Seborga () is a small

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and self-proclaimed principality in the region of

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

near the French border. Administratively, it is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of the Italian

province of Imperia The province of Imperia (; ; ) is a mountainous and hilly Provinces of Italy, province in the Liguria region of Italy, situated between France to the north and the west, and the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its capi ...

. The main economic activities are horticulture and tourism. It is known for being the 'territory' of the self-proclaimed

micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...

the Principality of Seborga. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Economy

Seborga is known in the region for its agricultural activity: in particular, cultivation and collection of

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

s and

floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...

crops. Thanks to Seborga's publicity as a principality, tourism has expanded in recent years. The principality's historic town centre was also restored, ensuring that its charms were protected from commercial overdevelopment.

Culture

An important cultural event in Seborga is the annual festival of Saint Bernard, the town's patron saint, held on 20 August. The festival includes a procession of citizens and the carrying of a statue of Saint Bernard. Seborga's twin city is L'Escarène,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Transport

Seborga is situated along Provincial Road 57 in Imperia. The nearest motorway access is at the

Bordighera Bordighera (; , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, the French coast is visible from the town. Having the Capo Sant'Ampel ...

exit on the A10. The nearest railway station is also the one in

, on the Ventimiglia-Genoa line.

Principality of Seborga

In 1964, Giorgio Carbone, then head of the local flower growers'

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

, began promoting the idea that Seborga and its surrounding territory should become independent from Italy. Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a sovereign state of Italy since 954, and that from 1079 it was a principality of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. According to Carbone's claims, Seborga was not included in the 1861

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

, and that it should be recognised as a sovereign

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

. In 1963 the people of Seborga held an informal vote and elected Carbone as their ostensible head of state. He then assumed the self-styled title ''His Tremendousness (Sua Tremendità)'' Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga. Carbone remained in office until his death in 2009. A successor, Marcello Menegatto, was elected in 2010. Menegatto resigned in 2019 from his position, and he was succeeded by his ex-wife, Nina Menegatto, who has styled herself ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Nina. Supporters of the independence claim promote the Principality with the trappings of a state, including the creation of a flag, the minting of coins, the formation of a "border guard" and the installation of

sentry box A sentry box is a small shelter (building), shelter with an open front in which a Picket (military), sentry or person on Security guard, guard duty may stand to be sheltered from the weather. Many boxes are decorated in national colours. Compare: ...

es on the unofficial border crossing on the main road into Seborga. An official ''Principato di Seborga'' website asserts the historical arguments put forward by Carbone. The independence claims of a "Principality of Seborga" have not been recognised internationally, and Seborga remains officially part of Italy.

References

External links