Backpacking In The Principality Of Seborga💙🩵🤍👑👸: Top 33 Sights

“I get so high, I just can’t feel it” – Noel Gallagher.

The news you need to hear firstly is that lofty wee Seborga is a pure fire charmigator. Anyone who disputes this, can come and see me and I’ll tell them in true Alan Mcdonald style. This high one kicks lowly Milan and Genoa into backpacking touch. Venice can budge over too; Seborga is way higher, way cooler, way nicer and way friendlier than your gondola life will ever be. Amen. Ahem. I went backpacking in Seborga! Backpacking In The Principality Of Seborga 💙🩵🤍👑: Top 33 Sights

What Is Seborga ?

The Principality Of Seborga is a fully legitimate country located in a village in the gorgeous mountains in the north west of Italy. It’s a landlocked country within Italy. As of 2024, I was able to recognise a total of 6 landlocked countries within the borders of Italy. This includes the recently seceded Venice in 2024 which has started a separate visa for tourists now. Here are my 6 countries and dates of first visit.

1.Italy 2008 🇮🇹
2.San Marino 2009 🇸🇲
3.Venice 2009 🛶❌️(seceeded in 2024)
4.Vatican City 2015 🇻🇦
5.Seborga 2024  💙🩵🤍👑
6.Sovereign Military Order Of Malta (SMOOM) 2024 🪖🟥⬜️⬛️

Seborga  Is A Proper Country

Seborga has its own government, leader, border, flag , stamps, coins, banknotes, currency, postage stamps, national football team and immigration passport stamp. Ironically for the Italians and Spanish, this is more of a country than they will ever be since they lost their currencies and passport stamps to the EU!

Getting To Seborga

I crossed the land border in three different ways – by local minibus, car and walking. I wrote about the border crossing by minibus from Bordighera to Seborga.

Where To Sleep In Seborga

I slept at Antico Castello which is in the heart of the old town. I highly recommend it.

My host was Romina and I was given a incredible top floor flat with a beer blogger’s balcony, a working kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and fast Wi-Fi!

Top 33 Sights In Seborga

I’m placing these sights in a logical order this time, starting of course with the border crossgation. This will serve as your entrance into this wacaday Principality. Seborga away was nuts!

1.Seborga  To Italy Border Post

First things first, you have to realise that there is a border between Italy and Seborga and this is a real country! I first crossed this border by minibus from Bordighera in Italy up the hills to Seborga and the Seborga to Italy border is visible on the right hand side. There is a Seborga flag, a wooden guard post box, a Seborga sign and blue and white markings on the road.

I walked all the way back down to this border from the capital city of Seborga – it took me about an hour or so to walk down, then back up, so I actually crossed the border twice!

2.Welcome Sign To Seborga

Once you have crossed the border into Seborga, on the left overlooking the gorgeous mountains is the welcome sign. It is written in 4 languages – Italian, French, German and English. Seborga doesn’t have its own language.

3.Cannon Square (Canny’s Q) – Belvedere di Piazza Martiri Patrioti

Once you arrive at the top of the hill/mountain and are properly in Seborga city, you will walk up the wee hill to what I classed as Cannon Square – Canny’s Q I nicknamed it. The real name is Belvedere di Piazza Martiri Patrioti.

4.Panorama At Cannon Square

The views from Cannon Square are magnificent and over three days, I got to see them in rain, mist and sunshine!

5.Cat Box

At Cannon Square as well as the guard box posts, there is also one for CATS only!

6.Church Of San Bernardo

There are a few churches in Seborga, it is strongly tied to the Catholic Church and I attended a few services here. The first church I went into was the Church of San Bernardo which is near where the bus drops you off, by a garden just above the national football stadium.

7.Seborga  National Football Stadium

Yes, Seborga has an international football team, a national stadium and two football pitches. The main stand has a decent enough capacity too and even a bar called Bar Sport. However, the bar was closed on my visit, the pitch is nowhere near full size, definitely not up to FIFA standard and the pitch is looking worse for wear!

