Everyone on the beaches of the Riviera of Rimini

With its sandy beach, which runs from Bellaria Igea Marina down to Cattolica, the Riviera of Rimini (www.riviera.rimini.it) is one of the most important tourism basins in Europe. Birthplace of the film director Federico Fellini, the Riviera of Rimini is in a central position in Italy and is easily reached thanks to air links with the main European and non-European cities (www.riminigo.com). It offers the most complete and competitive network of accommodation facilities in Emilia Romagna (including hotels, holiday farms, B&B and campsites), as well as efficient conference tourism facilities, with a large exhibition centre, excellent fish restaurants and lively nightlife. The fine sandy beach is divided into dozens of bathing establishments where guests can sunbathe or practice the most varied and fun sports activities, including beach tennis, beach basketball, beach volleyball and aqua gym. It overlooks the Adriatic Sea, whose shallow waters are ideal for families with children, although it is also a haven for surfing and water-skiing enthusiasts and water sports lovers in general. On the first weekend in July, the Riviera dedicates a fantastic all-night event, called La Notte Rosa, to women (www.lanotterosa.it), whilst at the end of the summer a Moto GP race is hosted here.

The Seignory of the Malatesta, the lush inland area

Cycling tourism, trekking, golf, climbing and horse-riding. Excellent food and wine specialities, historical villages, small nature oases, thousand-year-old castles. Traditional museums, such as the one dedicated to the ancient Villanovan civilization in Verucchio, and outdoor museums. Events, food festivals and fetes deeply rooted in tradition and in the present. The inland area of the Riviera of Rimini, now renamed the Seignory of the Malatesta (www.signoriadeimalatesta.it) in honour of the noble family that ruled here from the Middle Ages onwards, is the natural, cultural and gastronomic heart and soul of a territory that stretches from the sea as far as the borders with the Montefeltro in the Marche region, the ancient Republic of San Marino and even Tuscany. A journey to discover local arts and crafts and the most famous and prestigious wine cellars, enchanted by fragrances and flavours that thrill visitors, such as homemade pasta (such as tagliatelle, strozzapreti, ravioli, gnocchi and cappelletti) served with meat sauce, piadina - the symbol of local cuisine - cheeses, meats, cured meats and salamis, olive oil and honey.

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