The country of Italy is a fascinating country to visit. Here you will find there are plenty of intriguing cities, towns and communities to choose to stay in. Of these various places you may wish to see what the community of Riccione has to offer the interested traveller. You can locate Riccione in the Rimini Province. This province is situated in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.

You will find there are numerous places that you can visit while you are here. Additionally there are a number of good places that you can choose to stay at while you are holidaying in Riccione. The nightlife and shopping that you will find in this city will add to your enjoyment of what can be found here.

While seeing the sights of Riccione is one of the best ways to learn about the city, its people and the culture of the area, there may be times when you may want to visit Riccione during a festival. In this regard you will find that you are in luck as there are a number of interesting festivals that you can attend. Most of the festivals that you will find are held in May, June or September.

Some of these festivals that you will see taking place in Riccione are the International Stamp Exhibition which takes place in the first week of September. After this exhibition you will have the chance of looking at the National Coin Fair. In the first week of June you will have the chance of attending the Ilaria Alpi Journalistic Television Award.

There are a number of fun places that you can visit with your family when you come to Riccione. These will include amusement parks like the Overseas Park. Here you will be able to look at a number of different marine animals such as seahorses, dolphins, seals, sharks and a variety of fishes. For more fun with water you may wish to visit the Aquafan. This amusement park has a number of water games which your children and “adult kids” may enjoy.

For a taste of history in Riccione you may wish to see the holiday house of Benito Mussolini. This house is known as Angolani’s Castle. As you explore Riccione you will see there are a number of well developed cycle trails that can be traveled on. You will be able to find a number of places where you can hire tour guides to show you around the city, store the bicycles that you have hired and a number of places where you can hire top quality bicycles.

With these bikes at your disposal, take the time to see the beauty of Riccione from an entirely different viewpoint. There is a well developed bike trail which travels along the seaside. You may even see people taking leisurely walks on these paths. As you see the relaxed atmosphere and healthy living that you can get while you are in Riccione is one of the great reasons to visit here. The many wonderful sights that will have the chance of looking at while you are in Riccione are another great reason for you to vacation here in Italy.

One of the most beautiful and unspoiled regions of Italy is the area of Emiglia Romagna. During the 2nd century a Roman road was built that connected Rimini to Piacenza, the Aemilian Way. This region is named after that road, and may be the only region named after one.

Lets uncover a bit of the history, many attractions, food and wine of this beautiful region of Italy. Emiglia or Emilia refers to via Emilia, an important Roman way connecting Rome to the northern part of Italy.

Emiglia Romagna And Its History

Emiglia Romagna is a region of gentle hills between the River Po and the Appennines, sloping gently down to the Adriatic in the east. During the summer months the miles and miles of sandy beaches on the Adriatic coast are a mecca for Italian tourists, and are also particularly popular with Northern and Eastern Europeans.

Our tour of Emiglia Romagna starts at the Rocca Sforzesca (Sforza Castle) in the village of Dozza. The Sforza Castle Dozza was erected in the thirteenth century. Two circular corner towers that are grafted on the polygonal main body characterize the architectural structure of the building, which now is in good condition.

The region is famed for its culinary delights, especially the fine gold colored egg pastas like Tortellini and Tagliatelle and the green Lasagne Verdi all from Bologna. Gramigna is another Bologna pasta, and then there are Garganelli from Imola, Cappelletti and Passatelli from Reggio Emilia and Anolini from Parma. Ricotta and greens filled Tortelli are served throughout both Emilia and Romagna. Ricotta and greens filled Tortelli are served throughout both Emilia and Romagna.

Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware (glazed earthenware pottery), known from the name of the town as “faience”. Set up in an old 17th century Franciscan convent a little way from Faenza, the Museo delle Ceramiche charts the history of Castelli art with its collection of 15-19 century paintings by the town’s most famous artists.

Southeast of Bologna lies this small town surrounded by mountains, forests and streams. The spa facilities at Bagno di Romagna are some of the most comprehensive in Italy and include a full range of treatments such as therapeutic mud, thermal baths, inhalation therapy, cave treatments, nasal, and ear and throat therapies among others. Ravenna, north of the highway, was once the capital of the Roman Empire. But before long it was captured by the Ostrogoths and then the Byzantines who left their mark, for example in the Basilica di San Vitale (Church of Saint Vitale) with its famous mosaics.