I found out that the Seborga International Football Team have only ever played two international matches, and they played them at Ospedaletti, across the border in Italy. They lost 3-2 to Sealand in 2014 and 2-0 to SSD Bergamo Longuelo in 2015.

8.Seborga  Plastic Pitch

When I first got into football in the 1980s and 1990s, we would refer to stadiums like Kenilworth Road (Luton Town) and Loftus Road (QPR) as “plastic pitches”. Here, adjacent to Seborga’s “grass pitch” and “national football stadium” is a plastic pitch. This was actually in better condition than the national pitch!

9.Trattoria San Bernardo

This became my “loke” (local pub) for a hattrick of days. In fact I was in here fivce (5 times). It was the bar that has the longest opening hours in the whole of Seborga and I dined out here thrice, including trying the local ravioli dish. Since there were only 5 bars (at a push) at the time when I backpacked Seborga, Trattoria San Bernardo also appeared in my epic Seborga Pub Crawl.

10.Head Bust of Prince Giorgio

The first leader of Seborga, dating back to 1963 was Prince Giorgio. He was the ruler right up until his death in 2009. He is remembered in various places throughout the principality. By San Bernardo Church in the garden on the right there is a head bust of Prince Giorgio.

11.House of Prince Giorgio

In respect of the first Prince, Giorgio his house has been left alone since his death in 2009. It’s at the foot of the hill past the main square.

There are some flags, another head bust and a plaque dedicated to the man himself.

12.Old Town Streets of Seborga

A sight on its own is simply walking the poky old streets of the old town. This is proper whackpacking loyal – backpacking the pretty old street of Seborga City!

13.Seborga  Grocery Shop

The opening hours of the shop seem to be from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and sometimes again from 17.00 p.m. to 19.00 p.m. Be quick as it is very limited! It has a green sign outside that looks like SPAR but my  guess this is a joke and is tongue in cheek – it’s just the Seborga Grocery Shop.

14.Seborga  Immigration Office

I was to learn that you can get your passport stamped in two places. The official one is the Seborga Immigration Office which is to the left just past the fountain, in the corner. Here I met Serra Maria Carmela where I picked up a few souvenirs including postcards and the local currency, the Luigini! Serra is known locally as Mela. Be aware though that this place is not always open!

15.Seborga  Souvenir Shop

Beside the grocery shop is the country’s biggest souvenir shop and this place has so so many souvenirs from stamps to coins to fridge magnets to clothes to books to art! I got my passport stamped here and became a citizen of Seborga! It was Laura here who stamped my passport and welcomed me into the country, since the official immigration office was shut on my arrival!

16.Saint Martin’s Square

Although there are a few squares in Seborga, Saint Martin’s Square is the most important one as here we see the main Saint Martin’s Church and the Palace of Monks.

17.Seborga  Prison (Le Prigioni)

“By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling” – Pete Saint John.

Number 23 is a significant building in Seborga – this is the prison. Back in 2009, when I backpacked Sark in The Channel Islands and I visited the world’s smallest prison there!

This one in Seborga is also very small and I got inside and was chained by The Templars on my guided tour! Luckily I escaped and lived to see freedom for another day. Incidentally, the death penalty was once legal in Seborga but 200 people were arrested and imprisoned here but none were ever sentenced to life, or death…

18.Saint Martin’s Church

The main church in Seborga is Saint Martin’s Church in Saint Martin’s Square. This is also the country’s prettiest church and one that should not be missed. Imagine getting married here – that would be epic.

19.Seborga Castle Walls

The Castle Walls scale the outr part iof the city and were visible just beyound my accommodation.

20.Bell Peak (Seborga’s Highest Point)

This was yet another country where I have been at the country’s highest point. I did this in Guatemala in 2014 (at Tajumulco) as well as in Kiribati in 2019. Here, I was lucky to be on a guided tour with The Templars. You are not normally allowed into the Bell peak, but they knew I was blogging it so I got in!

