Rimini () is a city in the
Emilia-Romagna region of
Italy and capital city of the
Province of Rimini. It is located on the
Adriatic Sea, near the coast between the rivers
Marecchia (the ancient Ariminus) and Ausa (Aprusa). Coast navigation and fishing are traditional industries and, together with
Riccione, it is probably the most famous seaside resort on the Adriatic Riviera.
History
Ancient history
thumb|left|The Arch of Augustus (27 BC).In 268 BC at the mouth of the Ariminus river, in an area that had previously been inhabited by the
Etruscans, the
Umbrians, the
Greeks and the
Gauls, the
Romans founded the
colony of
Ariminum, probably from the name of a nearby river,
Ariminus (today,
Marecchia). It was seen as a bastion against invading Gaul and also as a springboard for conquering the Padana plain. Rimini was a road junction connecting central Italy (
Via Flaminia) and northern Italy (
Via Aemilia that led to
Piacenza and Via Popilia) and it also opened up trade by sea and river.
In the sixth century BC, it was taken by the Gauls; after their last defeat (283 BC), it returned to the Umbri and became in 263 BC a
Latin colony, very helpful to the Romans during the late Gallic wars.
The city was involved in the civil wars but remained faithful to the popular party and to its leaders, firstly
Marius and then
Caesar. After crossing the
Rubicon, the latter made his legendary appeal to the legions in the Forum of Rimini.
Rimini drew the attention of many Roman emperors, including
Augustus who did much for the city and
Hadrian in particular. This great period in its history was embodied by the construction of prestigious monuments such as the Arch of Augustus, Tiberius' Bridge and the Amphitheatre and
Galla Placida built the church of San Stefano.
Crisis in the Roman world was marked by destruction caused by invasions and wars, but also by the testimony of the palaces of the Imperial officers and the first churches, the symbol of the spread of
Christianity that held an important
Council in Rimini in 359.
Middle Ages
thumb|left| Portrait of [[Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta|Sigismondo Malatesta called
the Wolf of Rimini, by
Piero della Francesca, c. 1450,
Louvre.]]
When the Goths conquered Rimini in 493,
Odoacer, besieged in Ravenna, had to capitulate. During the
Gothic War Rimini was taken and retaken many times. In its vicinity the Byzantine general
Narses overthrew (553) the
Alamanni. Under Byzantine dominion it belonged to the
Pentapolis, part of the
Exarchate of Ravenna.
In 728 it was taken with many other cities by the Lombard
King Liutprand but returned to the Byzantines about 735.
King Pepin gave it to the Holy See, but during the wars of the popes and the Italian cities against the emperors, Rimini sided with the latter.
In the thirteenth century it suffered from the discords of the Gambacari and Ansidei families. The city became a municipality in the fourteenth century and with the arrival of the religious orders, numerous convents and churches were built, providing work for many illustrious artists. In fact,
Giotto inspired the fourteenth-century School of Rimini, which was the expression of original cultural ferment.
The
Malatesta family emerged from the struggles between municipal factions with
Malatesta da Verucchio, who in 1239 was named
podestà (feudal lord) of the city. Despite interruptions, his family held authority until 1528. In 1312 he was succeeded by
Malatesta II, first
signore (lord) of the city and
Pandolfo I, the latter's brother, named by
Louis the Bavarian imperial vicar in
Romagna. Ferrantino, son of Malatesta II (1335), was opposed by his cousin Ramberto and by Cardinal
Bertando del Poggetto (1331), legate of
John XXII. Malatesta III, Guastafamiglia (1363), was also lord also of
Pesaro. He was succeeded by Malatesta IV l'Ungaro (1373) and
Galeotto, uncle of the former (1385), lord also of
Fano (from 1340), Pesaro, and Cesena (1378).
His son
Carlo was one of the most respected
condottieri of the time, enlarged the Riminese possessions to
Lombardy and restored the port. Carlo died childless in 1429, and the lordship was divided into three parts, Rimini going to
Galeotto Roberto, a Catholic zelot who turned totally unable to the role. The Pesarese line of the Malatestas tried in fact to take advantage of his weakness and to capture the city, but
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, a nephew of Carlo who at the time was only 14, intervened to save it. Galeotto retired in convent and Sigismondo obtained the rule of Rimini.
Sigismondo Pandolfo was the most famous lord of Rimini. In 1433
Emperor Sigismund soujourned in the city and for a while he was the commander-in-chief of the Papal armies. A skilled general, he often acted as condottiero for other states to gain money to embellish it (he was also a dilectant poet). He had the famous
Tempio Malatestiano rebuilt by
Leon Battista Alberti. However, after the rise of Pope
Pius II he had to fight constantly for the independence of the city. In 1463 he was forced to submit to Pius II, who left him only Rimini and little more;
Roberto Malatesta, his son (1482), under
pope Paul II nearly lost his state but under
Sixtus IV became the commanding officer of the pontifical army against Ferdinand of Naples. Sigismondo was however defeated by Neoplitan forces in the
battle of Campomorto (1482).
Pandolfo IV, his son (1500), lost Rimini to
Cesare Borgia, after whose overthrow it fell to Venice (1503-1509), but later was retaken by
pope Julius II and incorporated in the
Papal States. After the death of
pope Leo X, Pandolfo returned for several months, and with his son
Sigismondo held a rule which looked tyrannous even for the time.
Pope Adrian VI expelled him again and gave Rimini to the
Duke of Urbino, the pope's vicar in Romagna. In 1527 Sigismondo managed to regain the city, but the following year the Malatesta dominion died forever.
