Casino di Sanremo
The Casino di Sanremo opened on 14 January 1905 with a name — Kiurzaal — that nobody uses anymore, and a building that still stops people on Corso Inglesi. Eugène Ferret's Art Nouveau design draws on Charles Garnier's influence: two towers anchoring the main façade, neo-Baroque details inside, and a logic that makes the place feel like it was built to be lingered in rather than passed through.
For the first two years gambling here was technically unofficial, tolerated by local administration but not yet legal. The Royal Decree came only in 1927, and the formal inaugural gala followed on 21 January 1928 — the moment the Casino stepped fully into its own skin.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to seek out the De Santis room — 608 square metres of yellow-walled calm — before the evening crowd thickens. They also make a point of finding the Cica-Cica, a small sculpture by Odoardo Tabacchi that regular visitors touch for luck. It shows.
The story behind Casino di Sanremo
Ferret won the commission in 1903 from seven competing designs and stayed on to run the building's first two years himself — hosting concerts, parties and quietly unsanctioned card games. A tram line connected the Casino to the rest of Sanremo by 1913. Legal gambling waited until a Royal Decree of 22 December 1927; the 1928 expansion added two side domes and new wings, and the interiors were reworked in what became known as the '500 style'.
The building closed on 10 June 1940 and survived the war intact, reopening on New Year's Eve 1945. Between 1951 and 1976 it hosted the Sanremo Music Festival — the first edition on 29 January 1951. Pietro Mascagni, Luigi Pirandello and world chess champion Alexander Alekhine, who won a celebrated 1930 tournament here, all spent time at the tables.
Good to know
Enter free from Via Matteotti, which connects directly to Piazza Colombo. Bring valid ID — the 18+ rule is enforced at the door. Table games and the Roof Garden restaurant require a jacket and tie. Open every day, 10am to 2:30am, later on holidays.
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What travellers say about Casino di Sanremo
Hello happy people. Today we are in the city of Sanremo - Italy. Sanremo is a beautiful coastal city. The city is small but there are sights here that you should visit. One of these places is “Casinò di Sanremo”. The Casino of Sanremo is one of the most famous landmarks of the city and one of the oldest operating casinos in Italy. The building is a true architectural jewel with elegant facades, domes and richly decorated interiors. If you are in Sanremo, be sure to visit this place. Greetings and smiles.
This is an impressive building, both outside and inside, you can get into to get the chance for a win or simply watch people trying their luck ... all you need to do is to walk into and leave your id details. You will also be given a 5 euro ticket to play the fruit machines
Elegant building. With some quick ID check (US Driver's license was sufficient ID), the table games are upstairs. Roulette was fun with interesting crowd (fun when you win, anyway). Not as amazing or famous as Monte Carlo Casino but worth a visit. Grand, "Rocky"-like Philly stairs at its front.
I guess we had to go see it for ourselves. The real games take place upstairs and are only accessible w identification. The first floor and mezzanine are jampacked with slot machines, and the appeal missed me completely. Noisy, and crowded. If that’s your jam, have at it. Otherwise, with so many other wonderful things to do, this seemed like a real waste of time.
Fun experience for me. It was my first time playing in casino. The ambiance is great. Staff are welcoming and friendly.
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