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Rimini's Piazza Cavour photo (c)
Paolo Marini
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Rimini Monuments
Rimini: large
equipped beaches to host every summer tourists that come here by
thousand. Night-life, gastronomy, Fellini and the sea have made
famous this city and his coast.
Rimini’s history begins from the beach. Up to
800,000 years ago, primitive man inhabited the coastal area as far
back as the hillside of Covignano.
From pre-historical times, the
road to civilization passed through the main evolutionary stages,
taking Rimini to the forefront of the Roman era.
Rimini,
which consists of an extensive sea-beach side and an old heart, the
town center, is an open, hospitable and people-friendly city.
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In the
center of Rimini, the ancient narrow streets and squares such as Corso
d’Augusto, Via Gambalunga, Piazza Cavour, Piazza Tre Martiri and
Piazza Ferrari are pedestrian zones and some parts, like the 'old
fish market square', are a popular meeting place for young people in
particular, who have become even more numerous now that Rimini is an
important university center with over 5,000 students.
Near the old
stone counters where fish was once sold, trendy bars and pubs have
opened turning this charming 'little square' into the heart of
'nightlife' in Romagna.
Rimini Monuments
The Arengo and Podestà Palaces
Under the Arengo Palace’s portico, which dates from 1204, justice
was administered and the municipal assembly met in the hall with
multi-lancet windows situated on the first floor. Next door, is the
fourteenth century Podestà residence where the entrance is
underlined by an arch with Malatesta symbols. Garampi Palace, which
is now the municipal residence, was built at the end of the
sixteenth century, modifying the façades of the Arengo and Podestà
Palaces. Following an earthquake in 1916, which brought to light
remains of the medieval buildings, restoration work was carried out
that redesigned the palaces in Neo-gothic style.
The church of San Giovanni Evangelista
known as Sant’Agostino church. The Agostiniani built the church,
which is rectangular-shaped with an apse and two side chapels, in
the thirteenth century. The decorations that remain in part consist
of frescoes and a wooden crucifix attributed to the fourteenth
century Rimini school of art. In the eighteenth century, Ferdinando
Bibiena modified the façades and the interior, which was enriched
with stuccoes and frescoes by Vittorio Maria Bigari. The
fourteenth-century painting was actually hidden and only came to
light in 1916 following an earthquake. The Giudizio universale,
which is on the triumphal arch, was removed in 1926 and is now
housed in the Municipal Museum of Rimini.
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Rimini Arengo photo (c)
Paolo Marini
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The
Arch of Augustus
As its inscription declares, the arch was built in 27 B.C. as an
honorary gate to celebrate Octavian Augustus. It once formed part of
the stone-built city walls, the remains of which are still visible,
but is now isolated because the adjacent structures were demolished
in the 1930’s. The structure, which was originally topped by a
parapet bearing a statue of the Emperor, is richly decorated with
religious and political references. In fact, the divinities
represented in the round shields (Jupiter, Apollo, Neptune and Rome)
recall the grandeur of Rome and of Augustus himself.
The Malatesta Temple
Giotto decorated the Temple, which was built on the site of the 13th
century church of San Francesco, and indeed one of his wooden
crucifixes is still housed inside. It was conceived by Sigismondo
Pandolfo Malatesta as a memorial tomb for his family and although
building work began in 1447 it was still incomplete on his death.
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The temple was designed by Leon Battista Alberti and Matteo dei
Pasti and Agostino di Duccio created the bas-relief decorations in
the chapels, which highlight the dominant personality of the
commissioner who was celebrated by Piero della Francesca in his
fresco of the prince and San Sigismondo.
The temple, which was recently consecrated a basilica, has undergone
restoration work financed by the Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini
Foundation. Its completion, in Jubilee year, returned the marble and
bright colors of the interior chapels to their former splendor.
Castel Sismondo or Malatesta Fortress
Building work on Sigismondo Malatesta’s residence-fortress began in
1437 and lasted around 15 years. Today, unfortunately only the
central nucleus remains. The castle appears on numerous Malatesta
medals as well as on Piero della Francesca’s fresco in the Malatesta
Temple where it is depicted with towers, walls, a wide moat and an
imposing keep. On the inscription at the entrance, Sigismondo claims
responsibility for the building ex fundaments, but it actually
incorporated several older buildings. In the 17th century, the
building became a Papal fortress and was then used as a prison until
1967. Nowadays, it is the prestigious venue for numerous cultural
events.
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Pigna Fountain
The heart of medieval Piazza Cavour is the fountain, which also
features in the painting of the city housed in the Malatesta Temple.
Even Leonardo da Vinci was enchanted by the harmony of the
waterspouts when he passed through Rimini in 1502. Giovanni Carrari
from Bergamo restored it after damage caused in 1540 by fireworks
placed in the tub to celebrate a high prelate lending it its present
shape, which respects the original ancient layout. A statue of Saint
Paul once crowned the fountain but was replaced in the nineteenth
century by the 'Pigna' (pine cone) that gives the fountain its name.
The Amphitheatre
The Amphitheatre, which dates from the second century as a coin of
the Emperor Hadrian found buried in the walls testifies, was
situated close to where the coast once was. It was originally a
sombre brick structure, consisting of two superimposed orders with a
colonnade of 60 arches.
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Rimini's Piazza Cavour photo (c)
Paolo Marini
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It was an extremely impressive sight,
particularly when approaching from the sea.
The Amphitheatre was
elliptical-shaped and measured 117.7 x 88 meters while the arena was
73 x 44 meters wide, almost the same as those found in the great
amphitheatres. Gladiatorial events held here drew at least 15,000
spectators at a time.
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Rimini's Tiberio Bridge photo (c)
Paolo Marini
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Tiberius Bridge
As the inscription on the internal parapets recalls, work on the
bridge over the Marecchia River, then known as Ariminus, began under
the Emperor Augustus in 14 A.D. and was completed under Tiberius in
21 A.D.
The bridge still connects the city center to Borgo San
Giuliano and leads to the consular roads Via Emilia and Via Popilia
that lead north. Built in Istria stone, the bridge consists of five
arches that rest on massive pillars with breakwater spurs set at an
oblique angle with respect to the bridge’s axis in order to follow
the current.
The bridge’s structure on the other hand, rests on a
practical system of wooden poles. Courtesy of
Rimini Tourist Board
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(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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