Siro Andrea Carli

Siro Andrea Carli marks a historical figure in Sanremo, Italy, remembered through a statue in Piazza Eroi Sanremesi. Filippo Ghersi sculpted the statue, which was inaugurated on 5 January 1890. The memorial recalls a doctor, lecturer, mayor, and parliamentarian whose public work included water, roads, and civic services.

He was born in Sanremo in 1797 and graduated with honours in medicine at Turin in 1816. His liberal views forced him from Rome to Paris and later England. After returning in 1821, he became mayor in 1828 through Alberto Nota’s recommendation. As mayor, he commissioned Gio Batta Luigi Clerico to find a spring during severe drought. Water from Pian di Castagna reached city fountains on 15 August 1829. An aqueduct supplied Piazza dei Dolori, Piazza Capitolo, Piazza di Palazzo, and Piazza Nuova. Piazza Bresca received an obelisk-shaped fountain in 1834, while Carli later began Strada Nuova. The road became Via Giacomo Matteotti, and he also moved the cemetery to Foce. He served six times as mayor, represented the left in the Subalpine Parliament, and supported education and health. The pedestal calls him a benefactor who gave the city an abundance of water.