Things to see and do Rimini

Symbol of the city, it was erected in 27 B.C. in honour of the Emperor Augustus who had just connected the via Flaminia to the via Emilia. The construction has the peculiarity of being the oldest Roman arch to have come down to us. Built in white Istrian stone, it has a large opening framed by Corinthian columns. The battlements are much later: they were added in the Middle Ages. The arch was indeed the main gate of the city until the 1930s when the ramparts were demolished.

Begun in 14 AD under Augustus, this bridge over the river Marecchia was completed in 21 AD by Tiberius, who gave it his name. It is built of massive stone from Istria and has five semicircular arches whose width decreases from the centre to the banks. During the Second World War this was the only bridge in Rimini that was not dynamited, apparently saved by a German officer who prevented its destruction. In summer, boat trips are organized on the Marecchia around the bridge; ask at the tourist office.

It was built between 1437 and 1446 at the behest of Sigismondo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, who would have designed the plans and benefited from the advice of the great Florentine architect Brunelleschi. This imposing fortress, the seat of a garrison, also housed the court of Sigismondo and symbolized his supremacy over the city. The castle has undergone major changes during its history and only the central part remains today. If it is not visited, it regularly hosts exhibitions and various events.

It is one of the most beautiful monuments of the Renaissance. The old Gothic church was transformed between 1447 and 1460 by Sigismondo Malatesta, who is buried there. To do this, he called on the greatest artists of his time: for the façade, the Florentine architect Leon Battista Alberti was inspired by ancient Roman architecture and the model of the triumphal arch. Inside, there is a remarkable fresco by Piero della Francesca depicting Sigismondo Malatesta praying in front of San Sigismondo. Behind the altar is a Crucifix made by Giotto in 1312.

His name comes from the three partisans who were executed here in 1944. It occupies the site of the ancient Roman forum and, according to legend, Julius Caesar harangue his soldiers here after crossing the Rubicon in 49 B.C. The Torre dell'Orologio is located here: built in 1547 and rebuilt in 1753 to a design by Giovan Francesco Buonamici, the two-handed hour dial features Roman numerals and fleur-de-lys for the halves. Towards the Place Cavour, a neighbourhood of pretty, lively alleys with lots of bistros and cafés develops.

This is the historic heart of the city. There is the Teatro Galli, inaugurated in 1857 by Giuseppe Verdi with the premiere of Aroldo, the statue of Pope Paul V and a 16th century fountain. The square is bordered by several ancient palaces, among which the Palazzo dell'Arengo, from 1204, with frescoes from the 14th and 16th centuries. Piazza Cavour is also home to the Vecchia Pescheria, one of the most suggestive places in the city. Built in 1747, you can still see the old marble stalls where fishermen used to sell clams.

While traversing it via Marecchia, one arrives at Borgo San Giuliano, a charming neighborhood of fishermen which kept intact his atmosphere of formerly, with his houses with the tones pastel, often decorated frescoes in tribute to scenario writer Federico Fellini. Fellini and his wife, Giulietta Masina, liked much to walk in the quiet narrow streets of the neighborhood. Every two years, the combination Società de' Borg organizes Festa de' Borg at the time which the narrow streets of the village become the theater in concerts and various shows.

The museum includes an archaeological section devoted to Roman Rimini, with mosaics and the collection of surgical instruments from the Domus del Chirurgo, as well as a pinacoteca with a large collection of paintings from the 14th to the 19th century. Noteworthy are works by Giovanni Bellini, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Guercino. Rooms are dedicated to René Gruau (pseudonym of Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli delle Caminate, 1909-2004), a Franco-Italian artist from Rimini, famous for his illustrations for fashion and advertising.

The "Surgeon's House" is an archaeological site dating back to the 1st century BC. From the 3rd century, this Roman domus was occupied by a doctor called Eutyches. The house was then burnt down during a barbarian invasion, with the result that its mosaics, frescoes and the material it contained have come down to us. Exceptional remains of the surgery remain, such as the hospital bed, the office table and above all an incredible collection of 150 surgical instruments, kept in the Museo della Città.