Riccione

In the year of Italian unification 1861, in the six parishes that will make up the territory that in 1922 of the autonomous Municipality of Riccione, a total of just over 1,000 inhabitants live, including the `` Casette '' of the `` old town '', the parish of San Lorezino, other parish nuclei and farmhouses.

1865. After a three-year experimentation, the Omnibus train stops regularly at the Riccione exit until 1891 when the railway station is built.

1867. Don Carlo Tonini, parish priest of the parish of San Martino, in the "old town", after campaigning for the train stop, organizes, in collaboration with the Committee for Marine Hospices in Bologna, he welcomes 106 scrofulous children with the families of the parish. The first summer stays in the 'old country' houses for groups of children with scrofulosis. Iofolosi. The children are housed in some homes in the '' Casette ''.

1877. The Rimini Count Giacinto Martinelli Soleri, in partnership with Emilio Amati, opens the Martinelli Amati Hospice for scrofulous children, in an area close to the sea entrance of the '' Via dei Bagni '' in the area now occupied by the Grand Hotel.

1879. Construction of the Villa Martinelli in viale Principe di Piemonte, today viale Gramsci.

1880. Conte Martinelli designs and implements a master plan on the areas he purchased between the railway and the sea, the Rio Melo and viale Cesare Battisti: it is the first route of tree-lined streets - avenues - of Riccione '' 'marina' ''.

1884. The first villas are built along Viale Viola (later Ceccarini).

1893. Maria Ceccarini inaugurates the hospital dedicated to her husband, the doctor Giovanni Ceccarini, who died a few years earlier, built at his expense for free treatment for the poor in the township of Riccione and the surrounding area. Electric lighting of Viale Viola to the sea, connected to the 'Giovanni Ceccarini' hospital plant.

1901. Maria Ceccarini donates 70,000 lire for the construction of the port and the construction of the Rio Melo.Sebastiano Amati opens the first hotel.Riccione has 3,285 inhabitants of whom 1,082 can read and write.Over forty years Riccione has more than tripled its inhabitants, counting 3,285 residents, of whom 1,082 can read and write.

1905. The Pro-Riccione Company is established to "keep the cause of municipal independence alive"; promoters are Sebastiano Amati, Ausonio Franzoni and Doctor Conte Felice Pullè, originally from Modena.The first bank branch in Riccione opens, Credito Romagnolo, then Banca Piccolo Credito, opens a contact on the main avenue of the town.There are over 200 villas.

1909. Laying the foundation stone of the Church at the sea '' Mater Admirabilis ''.Installation of the first public aqueduct; previously the water was extracted from the wells or transported in barrels from the source of the Fontanelle.

1916. The earthquake destroys the Church of San Lorenzo in Strada, the Martinelli Amati Hospice, the Fontanelle and Trinità towers (headquarters of the finance guard serving the coast) and numerous other buildings.

1919. Formal request for the Ministry of the Interior to set up Riccione in an autonomous municipality.

1926. The Dante Theater opens in viale Ceccarini, formerly Pietro Schedoni theater (1910).The municipal administration deliberates other interventions on the avenue: among the various initiatives, it is decided to sell the poplars that frame it.

1928. Establishment of the Autonomous Care and Stay Company in Riccione.Inauguration of the large ornamental fountain built in Piazzale Roma.

1931. There are 7,170 inhabitants, 86 hotels, 758 private accommodation; guests in the season 34,685, daily presences 963,343.

