Romagna and the Riviera Romagnola
The land of motors, good food and nightlife, Romagna and the Riviera Romagnola will surprise you with all they have to offer.
Sea, nature, art, enogastronomy and wonderful hinterland. Reachable by any means, preferably by motorbike 😎
☛ ITINERARY WHAT TO EAT
Riviera Romagnola
Riccione
The city of Riccione, also called the Pearl of the Adriatic, is one of the main destinations of the Riviera Romagnola. Here, you can walk along the beautiful and newly built promenade, dine at any of the beach restaurants, and dance in its many discos. The city also offers the Aquafan amusement park where you can spend the day among the pools and slides.
In the evenings it turns into a discotheque where the best DJs play.
Eating: restaurant Altamarea, da Frenk on the beach, pizzeria Lowenbraun, Ombra
Aperitifs: area 71 - 65 - 80 - 35 or any chiringhito by the sea
Beaches: zone 66 at Cesare's or the beaches in the Fontanelle area (46-19) which are cheaper and have free parking spaces
Discos: Biblos, Villa delle Rose, and Peter Pan are among the best just outside the city
Rimini
With its splendid Malatesta Castle, the Surgeon's House from Roman times, the Augustus Arch and the Tiberius Bridge, Rimini is the perfect city to combine history with entertainment. In the last two years, the city has had a makeover: it now has a beautiful promenade, a refined historic centre together with large, well-equipped beaches. A treat for those who love Fellini, Rimini has several tributes in his honour: the Fulgor cinema in Art Nouveau style with its red velvet and golden interior decorations, Borgo San Giuliano with its fishermen's cottages decorated with paintings and murals, the Grand Hotel a place of dreams and magic where the artist loved to stay in suite 316.
Eating: da Chi Sburon restaurant, piadineria Nud e Crud, piadineria dalla Lela, Pane, Vino e Baghino restaurant, Osteria de Borg (our favourite)
Aperitifs: the cantinette, a series of small bars in the square in the old town centre, also very good for evenings
Beaches: there are equipped and unequipped, areas 44 and nearby also have music in the evening, from there towards the harbour are the most beautiful
Discos: Rock Island built on stilts at the port, Coconuts and Altromondo
Cesenatico
The third maritime stop on our Riviera, Cesenatico is a charming seaside town. Its famous harbour is home to historic colourful wooden boats and all around an ancient village of sailors and fishermen. It is also Italy's bicycle capital, so the Bike Experience is guaranteed!
Eating: restaurant il Trabucco, pizzeria il Giardinetto, Giorgio for meat, fish and pizza
Aperitifs: any bar on the waterfront or at the port, we recommend Mapico along the canal
Beaches: there are both equipped and unequipped, the areas near the port are more comfortable and pretty
Discos: Energy, Molo 9 Cinque
Old villages Romagna
Santarcangelo
The birthplace of Tonino Guerra and Fabio de Luigi, this medieval village is only 13 km from Rimini and is definitely worth a visit. A jewel of our own that has nothing to envy from any other Italian village. Any time of the year is perfect for a visit to Santarcangelo, where you can admire the tufa caves of Colle Jovis, the Torre del Campanone, Porta Cervese, Piazza delle Monache, Chiesa Collegiata, Pieve di San Michele and Sferisterio, all of which lend a magical touch to the town. In Santarcangelo there are many festivals and events in every season: Festa di San Martino, Calici di Vino, Teatro in piazza, and much more.
