An Emergency Service Project: “IO MI SALVO COSI`”

For the last day of school, June 11, the Emergency Service of Seborga-Vallebona, has organized, together with the Directorate of Teaching Bordighera and the Seborga’ School, an afternoon dedicated to teaching and educating the students on matters related to safety and emergency services, called: “IO MI SALVO COSI`” (translated: “I’ll be safe in this way”).

The activities, aimed at primary school students, were intended to raise the awareness of safety issues at home, at school or the safe use of bicycles and motorcycles.

The students reflected on their relationship with the territory around them, with the environment and the need for its preservation as well as how to keep ourselves safe from accidents or natural disasters such as fires, flooding of rivers, floods or earthquakes.

The idea was to create an important ethics purpose: to raise awareness to safety by introducing fundamental values such as solidarity and the need to take care of others and to help them.

In a society that holds as values personal interest, success or appearing on television, the schools must educate for real values that promote minds open to the needs of others, recognizing the worth of the individual.

In this context, the Emergency Service is a good example of an organisation based on the support of voluntary individuals.

The volunteers of the Emergency Service, Alessandra Ghelfi, Massimo Paci, and the teacher Emanuela Rebaudengo, also a volunteer, have expressed their hope that the children themselves will promote to their families the awareness of safety issues through these activities learned at school.

Euro 2008: Giant screen in Seborga

A giant screen will be installed in Piazza Martiri Patrioti in Seborga from Sunday 7 June to allow the public to watch the matches of the European Championship live.

The initiative is sponsored by ProSeborga.

For more information, contact the Tourist Office: 0184 223859.

4th Edition of the Historical Literary Competition of Seborga

SEBORGA

MUNICIPALITY & PRINCIPALITY

HISTORICAL LIBRARY

COMPETITION

The Municipality and the Principality of Seborga have launched the 4th edition of the Historical Literary Competition. This year's competition consists of an essay, abridged or original, in Italian or French, regarding historical figures related to the ecclesiastical history of any religion.

The scripts need to be submitted in typed or printed format and sent to the Biblioteca Storica di Seborga, 18012 Seborga, not later than the 10th October 2008.

The jury will examine all the entries and only three works will be selected as finalists.

The works submitted will not be returned but will be kept in the Library and made available to the public.

The prize giving ceremony will take place in Seborga on the 11th November, starting at 15:00.

For more information, please write to the Historical Library at the following e-mail address: turismo@proseborga.com

The Principality of Seborga in the Guide Vert 2008!

We are very happy to learn that the famous tourist guidebook Guide Vert talked about the Principality of Seborga in its edition of Northern Italy 2008 (see photo).

Seborga is the subject of a small insert page 161. It is also represented on a map page 162 and quoted in the main index page 393. This is the complete text of this short article which has been published:

“The Principality of Seborga: Because of a bureaucratic mistake, the small Principality (11kms east of Bordighera) had never been officially registered among the properties of the House of Savoy. In the 60s, its inhabitants began to claim their independence, they elected a prince and they started to strike coins and to edit stamps. To know more about it go to www.seborga.com."

On the one hand, we are pleased of the fact that the Michelin guide has also decided to recognize and to admit the existence of the Principality of Seborga, but on the other hand, we are surprised by the inaccuracy and the restricted content of this article.

The Authorities of Seborga also seem to share this point of view. That’s the reason why they have decided to write the Guide Vert in order to ask the editors to correct the six errors or inaccuracies found in the article:

• There is no bureaucratic error: Seborga has never been the property of the House of Savoy but its protectorate (which explains its non-annexation by the Kingdom of Piemont-Sardinia –renamed “Kingdom of Italy” in 1861, the rights and duties of which were inherited by the Italian Republic in International Law.)

• The Principality of Seborga is located in the North-North East of Bordighera, at about 7kms as the crow flies and at about 10kms by car.

• The ‘claim for independence’ is more precisely the taking back of its sovereignty, which has never stopped existing in spite of its Italian civil administration.

• The Principality of Seborga has been an elective Monarchy since the Early Middle Ages and the taking back of its sovereignty has logically led to the election of a new Prince: it mustn’t be considered as an innovation.

