The secret seaside escape where Italians have been holidaying for years

Independent

3 days ago

Cycling along a path fringing the Adriatic Sea, I pass families entering a play park and older couples walking hand in hand. The pedestrianised 'park of the sea' is a quiet spot for a morning stroll, but it also turns into a lively night-time destination after dark.
What once was a road and car park is now a path curved like the waves of the sea which will stretch to 15km when construction is finished next year.
Rimini, a city in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, has for a long time been a favourite coastal resort for Italians of all generations. Some families have been choosing the same beach spots for decades, my tour guide Monia Magalotti tells me.
Now it's much easier to reach the destination from the UK with the launch of new British Airways direct flights from Heathrow, just in time for the summer.
About 150 beach clubs line the path, along with restaurants, parks, gyms and more.
But after leaving the path, crossing a road and then cycling for about 10 minutes, I'm surrounded by a mix of brightly coloured quaint buildings with shutters covering the windows that could have jumped out of a fairy tale.
This is traditional fishing village Borgo San Giuliano, a popular area for restaurants, with tables overlooking the river.
Monia says it's Rimini's hospitality that keeps people coming back here as opposed to better-known Italian destinations.
'It's about people being welcoming and kind and opening their arms. Even if you sit in a restaurant, you don't feel like a guest – you feel like part of the town, of the atmosphere, which is so authentic here,' she says.
At Nud e Crud, I try Emilia-Romagna 's traditional piadinas, soft fresh flat breads with a choice of fillings. Tomato, mozzarella and basil (€9.90/£8.30) takes my fancy but next door I see one with grilled chicken, tzatziki sauce and chips inside. I'm stuffed but there's always room for dessert so I go for tiramisu (€6/£5), and a spoonful of zuppa inglese (€6/£5).
In the surrounding streets, there are several murals of director/screenwriter Federico Fellini and characters from his films.
Two museums are dedicated to the filmmaker who was born in the city. In one, you can sit on swings as images play, or rest on a sofa which is actually a giant sculpture of Anita Ekberg's character Sylvia from La Dolce Vita.
Another striking Rimini building linked to Fellini is the Grand Hotel Rimini, built in 1908 and said to be where he would stay when he was in the area.
The hotel's huge white façade is eye-catching both in the day and lit up surrounded by greenery in the evening. The property has hosted celebrities, politicians and royalty such as Diana, Princess of Wales.
I visit for an evening meal in the restaurant, where I'm served a fish and shellfish salad, followed by seabass with artichoke and squid, then a lemon and chocolate mousse with passion fruit (mains around €26/£21.80).
Beyond the city, there are a host of different day trip options a short distance away, including Ravenna – which was visited by the King and Queen in April.
The town is home to eight UNESCO monuments, Italian poet Dante Alighieri's tomb and Museo Byron, a new museum housed in Palazzo Guiccioli, where Lord Byron stayed with his lover Teresa Gamba and her husband Count Alessandro Guiccioli from 1819 until 1821.
This was possibly the longest time the British poet spent in one place in Italy, and in Ravenna he 'had a home and a family – a very peculiar family', Professor Diego Saglia, who helped set up the museum, explains.
He came with all his animals and his daughter, and became a tenant of the Count, at the same time as being his wife's lover.
The Queen – who is known for her love of books – visited the Byron museum, and Saglia tells me that after an official reception in the courtyard with speeches, they went inside the museum and Camilla 'could not be dragged out again'.
One of the objects selected to be shown to the Queen was a travel case belonging to Teresa. A wedding gift for the marriage to her husband, she used it to collect items relating to Byron, including letters and locks of hair.
A short walk from the museum is the octagonal Basilica of San Vitale, which dates back to the 6th century. It is home to striking and remarkably well-preserved glass mosaics and was visited by the King in April.
About half an hour from Rimini by car is San Marino, a microstate within a medieval walled town. Granted independence at the time of Italy's unification, it's the fifth smallest country in the world with only 33,000 residents and still requires a passport to enter.
The city sits hundreds of metres above sea level, and has a number of restaurants with views looking down across the land below, stretching to the sea.
Daniel Terranova, manager of a hotel group which includes La Terrazza, a restaurant with views of rolling hills and the parliament building, says the funny thing in San Marino is he can pick up the phone and call the Prime Minister and tell them about his problems – not something you can do in many countries.