Cities of Georgia. Sighnaghi is the Georgian San Marino. The first mention, history and history of the romantic Georgian city.

Even by the standards of Georgia, Sighnaghi is a very small town - according to the 2014 census, it has only 1,500,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, Sighnaghi is very popular with tourists, especially from Europe.

The first mention of the city dates back to the 18th century. It was built on the site of an old Georgian fortress, and the fortress, which has survived since that time, is considered one of the most famous and largest defensive constructions of Georgia.

Tourists who have been to Sighnaghi note a large number of hotels - from gesthouses, with rather low prices, to five-star hotels, where room rates reach, sometimes up to $ 400. Despite the fact that the city itself is quite small, in Sighnaghi and its surroundings can be found very interesting cultural and historical monuments.

The church of St. George, we can say, is the symbol of the city and its calling card. Bodbe Monastery - where the remains of St. Nino are kept. At the highest point of Segnakhi is the temple of St. Stephen. Here you can also find an equipped observation deck.

There is also a romantic story that happened in this town, which is reflected in the famous song "A Million Scarlet Roses". Niko Pirosmani, a primitivist painter, fell in love with the French actress Marguerite de Sèvres unrequitedly.

In order to demonstrate his feelings, the artist presented the actress with a carriage full of flowers. Pirosmani sold his shop to make the gift.

It was their only meeting - according to one version, the actress left the room, came out to the artist and gave him a hot kiss. According to another version, Niko Pirosmani was not present near the hotel, having gone out to party with friends.