The oldest area of Sanremo, the Pigna was defined by the writer Charles De Brosses as " a gracious citizen built on a sugar loaf".
In this area are some historic palazzos, even though the area is in a slow decline , due to the passing of time. In the first years of the 1900's the area was abandoned by the sanremesi, who preferred to move to the newer areas of the city.
However, for its very historic value, the whole area has been put under the protection of environmental constraints in accordance with the code for cultural heritage.