Santuario di Nostra Signora della Guardia

Santuario di Nostra Signora della Guardia stands in Poggio, Sanremo, on a promontory above Capo Verde. Its position opens an eastward panorama across Sanremo and the Ligurian Riviera. A front portico with arches leads into a single nave beneath a Marian decorative cycle. The sanctuary belongs to the Diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo and remains closely connected with the local community.

Local tradition links its origins to 1667, when the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to farmer Giovanni Peri in an olive and lemon grove. After a second vision, Peri gave his house and land towards construction, completed in 1671. The marble statue above the main altar shows Mary presenting the Child Jesus to the faithful. Eighteenth-century sculpture preserves traces of colour in the Child’s hair. The sacristy holds numerous sailors’ ex-votos, including a ship model from 1885.

Carlo Morgari’s murals from 1958 depict the death of Saint Joseph and the Wedding at Cana. Two further paintings in the apse show Mary’s Presentation at the Temple and her Communion from Saint John. Structural restoration has addressed vaults, moisture, facades and roofs, while further work remains necessary. One small detail brings the maritime devotion into focus: the Madonna is honoured here as Stella Maris, protector during storms and pirate attacks.