Riccione, the green pearl of the Adriatico
Viale Ceccarini in Riccione
This small sparkling jewel on the Adriatic Coast, Riccione, is justly known as The Green Pearl of the Adriatico.
Besides its beautiful beach, this resort boasts an elegant shopping centre with prestigious window displays and refined coffee shops. It is considered the Health Capital because of its many sports facilities and its famous Thermal Bath Establishment.
Swimming pools, tennis courts and plenty of green spaces for jogging offer a recreational holiday for all ages.
The scores of hotels on the Riviera, one next to the other, determine the large amount of tourists flowing there in summer. The main streets of Riccione, viale Dante and viale Ceccarini have numerous night spots, discos, and hotels, but daily are run by people walking or biking. The seafront is a long boulevard, shaped by a road and an equally developed bicycle lane, that reaches up to the town’s end going along the sea.
Tonino Guerra's fountain
It is the perfect choice for those looking for entertainment and night life: water parks and discos liven up your nights, as well as your days, in an atmosphere of music and lights.
Cultural events including theatre, philatelic exhibitions, art exhibitio and a busy convention activity all help to make this resort lively throughoutthe year.
Cycling is popular in the Emilia Romagna area and a number of Riccione’s hotels have teamed up to capitalise on this. These hotels provide specific facilities for cycling tourists, including bike hire, cycle storage and tour guides.
History of Riccione
The oldest archaeological findings in Riccione’s area date to the 2nd century BC, although it was most likely settled in advance. At the time of the Roman Republic, it was known as Vicus Popilius and a bridge over the Rio Melo river. After an obscurity period, in 1260 it was acquired by the Agolanti family, connected to the lords of Rimini, the Malatesta. In the 17th century some watchtowers were built on the seaside against assaults by pirates.
Origins of the tourist fame of Riccione date to the late 19th century, mostly spurred by the construction of residences by rich Bolognese people. In the 1930s there were some 30,000 tourists a year, with some 80 hotels existing. Benito Mussolini had a villa built here in 1934.
After World War II, tourist flow was further increased by its choosing as vacation resort by numerous famous people, such as Pelè, Mina, Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio De Sica and others.
