reduced menu and price for children at €10. You don't have to be South African to attend, everyone is invited. To reserve telephone Hugh at 04 93 86 04 77 Portable: 06 75 93 90 93 or email: hughmitford@wanadoo.fr

AIDA REOPENS THE ROMAN THEATRE

With the Aida of Giuseppe Verdi, played by the Chamber Orchestra of the Principality of Seborga, the Roman Theatre of Albintimilium, the ancient name of the city of Ventimiglia, reopened to the public for the first time after almost two thousand years of closure. The event, sponsored by the Italian Ministry for the Arts and Cultural Heritage and organized by the cultural associations of Endas and Porta Marina and by the Institute of Research Angelico Aprosio, had the proper title of: “After 2000 years of silence”.
The orchestra conducted by the maestro Vitaliano Gallo, played music from the famous Verdi Opera Aida and from the sound track movies The Gladiator and Star Wars. The proceeds of the evening went to charity.
Giampiero Martino, President of the Archaeological Park of Nervia, said: “It is with great pleasure that the city of Ventimiglia is symbolically reclaiming its history by using again this theatre that our ancestors have wanted. This is an experiment and the theatre has still serious acoustic problems to resolve caused by its proximity to the Aurelia road and the railway lines. But we are positive about resolving these problems by using sound insulation barriers”.

The next commitment for the orchestra is for the 29 October at Imperia-Oneglia University, with a concert starting at 20:30. Music by Boccherini for the 200° anniversary of his death and for the exhibition organized by IBIS (the Italian Buddhist Institute) titled: "i semi del cambiamento" (the seeds of change).
For more information, visit: www.orchestraprincipatodiseborga.com

The construction of the theatre is dated around 180 A.C. Located on the western border of Liguria, Ventimiglia has had a complex history. It begins with the ancient Roman settlement of Albintimilium, the largest town in this part of the province. Considerable Roman remains are visible near the mouth of the Nervia River, while the mediaeval town is perched on a rocky spur to the west. The modern city did not develop until the late 19th century around the railway station. The territory of Ventimiglia offers very fine landscaping and real estate has developed in the zones of Latte and Mortola. The peerless climate and the fertility of the soil were ideal for establishing fine gardens, subsequently renovated in the late 19th century, the most remarkable being the Hanbury Garden.

PROJECT MOLDAVIA ACCOMPLISHED

The entire Principality of Seborga and its people led by H.R.H. Prince Giorgio I, was behind the organisation of a humanitarian project called “Progetto Moldavia 2005” that draws the participation of many associations and groups from many places in Italy and from the Republic of San Marino.
For the preparation of this humanitarian mission the Principality hosted and organized many public events for raising funds and materials needed for the project that started on 26th August and ended the 10th of September.
The group working on this project was formed by volunteers of the Italian, Seborga and Vallebona Emergency Services, members of the “Seborga nel Mondo” association and Red Cross of Bordighera, doctors, registered nurses, veterinarians, first aids trainers, members of the Italian police and interpreters, all under the patronage of UNICEF International and the Liguria Region.
The primary aim of this mission was to provide training in the areas of health (first aid courses, hygiene, child welfare, rehabilitation and physiotherapy) with the purpose of raising the level of autonomy of the local population. The project also was intended to provide the distribution of clothing, curriculum material, agricultural tools and buying local food and pharmaceutical products to promote the local economy.
The team lead by Flavio Gorni comprised of five vans and more than 20 people and left Seborga just before midnight on the 26th August in the presence of many people who wanted to witness this important event. The team was saluted by H.R.H. Prince Giorgio I, the Mayor of Seborga Franco Fogliarini, and Monsignor Alberto Maria Careggio, bishop of the diocese of Ventimiglia and Sanremo.
The mission was accomplished successfully and there is now the feeling and the desire among the organizers and the volunteers that this mission will not be the last.

The Republic of Moldova is a small country, situated in the Southeast part of Europe, neighbouring Romania to the West and Ukraine to the East. This piece of land boasts a rich history, abundant in dramatic events and turmoil.
From the XIV century it was a part of the Moldova Principality, situated between Oriental Carpathians and the Nistru River, in the north bounded by Hotin, and in the South – by the Low Danube and the Black Sea. Following the Peace concluded in Bucharest, in 1812, a part of this territory was assigned to Czarist Russia, which called it Basarabia - an older name, earlier attributed to the southern part. The aim was to identify this territory as a separate geographic entity from the Moldova Principality.
The Independence of the Democratic Republic of Moldova was proclaimed in January 1918. And later, on March 27, 1918 it was decided to re-unite it with Romania. The next annexure process took place in 1940, following the Molotov - Ribbentrop summit.
According to this, Basarabia became part of the USSR and was proclaimed as the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldavia. It comprised only nine Basarabian counties and six districts from the left bank of the Nistru River. The present territory of Moldova is smaller compared to the area attributed to Russian authorities in 1812, since the North Hotin, Acherman and the southern Ismail were given up in 1940 by the Soviet authorities to Ukraine.
Due to the restructuring process that started in Central and Eastern Europe, in June 1990 Moldova proclaimed its sovereignty, and on August 27, 1991, its State Independence. On March 2, 1992, the Republic of Moldova became a member of the United Nations.

NEWS IN BRIEF...

H.R.H. Prince Giorgio I and His Knights launched in August an artistic auction to cover the costs of restoring the church of San Martin in Seborga. The collection on sale comprised 24 artistic paintings from artists who donated their works for this event and was exhibited at the Park palace of Bordighera.

A Mayor from the Italian Republic and a Knight from the Principality of Seborga were the celebrants of a wedding that took place at the Town Hall of Sassello (Savona). The vice Mayor Michele Ferrando was assisted by the former Mayor of Sassello Paolo Badano wearing the bicolour sash of the Knight of St Bernard of the Principality of Seborga. The couple: Tina and Fahrchid (Iranian and German origin), chose the town of Sassello as a place to holiday and to get married 10 years ago. The couple specifically wanted to be married by the then Mayor Badano who retired from public duty last year.

THANK YOU!

Thank you all for the many positive comments and feedback that we have received about our first edition of The Seborga Times. We hope that you may continue to find this publication useful for keeping in touch with the life of our Principality and its people. We have received requests to publish this magazine in languages other than English. We respond to these requests by announcing that from this month The Seborga Times can be read also in Italian. By clicking on “Italian Version” you will be linked to the “Gazzetta di Seborga” which contains the same articles published here. Thank you again for your support and keep writing to us for your feedback or comments that you may have. (The Seborga Times)