5) THE SMALL CHURCH WELCOMES MORE AND MORE FAITHFUL 

The model represents the San Martino neighborhood to scale in the 1940s prior to the great expansion and transformation of the following decades.

San Martino appears very different compared to today: stately homes, gardens and vegetable gardens characterize the landscape, crossed by the stream which has not yet been covered and transformed into today's Via della Repubblica.

In the center is the church, whose construction began in 1903, and the Villa Mercede surrounded by the garden.

The tram line is shown in Corso F. Cavallotti. The Marsaglia brothers introduced the first tram in Sanremo on 25 January 1913 and in 1948 the tram service ended and was replaced by trolley buses, which were more spacious and safer.

Among the other buildings is the house of the "War Mutilated Homes Cooperative"; accommodatation for the wounded from the Ethiopian war, built in 1940. 

The model represents the scale reconstruction of the municipal multi-sports field "LITTORIO" (now called "Municipal Stadium"), which is located in via G. Mazzini, 13.

It was built according to a design by the engineer Domenico Parodi in 1929.

Construction began in 1930 and was built on an area of 22,000 square metres. 32,000 cubic metres of earth and rock were excavated from Poggio Hill. On the lowest level, the football field was created with a capacity of 4000 seats, equipped with an athletics track 5 metres wide, a covered grandstand on the sea side for 850 people (with offices and gyms inside for wrestling, fencing and boxing) and an open grandstand on the hill side. To the rear, a court was built for the practice of fist ball and on the raised level there were four tennis courts with further seating leaning against the hill.

 In total the works cost 2,530,754 lire

 The "Littorio" was inaugurated in October 1931, coinciding with the ninth anniversary of the March on Rome. The opening of sporting activities took place on 21 April 1932, Rome's Christmas day in the fascist era. 

SIDE THAT LOOKS TOWARDS THE SEA: via della Mercede

Villa Parodi then Mercede with its park

Mercede Church with the small side nave built in 1938 and adjoining convent

Canessa house with garden and cultivated vegetable gardens

VIA ANSALDI SIDE

Felice Cavallotti street

On the corner with Via Ansaldi, a stately home which later became Hotel Corso

Casa Cugge, today the headquarters of the real estate company of the same name

Vegetable gardens and crops today replaced by multi-family housing

MOUNTAIN SIDE

San Martino river, today covered by via della Repubblica

Casa Giraudo

The old electrical transformation cabin of the C.I.E-L.I company.

Home for the war disabled

Villa Ekadle or Villa Ekalde, also known as villa Nilla, named after the owner

Peiranze mule track built using bricks and sea pebbles

PHOTO CAPTIONS

1. The beginning of via Alfonso Lamarmora with the characteristic shape of “Casa Giraudo”.

2. The “House of the Mutilated” proposed by the fascist regime and intended for the wounded of the Ethiopian war, designed by the engineer Domenico Parodi in via Alfonso Lamarmora.

3. A view of Corso Felice Cavallotti from the west (still without cars).

4. A view of Corso Felice Cavallotti from the east with the tram tracks to Taggia.

5. Corso Felice Cavallotti seen from the bell tower of our church.

6. A rare image of Saint Martin covered in snow.

7. The façade of the covered grandstand of the Sanremo municipal stadium, formerly the "Littorio” multi-sports field designed by the engineer Domenico Parodi.

8. The Littorio sports ground on the day of its inauguration on 21 April 1932 (Christmas celebration in Rome).