History

There was a period at the end of the 19th century, during which the English guests of Bordighera, staying at the Hotels and villas hidden among the olive trees, were as many as 3,000, outnumbering the local population which at the time amounted to around 2,000 inhabitants.

This extraordinary touristic "colonization" of Bordighera, was brought about mainly by a number of wealthy British families, who had chosen this part of Liguria for their winter sojourn (while other subjects of Queen Victoria preferred other resorts along the Riviera, from Cannes to Alassio) and this was due to the publication of a book in Edinburgh, in 1855, titled "Doctor Antonio" by John Ruffini, which enjoyed widespread popularity at the time.