Pens, brushes and writers on the Rimini Riviera

Amidst words and colours: a journey in the footsteps of writers and artists on the Rimini

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The Rimini Riviera is a land of artists and visionaries, a place where creativity has been expressed through the words of writers, the strokes of painters’ brushes, and the indelible traces left by the most famous contemporary writers.

Here, between the sea and the hills, the stories of men and women who have told, painted and interpreted the soul of the territory intertwine.

Our journey begins in Bellaria, where Alfredo Panzini’s red house takes us back in time. But the coastal town is not just a literary memory: Street Art has found a space here, thanks to the “Bim Street Art Festival”.

Continuing on towards Talamello, the village welcomes us with the timeless works of Giovanni da Rimini and Antonio Alberti; then we are enchanted by the canvases of Fernando Gualtieri, a master of painting who chose to leave his artistic heritage right here. 

In Santarcangelo di Romagna, the poetry of Tonino Guerra coexists with the captivating power of Eron's Street Art.

The last stop takes us to Pennabilli, where art becomes an immersive experience thanks to the Luoghi dell’Anima, a unique route that blends sculpture, nature and poetry.

  • Length
    48 hours
  • Interests
    Art & Culture
  • Target
    Friends/Single,Couple
  • First stop - Bellaria - Igea Marina Bellaria Igea Marina

    Bellaria is the northernmost seaside town on the Rimini Riviera, famous for its beaches, environmental quality and hospitality. But in addition to its seaside vocation, this village is home to a literary gem: the Casa Rossa, one of the most beloved residences of the writer and journalist Alfredo Panzini.

    Author of La Lanterna di Diogene (Diogene’s Lantern), a fascinating travel reportage by bicycle from Milan to Bellaria, Panzini found inspiration for many of his works in this home. Today, the  Casa Rossa is a true literary museum, where you can discover ceramics set into the walls with the titles of his most famous works and admire the historic bicycle on which the writer explored his beloved Romagna. Open every day in the summer, during other periods of the year, you can book a free guided tour. 

    From the 19th-century literary charm of Panzini, let's jump to the present day to discover another face of the town: Street Art. In 2001, the Bim Street Art Festival – I muri che non ti aspetti (The walls you don't expect) ([add link to ERT event]) turned the town into an open-air art gallery, with murals that tell contemporary stories and visions.

    If you love Street Art, you must absolutely not miss a tour of the most iconic murals in the town:

    • Palazzo del Turismo → the main facade decorated by the work of Gola Hundun, an artist from Bellaria
    • Port area → murals by Ermes Bichi and Andrea Casciu, who reinterpret the maritime landscape in a modern way
    • Enel Tower in Via Saleni → embellished by the artist Luogo Comune, with a visually striking creation.
    • Multipurpose room in Parco del Gelso → decorated with the work of Mr. FiJodor, who invites reflection with his surreal images.

  • Second stop - Santarcangelo di Romagna Santarcangelo di Romagna

    The gateway to the Val Marecchia, Santarcangelo di Romagna is a town with a strong Romagna identity: its tuff caves, culinary traditions and timeless atmosphere make it a unique place where history meets art in a perfect fusion.

    The alleys and squares here reverberate with the poetry of Tonino Guerra, who has left an indelible mark in some of the area’s most iconic and fascinating places thanks to his artistic installations, ceramic works and poems engraved on the walls of the houses. 

    To immerse yourself in his world, you can visit some of the symbolic places of his art, where the dialogue between words and matter comes to life:

    • The Pine Cone Fountain - Piazza Manganelli
    • The Submerged Meadow Fountain - Campo della Fiera
    • The Stone Flowers Fountain - Campo della Fiera
    • The Tonino Guerra Museum - Via della Costa

    However, Santarcangelo di Romagna also boasts another record: it is an authentic open-air canvas, thanks to the works of Eron, one of the most famous internationally-known street artists.

