Rimini by Motorhome

Zagan the motorhome is located in a guarded sosta in central Rimini, on Italy’s Adriatic coast (N44.06076, E12.57804). It costs €10 a night to stay here (a bit more for 230V and services), roughly equivalent to 20 pints of Lidl’s finest lager, and feels worth every cent. Hitting the coast today, we found it’s pretty intense to drive around here and free camping opportunities looked sparse. As there are eight Italian motorhomes on this sosta too, and Italians like to pay even less than I do, it looks like a reasonable call to pay to park, even this far out of season. To hell with it, we’ve booked in for two nights! The sosta’s a 10 min walk from the endless beach, and an even shorter walk to the old town to my left.

Motorhome parking in central Rimini. See www.riminiparking.it for info

The rain yesterday at Imola swung the decision for today: let’s hit the coast. After Ju’d topped up our bottles with free spring water (no, we have no idea why towns provide this service), Zagan was pointed to a Lidl along the Roman Via Emilia. Arriving to a height barrier, we went local and popped our mighty hulk to one side of the road while Ju legged it around the place. Cupboards again rammed, we set our sights to a sosta south of Rimini, arriving to this:

Actually there were a whole host of those ‘go away’ signs, so we went away, re-programming the sat nav for here, Rimini itself. Within about 2 minutes of setting off, we found ourselves confronted with these facts: (a) the one-way road we were on was partly blocked by a cement lorry and we couldn’t pass, (b) the only way past was through a shop forecourt, which cars could fit through but not us (c) the only possible escape route was up a one-way street to our left, the wrong way up it, past no entry signs. The guys working on the building site made a valiant, but ultimately fruitless attempt to get us out, so option c it was. Ju legged it up the road ahead of me to try and stop anyone coming the other way but we got lucky and popped out the other end like a cork.

From there on in, it became obvious that Rimini’s one built-up paradise. If you like your resorts jam-packed with hotels, restaurants and clubs, and devoid of anywhere to park longer than 30 seconds, this is ya place! I’ll fess up. I’d been driving a couple of hours on Italian roads by this point, which equates to about 17 hours on any other European roads. Driving here is helped by a kind of ‘diffusion of vision’, trying to spot umpteen hazards and gently avoid them by not focussing on any one of them. Fortunately for me, I have Ju, and she spotted the 2.70m height warning before we wedged ourselves under Italy’s coastal railway system.

We’re in the circled P. Just to the left and towards the sea, you’ll spot a 2.70m height restriction. Fortunately for me, Ju also spotted it! It is the only sub 3m railway underpass around here, so Ju found us another one and in we came

In, relieved and starting to relax, we’ve spent the afternoon on the beach. Freezing as it happens, but on a beach nevertheless. It’s been about 2 months since we last saw the sea up at the Channel, and we’ve enjoyed a flotsam-kicking amble. No, dogs are not allowed on the beach. But this is Italy. Dogs were already on the beach when we arrived. The law here is more of an aspirational thing sometimes, than something to be slavishly adhered to; for more info: read up on Silvio Berlusconi.

Beach time for team Zagan!

Rimini’s endless beach. Chopped into private sections in-season, a free-for-all out of season

The town’s being ‘nobbed up’ at the moment, with bulldozers working on a new entrance to the beach, and tradesmen jumping from vans and pick-ups left right and centre. All of the bars along the edge of the sea remain mothballed, but inland a block places are starting to open. In-season, you’ll pay €15 a day for an umbrella on the beach and a couple of sun loungers, and an all-night bus runs to ferry folks between hotels and the campsite to some of Italy’s maddest night life.

At the moment things are gentle. Even to the point fishing boats pull into the quayside and sell their catch to small hordes of Italians awaiting their supper!

Freshest ever fish being sold direct from the boat in Rimini

Right. That’s it. Beer and wine are lined up on the table, and after today’s whacky races thirsty I am! Take it easy folks.

Ju in Rimini

Hahahahahah! (Edit – note to self, if Jay asks me to stick my head in a hole in future, I’ll check what’s on the other side – Ju)

Cheers, Jay