You may also wish to visit the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, which is a Roman mausoleum in Ravenna, Italy. In spite of its name, Galla Placida, the sister of the Roman Emperor who moved the capital to Ravenna is not buried here. The Baptistery of Neon in Ravenna, Italy is the most ancient monument remaining in Ravenna, and was partly erected on the site of a Roman bath.

During the warm more tourist season of May through September you should make reservations to see these sights. Ravenna contains the Tomba di Dante (Tomb of Dante) with a small museum. 6th-century floor mosaics discovered at the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra were unearthed in the early 1990s. Of considerable artistic merit, they are decorated with geometric and floral designs. Would you believe that this site was discovered by accident?

Rimini on the Adriatic coast ends our tour. Rimini is a thriving resort on the Italian Riviera with over 1,000 hotels along its 15-kilometer beach. While there visit the Grand Hotel which was featured in Federico Fellini’s 1973 movie Amaracord. Rimini is also home to the oldest surviving Roman arch, the Arco d’Augusto. Built in 27 BC, it has a single gate 9.92 m high and 8.45 m wide. The merlons were added in the Middle Ages. Tommaso Temenza restored it in the 18th century.

Emiglia Romagna And Its Food

This is an eminently gastronomical region, whose pork butchers’ meat is the most famous in Italy: Bologna salami and mortadella, Parma prosciutto (ham). Pastas are varied and tasty when served with meat-gravy and tomato sauce (ragu’), Parmesan cheese (parmigiano), hard and pale yellow, is strong and delicate in flavor Perhaps it is no accident that the founder of Italian cuisine Pellegrino Artusi was born here.

Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Tagliatelle alla Duchesa (Chicken Livers and Tagliatelle Noodles). Then try Brodetto (Adriatic Seafood Stew). For dessert indulge yourself with Crostata (Raspberry Tart).

Let’s take a quick look at Romagna wine. The strongly individual characteristics of Emilia-Romagna wines make them northern Italy’s most eccentric. In the Emiglia Romagna subregion , wines are made primarily from the native Sangiovese, Trebbiano and Albana grapes. Albana di Romagna, which became Italy’s first DOCG white wine in 1987, is usually dry and still with a distinctive almond undertone and finish. Emilia-Romagna produces about twenty DOC wines about half of which come from Romagna.

DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. In Romagna, wines are made primarily from the native Sangiovese, Trebbiano and Albana grapes. Albana di Romagna, which became Italy’s first DOCG white wine in 1987, is usually dry and still with a distinctive almond undertone and finish

The G stands for Garantita

While one can guess what that word is supposed to mean, many feel that this honor was far from deserved. I have never tasted this particular wine, but from my readings I have no great desire to do so, except to set the matter straight. Trebbiano, Romagna’s major white grape, is interestingly enough the source of balsamic vinegar. The red Sangiovese grape that can be so excellent in Tuscany wines is usually not so great here.

Frankly in Emiglia Romagna, the food is far better than the wine.

Rimini is one of the best places in Italy to enjoy your holidays. The picturesque city of Rimini is located on the North East coast and is said to be one of the most complete tourist resorts in Europe. In Rimini you’ll find over 300 hotels which get filled up during the summer months. It is only a small town with around 130,000 residents which swells to around 2 Million during the summer and becomes a pleasant tourist capital. Rimini is full of beautiful and well equipped beaches and over the years the type of holiday-maker that comes to Rimini has changed slightly. How so?

Rimini began its real life as a tourist capital in the 1960’s and Rimini along with the nearby town of Riccione have always been considered the so called centre points of transgression. Some of the best shops were to be found in Viale Ceccarini and many fashion icons and important celebrities along with VIP’s from Italy and Europe were to be found here. Here was to be found one of the greatest gay communities of the Italian peninsula along with the many drag queen shows that were also frequent. Many of the residents in Rimini have English, French or German surnames due to the majority of the foreign tourists coming from France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The Rimini of today is a bit different in as much as Italy has become more expensive while the cost of flights have plummeted and are even more affordable than ever before. Many English, Swedish, French and German tourists prefer taking a holiday in more remote and southern places than Rimini for the same price. Rimini however, is still very affordable and a fine place to spend your holidays thanks to the healthy competition that has arisen among the many hotels, guest houses and Rimini apartments.

