Italy: Ciao Bella

Spent yesterday relaxing … though Mui did briefly venture out to the Villaggio Coldretti … the market-to-table festivities in Piazza Maggiore.

All rested up, we were raring to leave on a day trip bright and early this morning. Our destination: Rimini … one of Italy’s popular beach towns on the Adriatic Sea.

If we don’t dally along the way, Bologna Centrale is just a 20-minute walk from where we are staying. We arrived at the station at 8:20a … leaving us 14 minutes to find the platform for our train.

The TTPER train was arriving from Piacenze … heading in the direction of Ancona. When it arrived, the cars were already crowded. We found some decent seats, but had to share the booth-style seating with someone who was already in one of the four seats. All of the seats on the trains we’ve been on thus far have had in-seat power … some not working. That these seats had the blue indicator light on, was a bonus and helped the 1.5-hour ride to pass quickly … especially since there were no exciting views with which to entertain ourselves along the way.

(By the way, TPER stands for Transporto Passeggeri Emilia-Romagna. It’s a joint venture between the state-run Trenitalia and TPER, which operates the regional and local trains for the region … hence the TTPER designation.)

We arrived at Stazione Rimini on time at 10:01a. After using the pay-toilets at the station — €1pp worth it for clean facilities — we stopped in at the café so Mui could get an espresso. By 10:10a, we were on our way to explore the city.

Though the Etruscans and Celts inhabited the area before the Romans set foot here, the city’s history dates back to 286 BC when it was founded as a colony named Ariminum. Its modern day name is associated with the Renaissance period court of Malatestiano, which hosted the likes of Leonardo da Vinci.

The campaigns fought for the unification of Italy and WWII battles that brought the partisan movement to Rimini earned the city, the birth place of Federico Fellini, a gold medal for civic valor. This adds another dimension to the city which brings visitors to the beaches in droves during the hot summer months.

From the train station, we headed off to check out the murals of Borgo San Giuliano … which I will write about in a separate footprint. For now, let’s go on a stroll to the various sights of interest.

Ponte di Tiberio is a limestone bridge and one of the must-see sites in the city. Construction of it began during the reign of Augustus in 14AD, but it was completed by Tiberius seven years later. Hence the name. It used to span the Marecchia River until it was diverted during WWII. Today it’s the canal waters that run under the bridge to a basin beyond.

On the other side of the bridge, we made our way to Parco XXV April Marecchia, which afforded us a good look at the bridge and the five arches, designed to reduce the intensity of the impact of the river against the bridge structure by separating it into smaller flows. Also at the park, we saw some of the 155 stones that were excavated out of the canal when it partially collapsed during the Middle Ages and the early modern times.

Next, we detoured to check out a mural overlooking the canal … featuring a rooster and a peacock. The rooster is apparently an oft-used decorative element that is a quintessential symbol of the Romagna Region, and the peacock is in reference to “Amarcord,” a Fellini movie in which the bird opens its tail feathers on the Pigna Fountain in Piazza Cavour.

Our stroll continued along Corso d’Augusto and into Rimini’s Centro Storico. The street was buzzing with activity. The entrance to Piazza Cavour was packed … brides- and grooms-to-be with family and friends all dressed in their Sunday-best. They were posing in front of the historic buildings, popping confetti bombs that left the piazza covered in colored bits of sparkling paper. I’m not sure if they were there for civic weddings in the Municipio or if they were simply there for their pre-wedding celebrations. It was festive … but noisy. Luckily, a little further into the square, things were quieter and there were fewer people with which to contend.

Piazza Cavour was the second forum of the Roman city. It was also the center of city life in the Middle Ages. Today it is Rimini’s monumental center. On one side are restaurants, on the other side are some of the most important buildings of the city — the three palazzos that form the municipal offices; the Galli Theater … which dates back to 1857 … heavily damaged by the Allied bombing in 1943 and restored since; the bronze monument to Pope Paolo V Borghese … the hat on his head, the back of his vestments and his throne intricately designed; the Fontana della Pigna … which translates as the Pinecone Foutain for the decorative top that replaced a crowned statue of St Paul … dating back to the Roman times, it provided drinking water … and one can use one of the two spouts still working to fill one’s water bottle; La Pescheria Vechia … the old fish market that dates back to 1747 … the Istrian stone counters that once displayed fish today empty except where a florist was selling flowers.