Eating: you can eat very well! The best kitchens are to be found at La Sangiovesa, Il Lavatoio (beautiful and romantic with jazz evenings), Da Oreste, Calicando, Lazaroun and Trattoria del Passatore, Pizzeria takeaway and by the slice La Rustica, Osteria il Campanone
Aperitifs: any bar in the centre, we recommend Il Cortile di Camilla
Museums: Button Museum, Invisible Waves Museum, visitable private caves (near Osteria da Oreste)
Bars: Il Cortile di Camilla, Ottavino, anything that inspires you because there are so many bars throughout the village
San Leo and Pennabilli
Frequented by Dante Alighieri and San Francesco and by the famous alchemist Count Cagliostro (who was imprisoned here and died), the San Leo village encloses a medieval fortress later transformed into a prison, the Cathedral, the Pieve, the Civic Tower and the church of the Madonna di Loreto. This fort dominates the Valmarecchia and is a very popular tourist destination; the Alchemy festival is also held here in the summer.
To reach San Leo it is possible to cut through San Marino, the oldest republic in the world, and admire a hinterland full of greenery and various villages including Petrella Guidi with its panoramic terrace and homage to Fellini and Pennabilli, a village famous for Tonino Guerra, the Festival of Artists in the square (with lots of acrobats and music until morning) and the Tibetan altar with the Lhasa bell inaugurated by the Dalai Lama.
Eating: Agriturismo La Cegna, Taverna delle Guardie, The Court of Berengario II
Aperitifs: Alchimia bar
Museums: Palazzo Mediceo, Museum of Sacred Art
Maioletto for trekking
Many castles, fortresses and fortresses belong to Romagna, most of which have been restored and can be visited. Others unfortunately not, such as that of Maioletto, an ancient fortress now in ruins but equally fascinating for its position overlooking the entire surrounding area. Why it hasn't arrived intact to the present day is a mystery, even if a legend tells of a mysterious angelic dance, where the population was intent on dancing naked in the rain for three days in a row. Since it was a transgressive dance at the time, an angel admonished the people and hurled a bolt of lightning on the rock which destroyed it and the surrounding houses. Legends aside, the story tells of a bolt of lightning which in 1644 blew up the powder magazine which destroyed a large part of the fortress.
To reach it you need to have a little breath and to do so there are two routes available, the easier one is the one that starts from the church of Maioletto, where at a certain point you can help yourself with a rope to climb the most impervious piece. Or you can take the long path on the Carpegna side and flank the gullies. Nature reigns all around and once you reach the fortress you can see the panorama from above and the part of the mountain that collapsed due to an earthquake that destroyed the local houses in ancient times (around 1700).
Outback in general
We could write endlessly about the villages to visit in Romagna, an inland rich in history and secrets. Whether you are by car or motorbike, you can also visit other small villages such as Coriano with the Marco Simoncelli Museum, Mondaino and the Palio del Daino in mid-August, Montebello and the Azzurrina Castle where you can still hear the laughter of the missing child, Montefiore for the fortress and the chestnut festival in autumn, Montegridolfo restored to its splendor thanks to the stylite Alberta Ferretti and with a beautiful War Museum (the Gothic line passed here). While further north Brisighella and Longiano, where you can savor the typical cuisine such as soft and high piadine, have fun among the gentle curves and discover the history and art that these places want to tell!
Close to Romagna
San Bartolo and Tavullia (Valentino Rossi village)
Attached to the border with Romagna there are two places that we cannot fail to mention.
The first is the marvelous San Bartolo Park: a paradise for bikes and motorbikes. From Gabicce Monte you can admire a sensational panorama of the coast up to Cesenatico; here there are excellent restaurants with a view and a small hamlet where you can take a stroll. Continuing between the curves there are the villages of Casteldimezzo and Fiorenzuola di Focara, from the latter you can go down with a nice walk to the pristine beach with beautiful water.
Finally, near the village of Tavullia with the house of Valentino Rossi, the ranch and the V46.
🥂What to eat in Romagna:
- Cappelletti in brodo (in winter)
- Passatelli in brodo (in winter) or dry in summer
- Tagliatelle (ragù or other)
- Ravioli (thousand flavours)
- Lasagna (in winter)
- Piadina from Romagna with a thousand flavors (luckily all year round)
- Porchetta (our favorite with bread or piadina)
- Grilled fish that we make with bread
Itinerary Map:
