The Scottish writer George MacDonald lived and worked for parts of the year in Bordighera. His house was an important cultural centre for the British colony. He is buried at the churchyard of the former Anglican church. John Goodchild also ran a medical practice here for a number of years. It was here that he bought the blue bowl which he later took to Glastonbury.
Claude Monet lived in Bordighera and painted numerous pictures of the town.
Cecilia Maria de Candia, a novelist, spent seasons writing on residence and eventually retired to this community until her final