EMILIA ROMAGNA - The Romagna Riviera

Villages and towns
The province of Rimini is shaped like a parallelogram, and is placed in the most southern part of the Po Valley, where the Appennine spurs reach out into the sea. This territory embodies twenty municipalities.

Rimini
Inhabitants: 130.000
Surface: 134,20 sqkm
Seaside resort
Ancient and new town, Rimini, capital of the newborn homonymous Province, offers a perfect harmony of famous ancient monuments and a modern touristic organization. It is the ideal holiday destination for anyone who wishes to combine the relaxation of a day on the beach, or the fun of a night in a disco with a visit to ancient artistic treasures inherited from the past.Rimini was settled by the Romans in 268 b.C., as a Latin law subjected colony, which constituted a strategic junction and a trade meeting place. In 90 b.C., it became a Municipium. During the Middle Age, it was the protagonist of its own destiny of a free city. At the end of the 13th century the Malatestas' Seigniory began, and turned Rimini into a mine of culture and arts. This is a short summary of the town history, which is still well testified by famous remains like the Augustian Arch , the Tiberius Bridge and the Malatestas' Temple.

In order to understand the present Rimini, it is worthy to mention a date: July 30th 1843, when another milestone was laid. On such date, the Seaside Privileged Estabilishment was inaugurated; about 50 years later, the Kursaal and the Grand Hotel were built. Tanks to the mass touristic boom of th 60's and 70's, it turned into the seaside metropolis par excellence, the European capital of the hedonistic holidays.The town shows two living and beating hearts: the historical centre, with its own old quarters, and the coast, a 15 km long beach subdivided into 10 districts with individual traditions and habits. Beyond the development and the creation of new touristic destinations, Rimini boasts other various qualities which make it one of the most known and appreciated European holiday resorts.

Riccione
Inhabitants: 33.321
Surface: 17,07 sqkm
Seaside resort
Adria sea green pearl, holiday town, garden-town. All of these attrbutes have made Riccione famous all over the world and fit perfectly. Among the beaches of Romagna, it holds an absolutely special place, tanks to an appearance and an appeal which distinguish it from any other resort. It is a recent town. In the 18th Century, it was little more than a small country village. It was only at the end of last century, that enlightened administrators and private entrepreneurs create an actually organized town-plain, which outlined the today seaside resort: wide boulevards lined with trees, including the famous outstanding Viale Ceccarini (the fashionable salon of the Riviera), villas with wide gardens, parks and, of course, the first hotels. Since then, the touristic history of Riccione has known only a wide success and a quick development under the banner of a quality favouring offer.

A holiday in Riccione represents a status symbol, tanks to the comfort which the town reception structures can offer its guests Riccione is considered the favourite shop-window by those who want to discover the trends of the seaside tourism, and study the behaviour of the VIP's as well as of the young people, who have elected it as the favourite destination of their holidays.

BELLARIA IGEA MARINA
Inhabitants: 13.310
Surface: 18,29 sqkm
Seaside resort
Belaria-Igea Marina is located in the northern corner of the territory of the Rimini Province. Here, tourism developed at the end of the last century, when the wealthy families of the North of Italy began to choose this resort as the seat of their summer houses. As an evidence of that, several marvellous liberty villas are to be seen here. Today, Bellaria-Igea Marina is one of the best-known seaside centres of the Adria sea. Its touristic offer includes not only comfortable hotels, fully equipped beaches, discoes and fun places. The most recent choice of development of this town is represented by the recovery of natural green areas, by the exploration of historical buildings - like the "Torre Saracena" (the Saracen Tower) which hosts the Shels and Paper Money Museum, b the restoration of the town decorators - like the beautiful "Isola dei Platani" (Plane-tree island), and by the traffic free zones of Igea Marina. Hence, not only beach, but the possibility to explore a territory where nature and human intervention co-operated and created an environment which combines sea and country, town tours and open air life perfectly.