Our lunch break at a seafood restaurant on Piazzetta San Martino, came with a bonus. It was here that we found “Il Rinoceronte” … the city’s rhinoceros statue … quirkily standing inside a small boat near Palazzo del Fulton, one of the three sites that host the Fellini Museum. Why a rhino? As it turns out, one of the most-remembered scenes of Fellini’s “And the Ship Sails On” features a rhino. Hence, it is now a symbol of the Fellini Museum Complex.

Delicious food … a glass each of Montepulciano … a very satisfying meal.

Then, following back streets, we strolled over to Piazza Malatesta where Castel Sismondo is the focal point. Also known as the Malatesta Fortress, the 15th century castle was commissioned by the city’s Renaissance Lord, Sigismondo Malatesta and was constructed under the supervision of Brunelleschi. It served both as a residence and a military fortress, and incorporated some of the older buildings into its construction … as attested to by the Gattolo Gate. As impressive as today’s castle is, to think that it is just ⅓rd of what it was in the past is simply mind boggling.

After wandering around to the back side of the castle, we returned to Piazza Malatesta where, by chance, we came across the Bosco dei Nomi (the Woods of Names). A hidden park of sorts, created by the poet and screenwriter Torino Guerra. Amongst the trees and plants are ‘stone flowers’ engraved with the names of Guerra’s friends … such as Federico Fellini, Marcelo Mastroanni, and others. After nightfall, these ‘flowers’ are illuminated by three lanterns that Guerrero dedicated to Leo Tolstoy who is quoted as seeing his life like a “magic-lantern show.”

Walking back through Piazza Cavour, we stopped to get some gelato from Mastro Cono. With the crowds gone, the piazza was much more peaceful. It was also beautifully warmed by the sun that had broken through the crowds. It provided a nice respite after all the walking we’d been doing.

Once again following Corso d’Augustus we arrived at Piazza Tre Martiri. Named for three partisans who were executed here by the Nazis in 1944, the square was originally the Roman forum where Julius Caesar is said to have addressed the troops before crossing the Rubicon.

After Piazza Cavour gained in importance during the Middle Ages, this square was used for markets, and beneath the square’s arcades were butcher shops. It was also used for jousting tournaments and public ceremonies. Today, it is home to the clock tower that was built in 1547. Also here is the 16th century chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, which has an octagonal-shaped floor plan.

Continuing our stroll, we arrived at the far end of Corso d’Augusto … and the Arch of Augustus … for which the street is named. The monumental gateway was built in 27 BC to honor the first Roman emperor. As the original city gate, it stood at the head of Via Flaminia, which stretched from ancient Ariminum to Rome. It is the oldest preserved Roman arch in all of Italy. The walls that flanked it are all gone, leaving behind a striking monument that stands with little support.

It was getting on towards 3:30p when we walked out through the arch and left the Centro Storico behind. We had an hour before our train back to Bologna. So, we decided to walk to the seaside resort area along the Adriatic coast.

The walk took us longer than expected. It was almost 4:00p when we finally reached the beach and climbed to the top of the sand dune that runs through the center of the 15-km long beach, protecting the beach clubs from the pounding winter-surf of the Adriatic. It would have been nice to walk to the water … maybe take a stroll on the hard-packed sand that was being warmed by the sun. But we had no time for that. We sat on a bench for a few minutes to rest, took some photos, and five minutes later we were making our way through side streets to the train station.

We had 10 minutes to spare when we arrived at the platform. The train — heading to Milan from Rimini — was already there, so we boarded and found seats in the upper deck. There were very few people in the car, and it never got crowded. In fact, we had all four seats to ourselves, which was great as I could remove my shoes and rest my weary feet on the seat across from me. Mui lost no time closing his eyes and napping.

The TTPER train arrived in Bologna a few minutes before 6:30p. We didn’t dally. Tired from a full day, we headed to the AirBNB, making our way through the crowds. By the time we got home, my feet were screaming for relief.

A 25,447-step day will do that to you!En savoir plus