Sunshine and Lavori in Corso, Rimini

Zagan the motorhome hasn’t moved today, he’s been resting his wheels at Rimini Parking (N44.06076, E12.57804), while we’ve been having a look around the place.

Leaving Charlie for some extra sleep – he’d need it for an afternoon on the beach – we started off with a walk through the park that runs down the south of the town. The sun was shining and it seemed as though everyone was out and about, mainly on bicycles. Jay likened it to the opening scene of star trek, but the stars flying at you were replaced by bicycles, some of them very close.

The Arch of Augustus was the entrance to the town in Roman times and it looks like it has survived well, then Jay reminded me of what he’s read about Rimini last night. During World War II it was the scene of the Battle of Rimini, where the town, already ruined by 92 air raids, had 1,470,000 rounds of allied artillery fired at it. This led to a long discussion about post-war rebuilding – how did they get places looking the same? do they look the same? but mainly, how on earth did they do it after so much destruction and so many lives lost?

The original of this is in the Imperial War Museum in London, it does make you wander what the rest of the town looked like.

The summer sun soon took away thoughts of war as we wandered along the routes of the old Roman roads, people watching. Reaching Piazza Cavour it looked like every school in the area was out on a trip today as groups of teenagers were herded like cats by teachers who looked way younger than I remember my teachers being. We didn’t fancy going in any of the museums or galleries, the weather was far too nice. Instead we spent a good couple of hours just looking around the place.

Roman Tiberius bridge is still being used today, however the river ends next to it, so it’s only been kept as a reason to keep the bridge.

Rimini is undergoing a massive redevelopment programme at the moment, seven years of it. The whole of the waterfront is being redeveloped to remove the road running along the front and possibly the run-down beach bars and sunbed hire places; this area on the plans was a bit vague. The major buildings in the town are having a spruce up too, so there is lots of lavori in corso (work in progress).

Piazza Cavour with work going on behind Pope Paul V

Work was also in progress in the churches, all being cleaned and emergency chairs laid out ready for an influx of worshippers for Holy Week which starts on Monday.

Clothes on the rail to the right and something on the wall ready for a big reveal – Tempio Malatestiano is ready for Easter

Looks like Padre Pio (an icon seen throughout Italy) is beating Jesus in the lit candle contributions

I loved the tubby cherubs in Tempio Malatestiano

We sought out a small place selling piada, the region’s version of a wrap, so we could try one. We both recognised the main ingredient in what we ordered, but unsure of what would come with it – Jay even got a ‘Bravo’ for his pronunciation. For our trouble I got a parma ham and cheese piada and Jay got sausage and aubergine – both were delicious and we declared a draw in the taste challenge. After biting into them though we soon realised that we’ve been eating piada every time we come to Italy as the thick wraps are the ones we buy to use to make our easy pizza.

After a post lunch nap for me in Zagan, I’m getting into the swing of Italian things, we headed over to the beach with Charlie. He loves a beach, and we love watching him on the beach as he becomes a puppy again – barking for sticks to be thrown so he can chase after them, nearly all signs of his arthritis gone. Jay threw countless the sticks into the sea and in Charlie went to ‘save’ each one of them. Each time bringing the sticks back up the beach to the line of flotsam before heading back to the shore to save another poor stick. Getting quite soaked in the process.

Wiping a wet face on the sand is never a good way to clean it

Further along the sand there was more lavori in corso as the beach was being prepared for the summer. The huge sandbank than runs along the middle of it to protect the beach bars was being removed by a JCB and put into three large lorries, while several tractors ran up and down gathering up the rubbish and cleaning the sand. They have a huge job on, but slowly the resort is coming out of hibernation.

Making the most of free access to the beach ahead of the summer, the locals were collecting these as the tide went out – you’d need a lot for meal.

I’m pretty sure my Grandma used to come here for her holidays in the 1980’s and I can see why. The hotels look great and the beach is huge, you have the old town just half a kilometre from the sea and I suspect above all, the slot machines may have had something to do with it!

It’s Friday night and vans are arriving as I type this. People finishing work and jumping into their vans to head here for the weekend, and I can’t blame them. I do like Rimini – out of season!

Ju x