    His works dialogue with the urban fabric and the history of the hamlet: walking through the streets of Santarcangelo, it is possible to admire some of his most famous creations:

    • Via Pozzo Lungo – “Tower to the People” It is a poetic and powerful work that pays homage to Tommie Smith, the American athlete who raised his closed fist in a sign of the fight for human rights at the 1968 Olympics.
    • Municipal Washhouse (now the Centre for Research and Theatrical Experimentation) – “Soul of the Wall” A work that celebrates the poet Raffaele Baldini from Santarcangelo: his face appears on one side, while on the other, we see the women washing clothes, in a story of toil and collective memory.
    • Back of the Supercinema, Piazza Marconi – “Giuliana” A tribute to the poet Giuliana Rocchi, who had to quit school due to financial difficulties. The work represents white clothes hanging in the wind that turn into sheets of paper and finally into doves, a symbol of freedom and hope for women and culture.
    • Palace of Poetry, Via Pascoli Here, in the two lunettes of the highest window, the roses of Eron, symbol of love, passion and beauty, take centre stage again in a poetic dialogue with the building.
    • Historical Archaeological Museum of Santarcangelo Inside the museum, there are three intense and deeply moving works:

    - The letter of a partisan condemned to death, written for his mother → The grief of a mother who holds back her tears while reading the letter emerges from the suction nozzle located a few metres from the painting.

    - Don’t Cry” → above a beautiful fireplace, a father appears in a consoling gesture.

    - “Guido Cagnacci is Gone” → a reflection on the history of art and cultural memory.

    In short, with its poetry and urban art, Santarcangelo di Romagna is an emotional journey that unites the written word, painting and history. Here, amidst the verses of Tonino Guerra and the brush strokes of Eron, the visitor discovers a village capable of telling its story through art, turning every corner into a visual narrative.

  • Third stop – Talamello Talamello

    From Santarcangelo, going further inland, we arrive at Talamello, a small medieval village in the heart of Montefeltro, a cosy place, amidst luxuriant nature and rich in authentic art treasures. Ready for another journey back in time?

    We start from the Church of San Lorenzo, located in the main square of the hamlet. Here is kept a precious fourteenth-century Crucifix, a masterpiece by Giovanni da Rimini, recently restored. For a long time attributed to Giotto, this cross is today recognised as the oldest among the works of Giovanni da Rimini, an expression of the 14th-century Rimini school. Continuing on, we are catapulted into the 15th century, when the bishop Giovanni Seclani commissioned the construction of an extraordinary votive chapel, known as the Cella (1437). Here, on just a few square metres, the painter Antonio Alberti da Ferrara, one of the most famous painters of the time, created a cycle of frescoes that narrate the history of the Church in one of the most refined examples of late Gothic painting. The minute details, the liveliness of the colours and the depth of the scenes make this chapel a small gem of sacred art.

    A few steps away, another awe-inspiring wonder awaits visitors: the Gualtieri Museum, a place where art becomes emotion. Collected here are the complete works of Fernando Gualtieri, a master of painting, defined as the “painter of light”.

    His mother was born in Talamello, and so he decided to donate his extraordinary collection of paintings, made between 1956 and 2013, to his homeland. Today, his canvases are exhibited in a strikingly picturesque place: the former medieval church of Sant'Antonio Abate, transformed into a light-flooded art gallery. Here, amidst a play of reflections and crystalline transparencies, you can admire works that have enchanted the world for their ability to capture light and give it an almost magical dimension.

  • Fourth stop - Pennabilli Pennabilli

    The journey ends in Pennabilli, an enchanted village that encompasses art, poetry and memory among its streets and breathtaking views. Here, Maestro Guerra left a unique legacy: the Luoghi dell'Anima (Places of the Soul), an open-air museum that runs through the entire village and the Marecchia Valley.

    Here, we also find the smallest museum in the world, a unique place in the world, a small treasure chest that houses only one painting. We are talking about the work “L’angelo coi Baffi”  (The Angel with a Moustache), a painting by the Milanese artist Luigi Poiaghi, inspired by a short story by Tonino Guerra, depicted on the walls of the chapel.

    It is a small but powerful work of art that is an invitation to believe in your dreams, even those that seem unattainable. The angel painted by Poiaghi, with his unusual moustache and his enigmatic gaze, seems to whisper to us that nothing is truly impossible, that any desire can actually take its course if we truly believe in it.

    Pennabilli is not only the final stop on this tour, but an emotional experience. Here, art and poetry merge with the landscape, inviting visitors to look at the world in a fresh new way, just like Tonino Guerra did.

Last update 02/05/2025

Tourist informations offices

Bellaria Igea Marina - Ufficio Informazioni e Accoglienza Turistica (IAT)
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Santarcangelo di Romagna - Ufficio Informazioni e Accoglienza Turistica (IAT)
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Talamello - Welcome Room
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Pennabilli - Welcome Room
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