Bussana Vecchia

Bussana Vecchia is a fraction of the municipality of Sanremo in the Liguria region and belongs to the province of Imperia. The medieval town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1887 and abandoned by the surviving inhabitants. Since the 1960s, it is illegally occupied by international artists.

History

Early history

Bussana was probably founded in Roman times under the name Armedina or arms Dana. In the seventh century, the inhabitants took in the Valley of Armea protection against the Lombards. After attacks by the Saracens in the tenth century, the settlement was moved to the better defensible location on the mountain.

Earthquake in 1887

On February 23, 1887 ( Ash Wednesday ), the region was shaken by Genoa and Sanremo at 6:21 by an earthquake estimated thickness 6.5, about 2000 people were killed. The old Bussana was largely destroyed, the survivors lived for some years in huts that they built before the village. In 1894 the settlement was abandoned, further down the valley gained its present Bussana ( Nuova ) and the district of Sanremo.

Recolonization

After the end of World War II took advantage of migrant workers from southern Italy, the dilapidated houses in the ghost town as a guest. The Italian authorities allowed the settlement in the 1950s and tried to vacate the houses by further destruction to make uninhabitable.

In the early 1960s founded the Turin artist Mario Giani ( Artist name: Clizia ) in Bussana Vecchia an international artists' colony Colonia Internazionale degli Artisti. During the hippie era artists came from many countries and the restored houses, built water supply and sewage systems.

Because of the unexplained circumstances, the authorities ordered the evacuation again in 1969 and demanded a restoration to its previous state. However, it was not carried out because of the resistance of the inhabitants.

Today, there are Bussana Vecchia artists' studios, a few shops, restaurants and bars.