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.