| |
THE RIVIERA ROMAGNOLA: sea, sun and tradition
How many Riminis do you know? That of the sea, the beach, the night life,
everyone knows.
But there are other cities that tell different stories from those of the
holidays. Where do we begin to discover them?
Without a doubt, there is Borgo San Giuliano, on the other side
of the River Marecchia and the historical Bridge of Tiberio.
In these alleys, inhabited once by fishermen, the sense of the Rimini
of Fellini survives: small houses, pastel colours, near the river,
characteristic corners, squares where still today, in the mild evenings,
you can meet the older generation on their evening walk, chatting in the
street.
From Borgo, passing over the Bridge of Tiberio, you reach
the historical centre by corso d'Augusto which runs through the heart
of Rimini, up to the ancient Arch of Augustus.
Along the road, from the height of the central Piazza Cavour
(with the buildings of Garampi, dell'Arengo and del Podestà and
the facade of the Galli theatre), you will find the Pasticceria Vecchi
(old patisserie): since 1850 a favourite of the sweet tooths in Rimini.
A true, authentic institution where, sitting at the intimate coffee tables
of Middle Europe, you taste, only in winter, the best hot chocolate in
the city.
Looking onto the piazza, there is the old apothecary,
where wines and fine gastronomical products have been sold since the beginning
of the twentieth-century. Today it is possible to taste a good glass of
wine, a carefully prepared cold dish and some toasted bread.
From Piazza Cavour, a must see is the old eighteenth-century
fishmongers, of which the Istrian stone tables, and recall the women with
a handkerchief on their head, who vocally offered fresh fish from the
Adriatic and, above all – in the adjacent Piazzetta delle Poveracce
– the clams, held in great sacks and weighed under the watchful
eye of the customer. Today, fresh fish is sold within an enclosed market
(a must see) not far from the Duomo.
In the Piazzetta delle Poveracce, you
can find the Osteria of the Piazzetta, the characteristics of which recall,
deliberately, another, now lost, osteria: the mythical "Forza e Coraggio",
so dear to the older generation of Rimini.
Just a few steps away, you can reach the city’s museum
in via Tonini, in the ex-college of the Jesuits of 1749. Inside there
are archaeological exhibits, mosaics, works of art that run through the
history of Rimini from the Roman era up until the beginning of Neoclassicism.
From the museum and from Piazza Ferrari, you can easily reach the Malatestiano
Temple, certainly one of the most important monuments of the
city, realised in the fifteenth-century by Leon Battista Alberti.
From here, you can make a stop at the newly renovated
piazza Tre Martiri and then, still going through the streets of the historic
centre, reach the church of St Augustine (with important
works of the School of Rimini of the fourteenth-century) and conclude
the trip at Castel Sismondo, the city’s castle.
In this way we have seen, rapidly, the heart of Rimini, but there are
innumerable other parts which are worthy of a visit: the remains of the
Roman Amphitheatre, the consecrated church of Santa Maria ad
Nives (today host to many exhibitions), the bell tower of Santa Colomba
(the remains of the ancient cathedral of the thirteenth-century), the
church of San Bernardino.... and an endless list of other minor places,
including some magnificent buildings.
Leaving the historical centre and moving a bit further
out, towards San Giuliano, it is worth visiting the church
of the Madonna della Scala with the Porta Gervasona and the remains of
Mura Malatestiane.
Then, just a short distance away, the canal port where the maritime activity
flourishes....from here you can reach the sea, the Central Marina, with
the Grand Hotel of Fellini, the Four Horses Fountain and the swimming
pools of Rimini.
HISTORICAL PLACES FROM HISTORY AND MEMORY
The trips of the "Road of Sangiovese and the wines of the
hills of Rimini" wind along long routes of the appetite
which lead the traveller through the history, culture, and memory of the
peasant culture.
In this way, while looking for traditional oil mills or ageing cheese,
you can visit the home of the poet Giovanni Pascoli in San Mauro,
the museum of customs and traditions of ancient Santarcangelo (which amongst
other things, is one of Italy’s “wine cities”)
Or another possibility is to go through the Verucchiese
hills by horse, between the wine and the olives, between the cradle of
the Malatesta family and the ancient Villanovian settlement.
Or you can lose yourself on the rocky terrain of Torriana,
such as in the medieval village of Montebello. In this way, you can also
reach the Conca valley, and the ancient granary of the Malatesta family,
next to the austere rock of Montefiore.
From here, you can wander through the mills of the low valley
of Conca and Marecchia or go off nearby, in search of ancient
rural dwellings. Lose yourself in the welcoming historical centre of Rimini,
perhaps even rediscover the village of the fishermen with overtones of
Fellini.
Wherever you go, the link between nature, history, culture and taste is
not only unbreakable, but it transforms into a series of unforgettable
sensations.
|
|
