It has been great to connect with Monia Magalotti, whose passion for her hometown of Rimini is infectious. Monia is a Rimini tour guide who loves showing travelers all the pleasures of this place.
I’ve been intrigued by Rimini ever since I saw the Federico Fellini Oscar Award Winning Masterpiece, Amarcord, which was inspired by his childhood here. The town has named their airport in his honor!
I’m so grateful Monia has joined in to share with us her advice for a Golden Day in Rimini: .
Rimini is known worldwide as a seaside resort and as the hometown of the movie director Federico Fellini, but it is also a very ancient town, founded by the Romans in 268 b.C., boasting beautiful and interesting monuments, dating back to different times.
There are many good cafés to choose from. In the center is Caffe Cavour (Piazza Cavour 12), or if you are close to the beach, go to Caffé Pascucci, in Marina Centro (Via Circonvallazione 16/A), that serves a lot of different coffee combinations.
See the town: The Malatesta Temple (Via Quattro Novembre), now the Cathedral of Rimini, is an outstanding example of Renaissance architecture. It was commissioned by Sigismondo Malatesta, the magnificent and powerful Lord of Rimini from 1432 to 1468, who brought on the architect Leon Battista Alberti to wrap the 13th century Gothic church into a new shell of white marble, so it would become a mausoleum for him and his lover and later his wife, Isotta degli Atti. Though the work was never entirely completed, it’s still a beautiful place to see. Inside is a wooden Crucifix by Giotto, a fresco by Piero della Francesca and bas-reliefs and sculptures by Agostino di Duccio.
The Tiberius’ bridge-Ponte di Tiberio (Via Aemilia), is an imposing structure from the days of Ancient Rome, built between the years 14 and 21 AD. In 2014, we’re celebrating the 2000 Year Anniversary of this bridge!
Other treasures from the Roman period include The Arch of Augustus,the ancient Roman city gate..
And the “Domus del chirurgo” (the surgeon’s house), a complex where archaeologists found the largest set of ancient Roman surgical instruments, dating from about 250 AD.
In the central Piazza Cavour, you’ll find medieval buildings and the fish market, that’s been around since 1747.
A favorite place for gelato there is Gelateria il Castello(Via Dario Campana 1 and Piazza Cavour 11) where flavours of the month vary depending on the season.
For aperitivo, I would suggest Antica Drogheria Spazi (5, p. Cavour, 054123439), a place frequented by locals and tourists. Of if you are by the beachfront, a popular bar/restaurant for aperitivo, with a friendly atmosphere, is Barrumba(Lungomare Murri 79, 3297275812 )
There are lots of great restaurants in Rimini.
When I feel like eating meat, I go to Osteria Tiresia, a typical country restaurant where of corse you can eat tasty homemade pasta, but I always have a piada, plain grilled Tagliata di Manzo (finely-cut beef fillet) with grilled vegetables and piadina, our typical flat unleavened bread.
If you’re looking for fresh fish, caught off the coast, you can choose Osteria Il Pescato del Canevone. There is no regular menu here: you can read the daily specials, completely based on the catch of the day, written on a black board! Even the place is unusual: the building was a medieval two-story house, changed into a proper warehouse (canevone!) in the XV century.
Stay at I-Suite(Viale Regina Elena 28) the first all-suite design hotel of the Rimini Riviera.
Grazie Mille Monia, I look forward to you showing me around Rimini soon!