• The currency of Seborga, the Luigino, started to be struck around 1630; so, it didn’t start in the 1960s, it only restarted (in 1995).

• The official e-address for the government site is http://www.seborga.homeip.net/ and not the one given in the article.

We will pay attention to the future editions of the Guide Vert and we hope that the information given on Seborga will be more precise and true.

Sport: Seborga on the soccer field with “Mihailovca-Seborga 2005”.

A new reality in football is making its way in the landscape of the Republic of Moldova: an Italian-Moldovan team.

For the Republic of the former Soviet Union this is an absolute novelty: from this month the small municipality of Mihailovca can boast its own football team: the “Mihailovca Seborga-2005” (see photo).
The idea came from the “Seborga in the World Association” of the Principality of Seborga which - after having created a football field in the village with the collaboration of the local youth and the volunteers of the emergency service of Seborga-Vallebona - launched this new challenge.
The president of the soccer team is a young Moldovan lady: Lilia Lebada, living in Rome and with dual nationality, who was appointed - according to the association - "not only for her sensitivity to the political plans for the youth of her country, but for her experience in football”.
The vice President is Alberto Cengarle, creator and administrator of the Italian-Moldovan discussion forum: “Ambasada.it”, who stressed that the main objective of the project is “to bring families and particularly children to love this sport, through the matches the boys will play each week”.
Mihailovca-Seborga 2005 team will wear the blue colours, like the colours of the Principality of Seborga and will have as sponsor various Italian and Moldovan firms and companies.
From September the team will play in the national championships, but the newborn team has clear programs and aims: "to Improve the ground of the football field, build showers, changing rooms and stands, build an illumination system, as well as reaching the top positions of the youth league” explained the chairman Lilia Lebada, who added that the league “is already thinking about the creation of a team of women players”.

Seborga Among Art and Flowers

“Seborga in harmony among Art and flowers” is the theme of the next event organised by the Municipality of Seborga and in collaboration with the Angelo Biffi Art Gallery.

Flowers compositions and fresco paintings will be displayed along the streets of Seborga, from the 1st to the 4th of May 2008.
For more information, contact the Tourist office by phone: 0184/223859 or by e-mail:turismo@proseborga.com

Seborga: 1st May, 2nd Pipe Festival

The Flowers Riviera and the Cote d’Azur so famous for their centuries-old olive trees are also renowned for their ‘briar’ or ‘arboreous heather’ root, – which in our dialect is called ‘U Brugu’ – plants which are used for making pipes. On Thursday 1st May, from 10.00 am on, in the small square of San Martino in Seborga, in the presence of handicraftsmen and worldwide famous master pipe makers, the 2nd Pipe International Festival is scheduled.

“It is a common mistake to think that smoking was imported from America in Christopher Columbus days – the organizers say -. Recent excavations in South France unearthed examples of ‘primordial pipes’ dating back to 400 BC made in iron, bronze and clay. Roman naturalist and historian Plinio, who lived in the 1st century AC, tells us how the habit of burning particular herbs, with supposed medical virtues, was popular, along with the ‘inhaling’ of its smoke by means of stems."

Worldwide famous Master Pipe Maker Domenico Giordano from Badalucco, who has been a pipe maker for over 50 years, will preside over the event presenting an exhibition of his briar and olive pipes. Everybody is welcome to the meeting, lady smokers included. French writer Franc Nohain (1873–1934) said: “in the gestures related to pipe smoking, in the way of holding it and of caressing its bowl, there is an expression of wellness and of certainty and bliss, which the best cigarette will never give you. And women, so pride of smoking cigarettes, will never really be equal to men, if not when will bravely approach pipe smoking”.

