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Ventimiglia

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Ventimiglia

Ventimiglia (Italian: [ventiˈmiʎʎa]; Intemelio: Ventemiglia [veŋteˈmiʎa], Genoese: Vintimiggia; French: Vintimille [vɛ̃timij]; Provençal: Ventemilha [venteˈmiʎɔ]) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located 130 km (81 mi) west of Genoa, and 7 km (4.3 mi) from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, which divides the town into two parts. Ventimiglia's urban area has a population of 55,000.

The name Ventimiglia derives from Album Intimilium, which later became 'Albintimilium', Vintimilium, then Ventimiglia. The similarity to the phrase venti miglia ("twenty miles") is coincidental, although the town was almost exactly 20 statute miles from France between 1388 and 1860.

Ventimiglia is the ancient Album Intimilium, the capital of the Intimilii, a Ligurian tribe.

In the Gothic Wars it was besieged by the Byzantines and the Goths, and later suffered from the raids of Rothari, King of the Lombards, but flourished again under Rodoald. In the 10th century, it was attacked by the Saracens of Fraxinet. After a period as an independent commune, it was ruled by the Counts of Ventimiglia, and often had to fight against the Republic of Genoa.

In 1139 the Genoese attacked it by land and sea and forced it to surrender; the count continued to hold the city and countship as a vassal of the victors. The city rebelled more than once against the Genoese and sided with their enemies.

In 1271 in a war with Genoa, its podestà Luca Grimaldi was captured. Ventimiglia was thus temporarily held by the dukes of Savoy (1389 and 1746) and King Ladislaus of Naples (1410). In 1505 it was annexed to the Genoese Republic, sharing its history until the early 19th century.

In 1269 the Count of Ventimiglia, Guglielmo Pietro I Balbo married Eudossia Laskaris, daughter of Emperor Theodore II Laskaris. From them started the dynasty of the Lascaris of Tenda. They maintained the sovereign County of Tenda until 1501 when the last of them, Anne Lascaris, married Renato of Savoy (in French René de Savoie) and transferred the County to his cadet branch of the Savoy dynasty.

Remains of a Roman theatre (first half of the 2nd century) are visible, and remains of many other buildings have been discovered, among them traces of the ancient city walls, a fine mosaic, found in 1852 but at once destroyed, and a number of tombs to the west of the theatre. The ruins of the ancient Albintimilium are situated in the plain of Nervia, c. 2 kilometres (1 mile) to the east of the modern town.

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