Text taken from the book "A season of Liberty in Riccione", by Andrea Speziale, Maggioli publisher, Santarcangelo 2010.      *       The "village" of Riccione was built in the last quarter of 1600 along the consular Flaminia, the ancient Roman road built by the consul Gaius Flaminio between 220 and 219 BC. with the aim of connecting Rome with Rimini and, subsequently, with northern Italy and Europe. In previous eras, the population lived far from the coast and mainly on the heights, due to the danger of landings and raids by Pirates of the Outers and Turks. The territory was made safer, following the construction in 1673 of two watchtowers, about 5km apart (Torre delle Fontanelle, not far from the left bank of the Rio Alberello, and Torre della Trinità̀ just after the Rio Marano). a considerable increase in the population in the area identifiable between the current Corso Fratelli Cervi and the "Fosso delle Casette" (now covered), which descended from Scacciano, passing near today's Centro della Pesa, to flow into the Rio Grande ( tributary of the apple tree). The toponym "Casette" will appear in the "Calindri Cadastre" of the year 1774, first the cadastral map of Riccione, then in the "Pontifical" of 1835, and will end up naming the most ancient residential nucleus of the "Old Country" of Riccione.

The historian Ubaldo Marchi from Rimini thus defines the manor in 1743: “A castle with its towers at the four corners, with the walls outside, like the castle walls, with a not small pit around, in which it is customary to go there water and its drawbridge ... one of the factories, or rather the best one in the territory of Rimino ... ". During its heyday, high-ranking personalities stayed here, such as Queen Christina of Sweden, hosted in 1657 during a trip to Rome. In 1743 the castle and the surrounding area were transformed into the headquarters of the Austrian army under the orders of Prince Lobkowitz, whose soldiers committed all sorts of iniquities on the poor inland populations.The building, which over the centuries was subjected to various renovations, suffered extensive damage in the disastrous earthquake of 1786 which made it uninhabitable. The death of Giovanni Battista Agolanti, the last descendant of this dynasty, dates back to 1809, whose events are closely linked to those of Riccione.After several changes of ownership, in 1982 the remains of the castle, used as a farmhouse until the 1960s, were purchased by the municipal administration. Subjected to substantial restructuring, the "castle" was reopened to the public in 1999 for cultural and representative purposes.The earthquake of 1786 caused such serious damage also to the primitive church of San Martino (patron of Riccione), located on the hill "Cà cavret dl'Arvura", (site on which now stands the disco "Echoes", previously called " Prince ''), which was not even rebuilt in its original place, but on the current Corso F.lli Cervi, to be opened for worship in 1788.Of this church, which has preserved the body of Blessed Alessio, much revered by the local population (in particular with the annual feast of the Sunday after Easter, the "Sunday in Albis"), he was parish priest for over thirty years in the nineteenth century , Don Carlo Tonini. This priest, cultured and passionate organizer of initiatives in favor of the Riccione community, deserves to be counted among the pioneers of that "hospitality industry" which still represents Riccione's main economy.Tonini worked, among other things, for the train stop, which Riccione will get from January 1, 1862, to become regular from 1865. The railway system marked a turning point in the history of Riccione, favoring its development, first economic, then tourist ; in fact it diverted the traffic of agricultural goods with the surrounding countryside from via Flaminia to the railway line on the coast and contributed to the movement of the core of the city from the so-called country to the '' Marina '', where an increasing number of riccionesi saw in a first form of family management of seaside tourism a new source of income. The station was built in 1891; thanks to it, foreigners, who first came from Flaminia on horseback or carriage, were able to use the train from that moment on.