More and more Eastern European tourists are making their mark and taking full advantage of this fine opportunity to spend their holidays in a fashion-orientated Italian city and spend a reasonable amount of money at the same time. It’s therefore quite normal these days to see Russian, Czech, Hungarian and Polish tourists taking in the delights of Rimini. Rimini is not just a place for the younger set as there are many family orientated hotels, guest houses and apartments in Rimini, too that coexist with the numerous areas and bars dedicated to the younger crowds among us. The number of tourists in Rimini goes up every year and the fashionable areas and districts have moved towards the beach and seaside areas of Rimini. In the gorgeous summer months you cans see the limousines pulling up and parked along the beach areas of Marano with the guests heading towards the beach bars and exclusive private clubs.

Just one year before Elisabeth Kenny’s famous and documented visit to Riminiin 1790, King George III famously went to the seaside resort of Weymouth in England, on the advice of his physicians. This was also the time when the bathing costume and the bathing machine (a walled wooden cart with a roof that allowed women to arrive in the water without offending Victorian notions of decency) were designed.

At the end of the 18th Century however, Rimini was not a Mecca for Italian bathers. Professor Feruccio Farina makes a point that Rimini was not particularly famous either for its beaches or bathing facilities at this time. Therefore, Elisabeth Kenny’s famous trip to Rimini may have been more of a quick stopover as she was on the way to the nearby city of Cesena.

It was only at the close of the 19th Century that the city of Rimini began to gain popularity as a seaside resort. This primarily came about with the opening of the famed Kursaal or Cure Room in German, which is a huge neo-classical structure designed by Gaetano Urbani. It cost the city of Rimini over One million lire to build and was inaugurated in 1873. This famous building along with The Grand Hotel which was built in 1908 were strong symbols of a new type of tourism that hoped to revive the city of Rimini’s economy – an economy that had been in steady decline since the days of Sigismondo Malatesta.

At the beginning of the 20th Century Rimini had already started its transformation into a quaint little tourist and seaside resort which would be the perfect place for Italians and foreign tourists alike to spend the lazy hazy days of summer. With the arrival of World War II, Rimini’s tourism would change. By late 1944 Allied Troops had been bogged down in their advance, and occupying German troops established the infamous Gothic line just south of Rimini. Today one can see the allied war cemeteries which are a testament to the ferocious fighting that occurred to liberate the town of Rimini. As Rimini was such a strategic point due to having both a port and a railway, it was heavily bombed by the allies. In April 1945 Italian partisans rebelled against the German occupying troops, thus paving the way for the final allied advance northwards. Rimini therefore, entered into a completely new era.

1948 saw the famous Kursaal building demolished on the orders of the first left wing council. The was a dramatic step and a symbolic break with the bourgeouis past of Rimini’s tourism and one must now look at old black and white photos to get an idea of what this building was all about. During the 1950’s and 1960’s an economic boom took place in northern Italy. The booming production of these northern factories along with a demand for decent holidays made resorts like the city of Rimini rise to the challenge

Rimini certainly rose to this particular challenge and promptly started to build up a tourist infrastructure that would bring families to the riviera, enticed by clean and well kept beaches (the seafront was divided up and licenced out to beach operators charged with keeping the beach clean and pristine, in return for the right to charge for beach loungers and umbrellas), affordable Rimini accommodation, and certainly some of the best food found in Italy. During a period of 30 years Rimini slowly established itself as one of the best places to go on holiday in Italy and according to La Repubblica -21st March 2007 it is estimated that over half of the population in Italy has been on holiday to Rimini at least once.

Today’s Rimini sees a wealth of events and festivals held each summer, ranging from street theatre and wine tasting to open air cinema and exquisite fashion shows. Many of these fabulous events have tried to incorporate the charms of the old town of Rimini.

Rimini happens to be one of those perfect holiday and weekend break destinations as it enjoys direct flights from many cities around Europe. Another thing about Rimini is that both culture and the typical beach holiday exist side by side separated by only a few kilometres. Why not take a dip in the sea and sun yourself during the day and maybe having a light lunch of fresh fish and piadina (the exquisite and tasty local flat bread), while in the evening taking in a classical concert in the Renaissance castle, followed by a dinner of wild boar and a few glasses of Sangiovese wine. What more could one ask for whilst in Rimini on holiday.

Why not experience one of the best coastal resorts in Italy, Rimini. For beach lovers everywhere Rimini should be one of your top destinations as it is only 3 hrs from the city of Venice. Rimini happens to be one of the most popular beach destinations on Italy’s East coast.