Permanent exhibition all year round at Grand Hotel Des Anglais, Corso Imperatrice - Sanremo. More information visit: http://www.orchestraprincipatodiseborga.com/ or http://www.giordanopipe.it/

Bassoon in Concert

Monday 21 April 2008
09:00 pm

Opera Theatre
Casinò Municipale
San Remo

VITALIANO GALLO
Bassoon in Concert

Music Repertoire of
Vivaldi, Bizet, Gangleberger, Monti

For more information:
www.orchestraprincipatodiseborga.com

History and Culture of Religions at the Honorary Consulate of Seborga at Castellarano

The Honorary Consulate of Seborga at Castellarano (a municipality in the Province of Reggio Emilia, Italy) keeps up its efforts to promote culture.
Its own mission, in fact, is to be an instrument for the development of learning and training, a meeting point of people and cultures.
A series of meetings have been held by the Honorary Consul Paolo Iotti (see photo) in collaboration with the Seminary of the Rovigo town on the reading of the Bible.
Also in development, with the collaboration of the municipality administration of Castellarano, is a series of five meetings on the history and culture of religions. As a result, the name of Seborga is associated with the desire for knowledge and sharing it.
For more information:
Honorary Consulate of Seborga, Via J. Kennedy, 3 - Castellarano (Italy).
Telephone: +39 331 27 22 575
Consul: Dr. Paolo Iotti iottip@libero.it

Web: http://www.beepworld.it/members/consolatoonorariodiseborga/index.htm

Peking 2008 Letter delivered to President Burlando

A letter from the "Seborga nel Mondo" Association (Seborga in the World), addressed to the Italian Minister for Sport, Giovanna Melandri and to the Italian athletes competing at the Olympic Games, Peking (Beijing) 2008, was delivered into the hands of the President of the Liguria Region, Claudio Burlando.

The letter was written with the intent of promoting awareness in the Italian political arena of the genocide committed in Tibet and to ask the athletes to become ambassadors of a strong message of solidarity by wearing - in any way they like - the flag and the signs of Tibet during the opening ceremony of the Games and during the sporting events. (in the photo, from left: President Liguria Region: Claudio Burlando; vice President Seborga nel Mondo: Enrico Ferrero; President Seborga nel Mondo: Flavio Gorni)

Second Edition of the International Festival of the Pipe

Second International Festival of the Pipe

Principality of Seborga

Thursday, 1 May 2008

Starting from 10 AM

Piazzetta San Martino

With the participation of renown craftsmen

and pipe makers

Briar pipe of the Principality of Seborga

(Cigar smokers are also welcome)

For more info call: 0039.335.460237
or visit: www.orchestraprincipatodiseborga.com/
www.giordanopipe.it/

Easter under the banner of the contemporary art

This Easter the Angelo Biffi Art Gallery organised an exhibition of contemporary art by the artist Marzocca Antonio entitled "From our Land", along the "carrugi" of the Principality of Seborga ("carrugi" is the local dialect term used for the old narrow laneways and streets).

The open air exhibition took place on Sunday 23 and Monday 24 March.

WW2 Bomb in Seborga!

A bomb, from the second World War, discovered inside a wall of a house in Seborga few days ago was discharged on Wednesday morning, 5 March.

The town held its breath for at least an hour. To dislodge the bomb which had been there since it landed on 9 September 1944, a team of military experts (Engineers/Sappers) was called in from the Alpina Torinese Brigade. They took the shell to be detonated at Mount Nero, near the place called: “Passo del Bandito”.

The whole operation started just before 10 am. Beside the army, the Carabinieri (Italian Military Police) from Bordighera and members of the Emergency Services of Seborga-Vallebona and some volunteers from the local Red Cross were also called to guarantee the safety of the operation.

The shell had not exploded during a bombardment made by the Germans in the area which had sought to uncover a group of partisans whom they suspected were hiding in Seborga.
Indeed the five members belonging to the Resistance group were found and executed. Among them were also two young girls, 18 and 20 years of age.

That day six other people died: five members of a family from Perugia and an old person who did not stop at the “alt” command because he was deaf and was shot dead on the spot by a burst from a machine gun.

For the entire time, necessary for the removal of the shell, some houses were evacuated during the morning: in particular the house of Giuliano Fogliarino, owner of the flat in which the bomb was embedded in the wall for more than 60 years, and some houses near by.

Fortunately the children of the local school were not present on that day because they were on an excursion but to make the retrieval difficult, the shell was embedded in the wall at eight metres from the ground. A small mistake could have caused a disaster.