In the "Old Country", two works that have arisen thanks to the enlightened and far-sighted charity of Maria Boorman Wheeler Ceccarini still fulfill their civil and social role: the Children's Garden, inaugurated in 1891, and the Hospital, in the name of her husband Giovanni ( 1893). For these two meritorious works, the financing of the construction of the port and the arrangement of the Rio Melo, in addition to the substantial donations for the benefit of the Mutual Aid Society and the support of many needy people, Riccione since the end of the nineteenth century owes constant gratitude to this generous American philanthropist. Riccione Paese also preserves the memory of an illustrious son of his: Igino Righetti (1904-1939), one of the most significant figures of the Catholic movement of the twentieth century, who as president of the Italian Catholic University Federation (FUCI) in the thirties worked alongside Giovanni Battista Montini, future Pope Pius VI.Righetti's birth is documented in the eighteenth-century building located at the intersection of Corso F.lli Cervi and viale Anzio.On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the birth of the Romagna intellectual, who died prematurely at the age of thirty-five, the square adjacent to the birthplace was dedicated to him, together with a sculptural group created by the artist from Anselmo Giardini from Riccione.Riccione still preserves a heritage of historic buildings that have marked an era and still transmit living testimonies of fashions, styles, cultural and artistic ferments (from Art Nouveau to Rationalism) of our most recent past which have involved not only life, but also the urban layout of what, from a simple seaside village, has become a pleasant holiday resort.Buildings such as villa Antolini, villa Pullè, villa Emilia, pension Florence, villa Franceschi, villino Graziosi, villino Levi, villa Mussolini, villa Lodi Fè are valuable examples of how an elite, made up of families settled permanently in Riccione ortemporary vacationers, has given prestige to the town, contributing to its embellishment from an architectural point of view, in particular in the area called Abyssinia and in the one currently located between Viale Ceccarini and Viale Diaz.

Some buildings come to us from the past, such as the synthesis of successive alterations linked to different conceptions of housing: a small villa along via Milano, at No. 91, inspired by the experimental models of seaside houses presented at the V Triennale di Milano in 1933, is the result of the building transformation (which took place at the end of the 1940s) of an old house built at the beginning of the century on the Riccione seafront. The delimitation of the patio through the structural elements and the large window facing the sea is worthy of attention, aimed at emphasizing the close relationship between the interior and exterior of the building26. Other prestigious villas, still preserved in good condition, can be admired along via Francesco Baracca. Among these, Villa Fontana at No. 18 (renowned for its precious marbles inside), Villa Morara at No. 21, other buildings at No. 15 and No. 4 deserve attention.On 28 October 1938 the Palazzo del Turismo was officially inaugurated, built on a project by Gogliardo Ossani, a surveyor from Rimini (Piacenza by birth), by the construction company of Paolo Semprini.As highlighted by the press of the time, Riccione was the first of the seaside resorts to have a specific structure for entertainment and tourism promotion. The style was unequivocally inspired by the architecture of the fascist regime and in particular in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome."The people of Romagna" of 23 July 1938, which dedicates an entire page to "Riccione - The Green Pearl of the Adriatic", writes: "It is an imposing building with harmonious lines, externally all covered with classic travertine and marble inside of. It rises on a large area of ​​Viale Dante, part of which is arranged in the garden and part, that is, the central one, left free for various events such as concerts, folkloric gatherings etc. ". The original structure, gradually modified until the significant expansion of the 80s of the twentieth century, which saw the construction of another floor (designed by engineer Franco Faina and architect Angelo Semprini), represented, in addition to being a symbol , the driving force par excellence of Riccione's internationally recognized tourism.In its seventy years of life, the Palazzo del Turismo has hosted events of great prestige and resonance, among which we remember: the Riccione Prize for theater, the International Stamp Fair, the National Numismatic Salon, the Hobbies Fair and the vintage postcard.Currently its direct competitor stands next to the now old Palazzo del Turismo: the huge Palacongressi inaugurated on May 24, 2008 and built on the site where the cinema-theater Turismo was located together with private buildings. The Palazzo dei Congressi in Riccione, built on a project by Passarelli is a majestic building made entirely of glass and steel that stands in the center of the city, a feature that is not usual for most of the major European structures.