21.FOUR Country Viewpoint

From the balcony at Bell peak, you can view FOUR countries simultaneously in the viewpoint. You are (1) Seborga, which is surrounded by (2) Italy. In the distance you can see (3) Monaco which is landlocked inside (4) France!

Richard and Simon were my Templar guides for this trip, I thank them for access to the prison and the bell tower peak. Also in the space of 4 days, I was in all 4 of those countries!

22.Seborga Money Museum (The Luigini Room)

Seborga’s national currency is The Luigini, which is pegged to the US Dollar, in order to differentiate it from the dreaded “Euro” currency, after countries like Italy and Spain sold their sold from the Lira and the Peseta! The most surprising point about this museum is the sheer number of Luigini available! There are coins and notes for all three official leaders since 1963!

23.Seborga Door Art

Seborga is a very creative and artistic country. Many doors, windows and even postboxes have been decorated by the locals and residents. I have only put two photos below, but I saw at least 30 examples of these, so keep your eye out for them!

24.Seborga Mother Mary’s Room

There are so many holy places in Seborga. This Holy Room of the Mother Mary was shut to visitors but they kindly got the keys and opened it for me.

25.Osteria Del Coniglia

On my trip, this was the only open restaurant in the old town! So naturally I headed here into Osteria Del Coniglia (The Rabbit Room) for the country’s national dish – rabbit! Friday’s Featured Food: Eating The National Dish Rabbit (Coniglia🐇) In Seborga 💙🩵🤍👑

26.Seborga Fountain

The small square in the old town has a fountain. There was no water here on my visit.

27.Seborga  National Library

Although the National Library isn’t open to the public, and was closed on my visit, I was delighted that The Templars accepted a copy of my book “Backpacking Centurion: Volume 2 – Lands Down Under” and have placed it in the National Library of Seborga!

The Templars also presented me with a signed copy of Prince Giorgio’s book, “Il Cavalierato Cistercense In Un Medioevo Mai Finito”.

28.Seborga Primary School

The population of Seborga is around 300 and there is actually a small primary school here. However, beyond that, children will go to High School and later University across the border in Italy.

29.Chapel of Notre Dame Des Templiers

This is a lit up holy small chapel in the poky side streets – it is only open during selected times.

30.The Recycling Section

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the recycling section is that behind it was an EU flag and an Italy flag!! This is because Seborga is landlocked and therefore all this waste and recycling needs to go through Italy and the EU anyway! This was the only place in the country I saw either of these flags!

31.The Gate To Centro Storico

The entrance gate to Centro Storico is on the rear part of the old town walls, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There’s a Seborga flag and a clear sign to show this.

32.Antico Castello

I am putting my hotel on here as I loved it. It was in an alcove away from the main streets, up a poky side path and up the stairs. I had my own balcony, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and Wi-Fi. I was on the top floor at Antico Castello – The Old Castle!

33.The Cave Of Our Lady

Let’s finish on a cool 33 sights, even though there are a few others (statues, monuments, cemetery, phonebox etc.) but this is the Cave of Our Lady, another holy place to check out, with selected opening hours.

My thanks to all the people I met in Seborga, especially Laura in the souvenir shop, Mela in the immigration office and the Templars.

This was a truly wacaday whackpacking adventure and country 229 had been curiously swallowed.

More Reading On Seborga

The Principality Of Seborga On Wikipedia

Seborga On Wikipedia

Polish News Article On Seborga

The Best Backpacking Blogs On Seborga

Seborga History

 

Contact Seborga

E-mail: [email protected]

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20871 Vimercate (MB) – Italia
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ei a Seborga o hai intenzione di andarci? Visita il negozio ufficiale del Principato*:
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Here are some of my videos from backpacking in Seborga: