Built on the site of a Roman fort, Castrum Colianum (from whence the name Ceriana derives), the city took its present shape mostly in the 11th and 12th centuries C.E.

[1] Gian Battista Embriaco (1829–1903), professor at the Roman College of Saint Thomas and the inventor in 1867 of the hydrochronometer,[4] was born in Ceriana.

[5] Embriaco had presented two prototypes of his invention at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867 where it won prizes and great acclaim.

Despite its small population, Ceriana hosts celebrations and events on its main square on most weekends throughout the year, drawing tourists from nearby Sanremo, Nice and beyond.

[8][9] Several events are held during the Holy Week, La Settimana Santa, around the Catholic Easter, culminating in a series of processions in which four choirs consisting of local men sing ancient Latin chants through the streets of Ceriana and in the main church.