The knowledge of the experts made the dislodgement of the shell possible in just 15 minutes. Then the bomb was transported by the military in a isolated area called “Passo del Bandito”, on the mount Nero: a place considered ideal for such an operation as it is far away from houses and people. (Lorenza Rapini - La Stampa)

Mr. André Triquet bestowed Baron by Prince Giorgio I of Seborga

We are pleased to be informed that HH Prince Giorgio I of Seborga has bestowed of the noble title of Baron on Mr André Triquet, our Honorary Consul General in France who is also responsible for the Economic Relations with that country and Head of Cabinet of HH at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

After many years of dedicated service to the Principality and in particular to the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Saint Bernard of Chiaravalle as Master and Herald, Baron Triquet today receives a well deserved recognition for his tireless hard work.

At the same time, HH has promoted to the title of Baroness his affable wife, artist and painter Madame Béatrice Tintignac. Our deepest congratulations and best wishes to Baron Triquet and his consort!

This new initiative promoted by our Prince, who this year celebrates 45 years of reign, opens the road for the creation of a “Seborgan Nobility” comprised of people of newly noble status as well as nobles already recognized by the Principality of Seborga for their titles conferred overseas, even by countries that no longer exist.

It means now that with the existence of Nobility there will be a Princely Court and the creation of the label: "Supplier of the Court of the Principality of Seborga" (similar to the endorsement used in commercial activities in UK: "By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen"), on which HH has already issued a decree dated 5 July 2002.

The Principality of Seborga could also bestow noble titles on behalf of States or foreign Entities, for example the Holy See, if requested. The Holy See (that has maintained its tutelage on Seborga for about thousand years and guarantees its no-annexation by Italy) in the past it has conferred noble titles on people who merited but then ceased doing so on the basis of a pronouncement made by HH Paolo VI in 1964.

New Exhibition by Bea in Seborga

A new artistic exhibition was held on Tuesday 26 January at the seborgan restaurant “Il Principe” by the artist-painter Bea (Béatrice Triquet-Tintignac).

The event was attended by HH Prince Giorgio I of Seborga, by the former Consul of United States in Paris S. Léo BOURNE, and by several personalities and artists lovers.

The artist who initially studied stilismo in Paris has now evolved a more figurative form of painting, expanding her interest on various subjects that benefit from her acute sense of chromatic style and are revealed as vivid and decorative. Her portraits and Venetian views are particularly valued. All our best wishes to our productive artist!

In the photo, from left to right: Mr. A. Triquet-Tintignac (Head of Cabinet of HH); Prince Enrico III Paleologo (heir of the Byzantine Empire); artist Bea (wife of Mr. Triquet); barrister A. Romano (Secretary of State for Justice); HH Prince Giorgio I of Seborga and J.-M. Arden (Vice Consul of Seborga for the Corse Region).

‘Corso Fiorito 2008’: The winner is the town of Taggia

The Olympic Games was the theme of this year new edition of ‘Corso Fiorito’, the flower festival that took place last Sunday 27 January at Sanremo.
This year the famous parade of floral floats was indeed a parade of sports stars.

Each of the 13 competing floral carriages represented an “azzurro” athlete (azzurro= Italian) who won at least one or more golden medals.

Seborga took part at the event with a floral float representing the sport of rowing (second photo below). On the carriage, suspended on a mat of flowers from local producers a tiger - the mascot of the Olympic Games of Seoul 1988 – was mounted, as well as a huge dragon with a body made of the five Olympic rings in honor of China, the organizer of the Games.

On one side of the float the flower composition represented the sport of rowing that in Seoul's Games saw the triumph of Gianluca Farina in the category Men's Quadruple Sculls.

Again this year the Sanremo float, which does not participate in the competition, opened the parade with a floral composition representing the symbols of the Olympic Games: the five rings and the Olympic cauldron.

This year’s winner was the town of Taggia with the floral float representing the equestrian discipline at the Olympic Games of Tokyo in 1964 (first photo on top).
Second place went to the town of Imperia, with a floral composition dedicated to sailing and the Olympic Games of Sydney in 2000.
Third place went to the floral float of Santo Stefano al Mare representing the sport of boxing and the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. (Photos by Flavio)