Rimini is definitely worth a visit as it has a beautiful coastline and superb beaches that make it one of Italy’s star attractions and best kept secrets at the same time. Rimini is a beautiful and picturesque city of the Emilia-Romagna region and is also the capital of the Rimini province in Italy. You can find it right in the heart of the Adriatic Sea in between the Marecchia River and the Ausa. Terrific views are to be had of the Mediterranean Sea from the high spots throughout this lovely city.

There are some wonderful Rimini apartments to stay in situated in the centre of Viserbella. Directly on the sea, they have rooms with showers and private baths, balconies that overlook the sea, tv and airconditioning of course. You will find calm atmosphere here in which to completely relax and enjoy your holiday whilst here in Rimini. Here you will find a great choice in quality apartments that cater for every need.

The great waters of Rimini proved to be a great factor in improving the city’s economic situation. Coast navigation and fishing are the main industries here in the city of Rimini. Because tourists from all over the world have been going to Rimini year in and year out, the tourist industry has taken off and its seaside resorts that offer world-class service and accommodation make this city very popular with everyone. Many people who have experience the Rimini magic come back for seconds!

If what’s on your mind is a holiday by the sea but less crowded, stunning Rimini may be the answer. It is known in Italy to be the resort where people from all over can enjoy the sun, sea, sand and be enchanted by the cool Mediterranean Sea breeze. Having an Italian guide or phrasebook here is mandatory as the usual sight of bus filled foreign tourists is seldom seen in Rimini. This place is a get away from it all resort and a real gem of a find.

It’s not all sand and sea though; take a trip downtown to find designer shops and boutiques that will get you itching to use your credit card. There are also top-class restaurants, bars and nightclubs that you can find in Rimini. Also, Hotel Continental e dei Congressi and Hotel River are two of my favourite hotels where you can stop over.

So if you really wanted a coastal vacation in Italy, which is unspoilt and yet modern, head over to Italy’s East Coast and book Rimini apartments to be sure of some fine accommodation.

If Sigismondo Malatesta a famous 15th Century Lord of Rimini came back, what would he make of Rimini today? Apart from some of the obvious differences between the renaissance city of Malatesta and the modern city today, (Malatesta’s castle is still standing) the presence of cars, modern buildings and electrical lighting would probably amaze him. The most amazing thing though apart from the above would probably be Rimini’s move to the coast.

The city of Rimini in Malatesta’s era had its defences inland which ran around what is today known as the centro storico. When Sigismondo Malatesta came to power he decided a change was in order and promptly embarked on a vast building programme which included the Tempio Malatestiano – one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in Europe – and his enormous and very modern fortress, the Rocca Malatesta. Malatesta’s new city was built on top of the existing city – in other words on the site of the Roman city of Ariminum which was founded in the year 286 B.C. Malatesta used the existing Roman monuments at the time, including the famous Ponte di Tiberio and Arco d’Augusto and incorporated them into his city. These famous monuments can still be seen today on your trip to Rimini.

Taking a walk around Rimini today, Malatesta would find the beautiful sandy beaches and their magnetism quite puzzling during the summer months. Back in Malatesta’s day the practice of lying in the sun on the beach and going for a dip would have been strange if not dangerous as the beaches back then were places for smuggling and brigandry as they were away from the city of Rimini’s main defences. Italian cities just like Rimini were often at war with each other and were in continuous conflict with their neighbours. Malatesta, throughout his life was in a continuous power struggle with Federico da Montefeltro, Lord of Urbino and also the Pope.We also know that Pope Pius II excommunicated Sigismondo in 1460 declaring him a heretic.

So when did Rimini start to become a city that is, for Italians and the many tourists from the world over, synonymous with sun, sea, and sand? In his fascinating study of the history of sea bathing in Rimini – Una costa lunga due secoli (Panozzo Editore), Professor Feruccio Farina, of the University of Urbino, sheds light on one of the first tourist to take a dip in the beautiful sea in Rimini. Her name was Elisabeth Kenny, and she was the young Irish wife of a Roman noble. Professor Feruccio Farina says that she is recorded as having visited the city of Rimini in the summer month of August of 1790 (over 300 years after the death of Sigismondo Malatesta), and stayed for over two weeks to benefit from the wonderful sea air and waves. Rimini is one of those classic holiday destinations for Italians and tourist alike. Rimini Italy has been blessed with sun, sand and sea as well as culture. The classic beach holiday and culture holiday coexist here in Rimini much to the delight of all that arrive here. Rimini is easily reached by numerous direct flights from many cities around Europe.