Diano Marina
Diano Marina (, or simply ) is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region of Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about northeast of Imperia. Geography. The municipality of Diano Marina contains the "frazioni" (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Diano Calderina, Diano Serreta, Diano Gorleri, Diano Arentino, and borgata Muratori. It borders the following municipalities: Diano Castello, Diano San Pietro, Imperia, and San Bartolomeo al Mare. Diano Marina is one of the few municipalities along the Ligurian coast with long sandy beaches. The beach season is from May 15 until September 15. Outside of  this season, most of the beaches are accessible to the public. It is also known for its streets lined with orange trees, and is referred to as the "Citta degli aranci" (City of the orange trees). History. The origin of Diano Marina dates back to the Upper Paleolithic era and the Iron Age. Various discoveries have been made in the area, such as cinerary urns belonging to a necropolis, thus supporting the theory of a probable prehistoric origin of the village. The first permanent settlement, inhabited by Ingauni Ligurian, dates back to the Bronze Age. Around 200 BC, the Roman  Empire, engaged in the conquest of the Ligurian region, built a small village on the site, called Lucus Bormani, originally dedicated to the god Bormo or Bormano. According to some historians, the current name of Diano derives from the Romans who wanted to convert the local population to the cult of Diana, goddess of the hunt, weeding out the prehistoric god Bomano previously revered; this hypothesis has been disputed by other historians, however. Of the ancient Roman presence, some buildings still remain, discovered during excavations adjacent to the sports field. According to some sources, basic Christian education was provided around  the 1st century by the saints Nazarius and Celsus, to whom the Dianese population later dedicated a small church near the sports field. Between the 9th and 10th centuries, the settlement suffered invasions by Saracen pirates, along with other coastal towns. The village experienced a boost to its economy when Benedictine monks from Piedmont introduced the cultivation of olive trees in the 11th century, which consequently led to the production of olive oil. During the same century, the Dianese territory became a feudal dominion of the Marquises of Clavesana until 1177, when a free and autonomous municipality was formed. In  1199, the Communitas Diani was established, merging several settlements of the Diano valley, and in 1228 it became an integral part of the Republic of Genoa. By the 16th century, the community was made up of about sixty families and it eventually became the main commercial base for olive oil in the whole western Ligurian Riviera; the Dianese harbor, due to its natural shape, was a strategic point for the goods that reached the main European ports by sea. This lucrative trade had to contend with increasingly frequent pirate raids, forcing the Genoese senate to erect fortifications and watchtowers along  the territory, with the substantial help of the local population. After the fall of the Republic of Genoa in 1797, the new municipality of Diano Marina rejoined the Ligurian Republic. Annexed to the First French Empire from 1805 to 1814, it became part of the Department of Montenotte. In 1815, the territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, as established by the Congress of Vienna in 1814, and subsequently added to the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. In 1871, the hamlet of Paradisi was detached from Diano Castello and aggregated to the municipality of Diano Marina. The earthquake and  subsequent tsunami of 23 February 1887 caused considerable structural damage to houses and monuments, and the loss of several lives; the Piedmontese engineer Giacomo Pisani is responsible for the design of the new town plan following the disaster. The construction of the Genoa–Ventimiglia railway and the consequent opening of a local station in 1872 has attracted tourists to Diano Marina, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1923, the municipalities of Cervo, San Bartolomeo al Mare, Diano Arentino, Diano Borello, Diano Calderina, Diano Castello, Diano San Pietro, and Villa Faraldi were added to Diano Marina; in 1925, the communities  of Cervo, Diano Arentino, Diano Castello, and Diano San Pietro were reconstituted as separate municipalities. Economy. The main industry in the Diano area are tourism-related activities, especially in the summer. The region attracts tourists from all over Europe due to its mild climate. Agricultural activity is also relevant: in the immediate hinterland of Diano, there are numerous greenhouses cultivating basil, tomatoes, and flowers. The olive-growing sector is also very important, and the region is known for producing Taggiasca olive oil. Twin towns — sister cities. Diano Marina is twinned with: