Ciro Andrea Carli, Mayor of Sanremo, Who First Brought Water to the City: The Story of Historian Gandolfo

sanremo, Traditional appointment by historian with the history of Sanremo Andrea Gandolfo This week is dedicated to the meritorious mayor Ciro Andrea Carli (1797–1857), who, among other features, was the first to bring water to the city and to open Vittorio Emanuele II (present-day Via Giacomo Matteotti):

« Ciro Andrea Carli was born on 7 July 1797 in Sanremo to Stefano and Caterina Allavena, originally from Perinaldo. After completing his first studies in his hometown, he graduated with honors in Medicine in Turin on May 24, 1816. He then moved to Pavia, where he worked under the guidance of the famous physician Ciro Borda (1761–1824), then passing by. Various cities to collaborate with the most brilliant professors of Italian times and learn the most advanced medical techniques. In 1818 he arrived in Rome, but because of his open liberal views, he was forced to leave the city by the papal government and moved to Paris, where he completed his studies in chemistry and natural science. From the French capital he moved to England in 1820, where he sympathized with the British liberal government, then visited Scotland, Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar before returning to Sanremo in December 1821.

In San Remo he immediately formed a fraternal friendship with Savoy steward Alberto Nota, who, in 1827, convinced of the young Matuzian doctor’s great culture and remarkable skill, proposed him to the office of mayor, but the Piedmontese government, knowing that That Carly was the subject of the liberal mold, he declined the offer. A few months later, however, Nota was not at all disappointed by this refusal, again requesting the government of Savoy, which this time had to give in, and so on 24 February 1828, Carly was officially appointed mayor of Sanremo. The first problem the new mayor faced was the city’s water supply, which urgently needed new sources as the people of Sanremo suffered from a prolonged drought and were forced to draw water from pools of streams. . The municipal administration then commissioned Gio Batta Luigi Clarico, a senior colleague of the Royal Corps of Civil Engineers, to search for a spring near Sanremo capable of supplying water to the city, which was eventually identified as one located on the slopes of the mountain. . Di Castagna in the Lago Nero area. After the construction of the aqueduct on 15 August 1829 and overcoming some of the contradictions of a state-owned nature, the water was finally able to flow out for the first time from the fountain of Piazza dei. Dolori, Piazza Chapter, Piazza di Palazzo (now Piazza Nota) and Piazza Nuova, while the obelisk-shaped fountain was inaugurated in Piazza Bresca in 1834.

In 1838, after being re-elected mayor, he decided to move the suburban cemetery from the city center to an area located in the Fosse district, near the mouth of the San Bernardo stream, near the mouth of the San Romolo stream. So that the city can be freed from the wrath of the epidemic. Five years later he began the construction of an important city artery, later called the “Great Square”, later named after Strada Nuova, then named after King Vittorio Emanuele II, and currently Giacomo Matteotti. Named after, which would be completed on the eastern side by his successor Stefano Rorvizio di Roquesterone in 1846. In 1847 he was appointed reformer for studies and was also elected deputy for two terms in the subalpine parliament, where he sat on the leftist bench. He was elected mayor for the sixth time on 24 January 1849, remaining in office for one year. He later held the position of councilor on the provincial commissions for education and health, and auditor at local charities. Leaving political life, he retired to his villa in the western part of the city, where he died of an asthma attack on 11 March 1857. His funeral was attended by all the members of the municipal administration and a huge crowd, which was very impressive.