Parco Marsaglia
At Corso Imperatrice 88, a few steps back from the seafront promenade, Parco Marsaglia opens into something unexpectedly layered: around 2,000 botanical species arranged along curved pathways that were designed, in the late 19th century, to reveal different sea views at each bend. Cycads from South Africa, palms from Brazil and Chile, tree ferns — the planting reads like a catalogue of Victorian horticultural ambition.
The park belongs to the city now, and it shows in the best way: benches in the shade, an auditorium named after composer Franco Alfano that wakes up for summer performances, and the quiet that comes from a green space with no admission charge and no particular agenda.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it for early morning or the hour before sunset, when the light through the canopy is at its most particular. The auditorium schedule is worth checking before you visit — a summer concert here, surrounded by palms and the distant sound of the sea, is a different thing from the park by day.
The story behind Parco Marsaglia
Giovanni Marsaglia, a Turin-born engineer who built tunnels for the Ligurian coastal railway and resolved Sanremo's water-supply crisis with a major aqueduct after 1883, commissioned a castle on this land that was completed in 1882. His architect, Pio Soli (1847–1906), gave it towers, battlements, and neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance detailing in white stone. The interiors drew on a remarkable circle of artists — sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux among them — alongside Paolo Trubetzkoy, Edoardo de Albertis, Odoardo Tabacchi, and Domenico Trentacoste.
The castle did not survive the 20th century. Abandoned and damaged during the war, it was demolished in the late 1940s. The grounds passed to the municipal administration, and what remains is the park itself — the bones of an aristocratic estate turned over to the city, with an auditorium where the castle once stood.
Good to know
The park is open around the clock and, as far as verified information goes, free to enter. It sits directly on Corso Imperatrice, making it an easy extension of a walk along the seafront. May through October gives you the best combination of warmth and greenery; November turns wet.
Summer runs warm and sunny, with July highs around 28°C and long days ideal for lingering on the shaded benches. Autumn brings humidity and occasional heavy rain — November is the wettest month — while winters stay mild, rarely dropping below 8°C.
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What travellers say about Parco Marsaglia
It is a lush public park with many tropical plants. Among them, a splendid specimen of the Chilean palm, considered a Monumental Tree of Italy, stands out. Inside is the elegant Franco Alfano Auditorium, dedicated to the excellent Italian composer. Opening hours: April 1 - September 30, 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM October 1 - March 31, 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
A beautiful park with typical Mediterranean vegetation and a sea view. When you sit on the shaded benches, you can relax to the soothing sound of the streams that run through the park. 😊
The floral displays in San Remo are uniquely beautiful!
Finally restored, it is once again available to the public for both theatrical and singing events as well as for a relaxing stroll.
This corner of the Empress Promenade is very romantic, offering views of the entire Gulf of Sanremo. It's breathtaking with the first colors of dawn...
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