From all these rules we can see how much the administration was concerned with preserving an image of a tourist city for the wealthier classes: Riccione therefore continued to fight for its prestige, as it had done for autonomy. The element of greenery, in particular, had to be always present: only if a garden was created for each new villa could the image of "garden city" and the reputation of the green pearl of the Adriatic be maintained, indeed increased.A secure source of income for the coffers of the new municipality came from the sale of the beaches.In the winter of 24-25, 49,685 m2 of beaches were sold, for a total of 511,295 lire, equivalent to more than a quarter of the entire municipal budget of that period.In the following years the Municipality increased the price of the land and bought others; since '23 Riccione purchased, at advantageous prices, another 100,000 m2 of sandy beaches from the State property in the area that currently runs from Viale Verdi to the border with Misano Adriatico, which in part used to build new streets and squares, in part sold to private individuals with a consistent reloading.This policy, if on the one hand it increased the municipal resources, facilitating the development, in the long run it caused a proliferation of buildings on the waterfront that closed the sea view, penalizing the landscape, with results already visible from the mid-thirties.The administrators of the new municipality also took care to regulate the housing development and to standardize the buildings from both a hygienic and aesthetic point of view, starting studies for a new regulatory plan as early as 1923.And in that year Villa Antolini was built, an architectural "unicum", the result of the creative genius of Mario Mirko Vucetich.

Text by Fosco Rocchetta. | With Royal Decree n. 1439 of 19 October 1922, a few days before the march on Rome (28 October), and the advent of fascism to power, our city finally recognized its aspiration to municipal autonomy. After years of repeated protests and civil battles of the population, started since the last decades of the nineteenth century, and also supported by the owners of the first villas, Riccione could finally abandon the role of a simple hamlet or "village", as it was most of the time mentioned in the publications and even in the illustrative brochures of the Rimini capital, to become, in the span of a few decades, one of the most renowned seaside resorts in Italy.Regardless of any judgment of merit on the changed national and local political conditions, administrative autonomy stimulated the economic and civil growth of a community that had long wanted to govern itself, to be fully responsible for its future. Once the turmoil that had characterized most of the previous summer ceased, the local chronicles underline a significant increase in the tourist movement, also of foreign origin, also favored by a rich program of sports, recreational and cultural initiatives aimed at the entertainment of the guests of the "Pearl". green of the Adriatic ".In the cultural field, the Futurist art exhibition, inaugurated on August 30, 1923, arouses great interest, none other than Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (Alexandria of Egypt 1876- Bellagio 1944), founding father of Futurism, the first Italian historical avant-garde, which “ he made a long speech. " Unfortunately, the magazine from which the news of this extraordinary event was drawn, is limited to a brief mention, and further research carried out in newspapers and periodicals of the time, so far unsuccessful, does not allow us to illustrate in greater detail was the character of the review, to know the exhibition venue and the names of the artists who presented their works. The adhesion of such a personality of European art leads us to believe that it was a manifestation of some importance in the artistic panorama of the time, with the participation of painters probably only "influenced" by that cultural movement that invested strongly disruptive the figurative arts. It can be assumed that it was organized in one of the few hotels then equipped with "multipurpose" spaces, which could host concerts, performances, and other forms of entertainment, given the total absence, in a municipality that took its first steps, of structures public accommodation, such as municipal halls or the Palazzo del Turismo which was built several years later in 1938. From the same documentary source, it is assumed that the organizers were the "Messrs. Pedrini and Mingozzi, and that annexed to the exhibition, there is a display of advertising signs of the Casa Argo in Bologna ". An advertising agency is mentioned, which was active in Bologna in the 1920s and 1930s, of which posters, billboards, brochures and postcards are known, produced for various seaside and spa resorts.Two years later, in 1925, the new civic administration, noting the remarkable professionalism in the communication sector, will order this company to order the first advertising poster in Riccione, with the words: "The green pearl of the Adriatic".This motto, which for many years has distinguished the tourist offer of our city internationally, accompanies the image of a seductive mermaid dancing on the waves of the sea holding a crown of red roses in her hands: in the background, the golden beach with the bathers, the cabins and the colorful umbrellas of the "Delightful Stay of the Romagna Riviera": a location already capable of responding to a growing demand for holidays, and destined, in a few years, to excel among the seaside resorts of Italy.