Cervo ( lij, O Çervo) is a small, ancient town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'', built on top of a hill along the

Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinal ...

in the province of

Imperia Imperia (; lij, Inpêia or ) is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the region of Liguria, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Imperia, and historically it was capital of the ''Intemelia'' district of Liguria. Benito Mussolini created the ...

. It has approximately 1,200 inhabitants.

Overview

The settlement began as a Roman mansion along the Via Julia Augusta. Slowly expanding, it became, in medieval times, a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...

of the Clavesana marquis, who was a subject of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the L ...

, to which Cervo had always been faithful. The present character of Cervo dates from these times: 16th-century towers and ramparts still protect the village. One of its main attractions is the fine baroque church of St. John the Baptist, overlooking the sea. The Romanesque Oratorio di Santa Caterina contain 18th-century frescoes. The medieval Clavesana stronghold hosts the Ethnographic Museum of Western Liguria and the

Palazzo Viale-Citati A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. Inhabitants used to earn a living from coral fishing in the Corsican and

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

n seas, in addition to growing olives and seafaring, but the modern economy of Cervo is based on tourism and agriculture. Cervo's connections with classical music date from to 1964, when the International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo was established by the Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh. The event has been held every summer ever since. Music master classes – ''Accademia di Cervo'' – are held in September, and a guitar academy is held in June.

Twin towns/sister cities

Cervo is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Cervo, Lugo, Spain (2008)

In popular culture

Part of the 1993 German film ''

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

'' was filmed in Cervo.

References

External links

*
Summer music academy
Cities and towns in Liguria Italian Riviera {{Liguria-geo-stub

Overview

Twin towns/sister cities

In popular culture

See also

References

External links