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)

SEBORGA CELEBRATES SAINT BERNARD. GREAT FESTIVITIES IN THE PRINCIPALITY

The Principality of Seborga celebrated its main national day last month (20 August), on the occasion of the festival of the patron saint: Saint Bernard. For this event, H.R.H. Prince George I walked with the Knights of the Order of Saint Bernardo di Clairvax: the moment most awaited by its subjects and by many tourists.
Over two days the Principality relived once again a great moment of its history that traces its roots to the past, with historical enactments, flags throwers (sbandieratori), concerts and – of course – the most anticipated food tasting.
The program of the celebrations (sponsored by the Municipality of Seborga, the Pro Seborga Association and the Knights of Saint Bernard) was rich with religious, cultural and entertaining significance.

It all started with a procession of the statue of Saint Bernard from the parochial church of Saint Martino by the ancient church of Saint Bernardo. The statue was escorted by the Knights of Seborga and by H.R.H. Prince George I, with the musical accompaniment of the band of Saint Borghetto Nicolò.
After the procession, the Knights of Seborga offered refreshments in the public square of “Piazza dei Martiri” with food and wine tasting. Once again the main players of this event were the superb dishes cooked by the chefs of the Pro Seborga Association. These dishes were served at the tables set up in the public square while the orchestra played music for all the guests.

During the evening the music gave way to the passage of the historical procession with the folkloristic exhibition of the “sbandieratori” (flags throwers) of Marina di Ventimiglia, wearing the colours white and blue, the same ones of the Principality. The celebrations ended the day after, with a concert in the public square of Saint Martino, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Principality, directed by the maestro Vitaliano Gallo. The orchestra played music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi. Ancient buildings and narrow streets, palms, gardens, mimosa, broom and olive trees set the stage for these unique celebrations.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TEMPLARI KNIGHTS

“Sacra Militia and the Third Millennium” was the title of an International conference that took place in April at Imperia (Liguria Region) and was organized by the Philatelic Academy and by the Concordia Association. His Royal Highness, Prince Giorgio I of Seborga was among the guest speakers with the topic: “The knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Seborga”.

SEBORGA HISTORICAL LIBRARY OFFICIALLY OPENED

On Saturday, 23 April 2005 a new organ was unveiled at the parish Church of San Martin in Seborga. For the occasion a concert was held in the church by the Seborga Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maestro Vitaliano Gallo, first bassoon of the Sanremo Symphonic Orchestra, and with the organist Andrea Verrando. After the concert another important event took place in the Principality: the inauguration of the Historical Library of Seborga, by the knight and curator Sergio Pistone. The library consists of more than 1500 precious books.

THE SEBORGA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA NOW ON THE WEB

The Chamber Orchestra of the Principality of Seborga is now on Internet. Founded by maestro Vitaliano Gallo, the orchestra was created in 1998 under the patronage of H.R.H. Prince Giorgio I. “Our aim - said the maestro - is to let the world know through our concerts about the territory, the culture and the traditions of the Principality. Its esoteric and religious tradition go back to 5000 years ago, through a Celtic , Judaic and Christian root. The Principality of Seborga is the only country in the world that has never declared war to someone and thus it was never invaded as a testimony of this message. Our orchestra always displays the flag of the Principality, as a symbol of peace and universal fraternity”. The orchestra consists of 6 to 12 musicians and benefit of the collaboration of artists of international fame. The orchestra performed in France, Japan, USA, in particular in New York for the United Nations. It has recorded a CD for the 2000 Jubilee with the title: Meditation on the Golgotha. (left: Maestro Vitaliano Gallo)

Welcome! Benvenuti!

Welcome to our first edition of THE SEBORGA TIMES: a monthly publication of the Old Principality of Seborga. Our aim is to inform about events that are taking place in the Principality and publish articles and news from and about Seborga. We hope that the readers will discover the enchanting beauty that surrounds this unique place and its ancient and illustrous history. We hope that our readers will visit us regularly and appreciate our efforts to maintain our unique identity and indipendence by supporting our traditions, our history and our dreams. The Editor