The most famous seaside resort on the Adriatic Riviera is situated in the southern strip of Romagna between the Adriatic Sea and the gentle hills of the Apennine mountains where, just 20 Km away, the Republic of San Marino is located on Mount Titano.
For more than 160 years Rimini has been in the memories and dreams of generations of vacationers. The secret of its success is the friendliness and hospitality of its inhabitants and a territory that offers 15 kilometres of beach, 230 colourful bathing establishments, 1200 hotels and many theme and amusement parks, but also 2000 years of history and a real treasure of art.
Here the sea is a way of life, the scenery for Fellini’s films, the legend of summer entertainment which is renewed every day, and the magic of the fog in wintertime. But first of all, Rimini was a coveted and contended city, the capital of the Malatesta Seigniors, a crossway of cultures of which you can still find prestigious evidence.
The artistic itinerary includes unique masterpieces from the Roman to the Renaissance period. A place to be discovered by following the impressive and indicative remnants left in the 20 centuries of history such as Augustus's Arch, Tiberius Bridge, Sismondo Castle, the Malatesta Temple, the Roman Tre Martiri square or the medieval Cavour square, ending with the City Museum which houses treasures from the past, around 1500 masterpieces, and the archaeological site ‘Domus del Chirurgo’ (the surgeon’s house) with one of the richest collections of surgical and pharmaceutical equipment from ancient times.
Rimini is also the city of the “Amintore Galli” Theater, a neoclassical masterpiece by Luigi Poletti, inaugurated by Giuseppe Verdi in 1857 with the opera 'Aroldo'; one of the most significant examples of nineteenth-century theatrical architecture, damaged in 1943 and now, after a total renovation, open to the public again.
Also not to be missed is the new museum site of contemporary art Palazzi dell'arte Rimini, inaugurated on 24 September 2020 and hosted in two historical buildings, brought back to their architectural splendour. Here an exceptional art collection of the Fondazione San Patrignano is housed.
A concentration of beauty that the city has been recovering and enhancing for some time now, and which was completed in 2021 with its inauguration, is the Fellini Museum, a widespread museum center of new conception and the largest museum project dedicated to the genius of Federico Fellini, who was born in Rimini in 1920.
Taking a barefoot walk along the seashore having a chat, or meditating, is certainly exciting every day of the year, either during the summer when the beach is excellently organized or in the solitary atmosphere of winter time.
Rimini is a hotbed of new trends: street bars, happy hour, aperitif on the beach, dinner on the seashore, new sport activities, such as nordic walking, on the beach spring up here and become a fashion. Entertainment is for all tastes and all ages.
For all those who want to combine a holiday with well-being, on the public beach in Miramare is RiminiTerme, a modern spa for the wellness of body and mind.
Rimini is also a city for conventions and a venue for big events. The new Exhibition Centre RiminiFiera, which is considered one of the most modern in Europe, was inaugurated in 2001 and a new Conference Centre, Palacongressi, has recently opened to the public, expressing the know-how, excellence, and the high level market Rimini has achieved.
Whether you sleep in a tent or in a suite at the Grand Hotel beloved by Fellini, Rimini is absolutely a great place to stay.
If it is well known that Federico Fellini had his personal suite at the Grand Hotel in Rimini, together with that of his wife Giulietta Masina, maybe not everyone knows that in room No. 302 in the Hotel Villa Adriatica, Gabriele D’Annunzio met Eleonora Duse, an event which all the newspapers of the time wrote about. Perhaps people don’t even know that George Clooney slept in the Hotel Gradisca some years ago, during an unexpected stop in Rimini while he was travelling Italy by motorcycle with his friends.
Don’t miss taking a walk in Marina di Rimini, one of the most beautiful and modern tourist harbours in the Mediterranean with a fascinating and romantic overhead walkway, 1300 meters long, that overlooks the sea.
To discover the life and the traditions of sailors and fishermen, you can participate in the guided tour “Esplorando il Porto Canale” or take a walk to the fish market.
Don’t forget to taste a real piadina riminese. The piadina in Rimini is thin and you can fill it in different ways: with ham and mozzarella, with herbs or even with chocolate.
Among the main typical food products there are also: fresh fish from the Adriatic Sea and Sangiovese red wine. Taking a tour along the Strade dei Vini e dei sapori dei Colli di Rimini is a good way to discover menus and recipes from the past.
Rimini never goes to sleep, because life continues at night time, too. But here fun and entertainment are never excessive.
Entertainment in Rimini begins every evening in several places in the city: in the beach area, Marina Centro near the harbour, where you can find the most trendy venues, along the beach promenade and on the beach.
A lot of wine bars, pubs and small restaurants are also in the historic centre, especially in the area of the Vecchia Pescheria and piazza Cavour, a meeting point throughout the whole year.
From trendy and typical beach sports, such as beach volleyball and beach tennis, to the new sports activities like padel, speedminton or nordic walking on the beach, in Rimini you can practice almost any sport. Clubs, associations and federations are more and more often choosing the city as the place for their events, conferences, competitions, meetings, championships or as a venue for launching the latest trends.
In recent years, by placing the focus firmly on wellness, environment and sustainable mobility, Rimini has been developing the new Parco del Mare project (Sea Park), a large redevelopment of the 16 kilometers of waterfront with more open-air green living spaces, cycle paths and new fitness islands dedicated to outdoor physical activity and well-being. The city has been also increasingly equipped with numerous cycle paths and dedicated services to be more and more 'bike-friendly'.
The Rimini Riviera is an explosion of events during the whole year: performances, theatre, film festivals, art exhibitions, sport competitions, cultural meetings, all kinds of festivals and gatherings, and in addition, the traditional open markets.
Among the main events in the summer: La Notte Rosa, held every year in July and celebrating the “Italian Summer New Year’s Eve”. Not to be missed is the real new year’s, on December 31st, a celebration that has become a “must” for all the Italians waiting for the new year.
If you want to visit the historic centre of Rimini, you may find an unexpected town, just ask for information at the City Museum. You will be informed about all the initiatives dedicated to both adults and children, to individuals or groups in every time of the year.
Many initiatives are offered to discover the archaeological site the “Surgeon’s House”.
For guided tours to the main monuments in Rimini also contact the Tourist Information Office.
A few kilometres from the sea you can find the fascinating hinterland with the green valleys along the rivers Marecchia and Conca, a land that in the past was under the dominion of the Malatesta family. A landscape where you can discover fortresses and castles, ancient traditions and unique tastes and flavours.
These castles are reproduced in the amusing water games offered in the theme park Italia in miniatura, Italy in miniature, where more than 272 perfect reproductions of Italian venues are on display; here you can even navigate on the channels of a realistic reproduction of Venice.
Rimini Riviera has the highest number of theme parks in Europe: from Ravenna to Cattolica there are eighteen of them. Among the most famous ones there are Fibilandia (for small children), Oltremare, Mirabilandia and Aquafan.
