A Trip Via Rimini - The Previous and Present1646472
If Sigismondo Malatesta a well-known 15th Century Lord of Rimini came back, what would he make of Rimini today? Apart from some of the apparent variations in between the renaissance city of Malatesta and the modern city today, (Malatesta's castle is still standing) the presence of cars, modern buildings and electrical lighting would probably amaze him. The most amazing factor although apart from the above would probably be Rimini's move to the coast.
The city of Rimini in Malatesta's era had its defences inland which ran around what is today known as the centro storico. When Sigismondo Malatesta came to energy he decided a alter was in order and promptly embarked on a vast building programme which integrated the Tempio
Malatesta - 1 of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in Europe - and his huge and very contemporary fortress, the Rocca Malatesta. The city of Malatesta was constructed on top of the existing city - in other words on the website of the Roman city of Ariminum which was founded in the year 286 B.C. Malatesta used the existing Roman monuments at the time, such as the famous Ponte di Tiberio and Arco d'Augustoand incorporated them into his city. These well-known monuments can nonetheless be seen these days on your trip to Rimini.
Taking a walk about Rimini these days, Malatesta would discover the beautiful sandy beaches and their magnetism quite puzzling during the summer months. Back in Malatesta's day the practice of lying in the sun on the beach and going for a dip would have been strange if not harmful as the beaches back then were places for smuggling and brigandry as they had been away from the city of Rimini's primary defences. Italian cities just like
Rimini had been frequently at war with every other and had been in continuous conflict with their neighbours. Malatesta, throughout his life was in a continuous energy struggle with Federico da Montefeltro, Lord of Urbino and also the Pope.We also know that Pope Pius II excommunicated Sigismondo in 1460 declaring him a heretic.
So when did Rimini begin to turn out to be a city that is, for Italians and the numerous vacationers from the world over, synonymous with sun, sea, and sand? In his fascinating study of the history of sea bathing in Rimini - Una costa lunga due secoli (Panozzo Editore), Professor Feruccio Farina, of the University of Urbino, sheds light on 1 of the first tourist to take a dip in the stunning sea in Rimini. Her name was Elisabeth Kenny, and she was the young Irish wife of a Roman noble. Professor Feruccio Farina says that she is recorded as having visited the city of Rimini in the summer time month of August of 1790 (over 300 years following the death of Sigismondo Malatesta), and stayed for more than two weeks to benefit from the fantastic sea air and waves.
Rimini is one of those classic holiday destinations for Italians and tourist alike. Rimini has been blessed with sun, sand and sea as well as culture. The classic beach holiday and culture vacation coexist here in Rimini a lot to the delight of all that arrive here. Rimini is effortlessly reached by numerous direct flights from numerous cities around Europe.