Modern history
At the beginning of the 16th century, Rimini, now a secondary town of the Papal States, had a local government under an
Apostolic Legate (temporal governor in a province of the Papal States). Towards the end of the 16th century, the municipal square (Piazza Cavour), which had been closed off on a site where the Poletti Theatre was subsequently built, was redesigned. The statue of
Pope Paul V has stood in the centre of the square next to the fountain since 1614.
In the 16th century, the 'grand square' (now the Piazza Tre Martiri in honor of three civilians hanged by the retreating Nazis at the end of World War II), which was where markets and tournaments were held, underwent various changes. For example, a small temple dedicated to
Saint Anthony of Padua and the Clock Tower block were built, giving the square its present shape and size.
Until the 18th century, raiding armies, earthquakes, famines, floods and pirate attacks ravaged the city. In this gloomy situation and due to a weakened local economy, fishing took on great importance, a fact testified by the construction of functional structures such as the fish market and the lighthouse.
In 1797, Rimini, along with the rest of
Romagna, was influenced by the passage of the
French troops and became part of the
Cisalpine Republic. The
Napoleonic government suppressed the monastic orders, confiscating their property and thus dispersing a substantial heritage, and demolished many churches including the ancient cathedral of Santa Colomba. On
30 March 1815,
Joachim Murat launched his proclamation to the Italian people from Rimini, inciting them to unity and independence. In 1845 a band of adventurers commanded by Ribbotti entered the city and proclaimed a constitution which was soon abolished. In 1860 Rimini and the Romagna were incorporated with the Kingdom of Italy.
An idea of what the city was like in the 19th century is provided by the palaces built along Corso Augusto and in particular by the theatre, which was designed by Luigi Poletti and succeeded in translating into Neoclassical form the ambitions of the ruling classes.
However, the biggest revolutionary element for the city was the foundation in 1843 of the first bathing establishment and the Kursaal, constructed to host sumptuous social events, became the symbol of tourist Rimini. In just a few years, the marina underwent considerable building work making Rimini 'the city of small villas'. At the beginning of the twentieth century, The Grand Hotel, the city’s first important accommodation facility, was built near the coast and soon became the emblem of a new kind of tourism.
During the first World War, Rimini and its surrounding infrastructure was one of the primary targets of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After Italy's declaration of war on 15 May 1915 the imperial fleet left its harbors the same day and started its assault on the eastern Italian coast between Venice and Barletta.
During
World War II, the city was torn apart by heavy bombardments and by the passage of the front along the
Gothic Line, and it was eventually captured by Greek and Canadian forces. Following its liberation on
September 21,
1944, impressive reconstruction work began, culminating in the explosive development of the tourist economy that created a new urban reality.
Main sights
thumb|right|Fontana della Pigna.thumb|right|Tempio Malatestiano.
thumb|right|The Tiberius Bridge (21 BC).- The 13th century cathedral (San Francesco, best known as Tempio Malatestiano) was originally in Gothic style, but was transformed by order of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta according to the designs of Leon Battista Alberti and never completed. In the cathedral are the tombs of Sigismondo and his wife Isotta.
- The Arch of Augustus. Built in 27 BC, it has a single gate 9.92 m high and 8.45 m wide. The merlons were added in the Middle Ages. It was restored in the 18th century by Tommasso Temenza.
- the church of San Giuliano Martire (1553-1575), housing the great picture of Paul Veronese (1588) representing the martyrdom of that saint. It includes also pictures of Bittino da Faenza (1357) dealing with some episodes of the saint's life (1409).
- The Tiberius Bridge: As the inscription on the internal parapets recalls, the bridge over the Marecchia River, then known as Ariminus, began under the Emperor Augustus in A.D. 14 and was completed under Tiberius in 21. The bridge still connects the city centre 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.
- The amphitheater (2nd century). It was erected alongside the ancient coast line, and had a two orders of porticoes with 60 arcades. It had elliptical shape, with axes of 117,7 x 88 meters. The arena measured 73 x 44 meters, not far from the greatest Roman amphitheatres: the edifice could house up to 15,000 spectators.
- The Castel Sismondo or Rocca Malatestiana of Sigismondo Pandolfo was later used as a prison.
- Palazzo dell'Arengo e del Podestà (1204), seat of the judiciary and civil administrations. On the short side in the 14th century the podestà residence was added. It was modified at the end of the 16th century.
- The church of St. John the Evangelist (also known as St. Augustine)
- The church of San Giovanni Battista, erected in the 12th century. It has a single nave with rich stucco decoration from the 18th century.
- The town hall has a small but valuable gallery (Perin del Vaga, Ghirlandajo, Bellini, Benedetto Coda, Tintoretto, Agostino di Duccio); the Gambalunga Library (1677) has valuable manuscripts.
- Church of San Fortunato (1418). It houses the Adoration of the Magi (1547) by Giorgio Vasari.
- The bell tower of the former Cathedral of Santa Colomba.
Transportation
Rimini is provided with six railway stations (Rimini, Rimini Fiera, Rimini Miramare, Rimini Rivazzurra, and Rimini Torre Pedrera).
It is served by the
Federico Fellini International Airport,
airport of Rimini and
San Marino.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Rimini is
twinned with:
See also
Sources and external links
Category:Roman sites of Emilia-RomagnaCategory:Renaissance sites of Emilia-RomagnaCategory:Cities and towns in Emilia-RomagnaCategory:Seaside resorts in ItalyCategory:268 BC establishmentsCategory:Roman amphitheatres in Italyar:ريمينيbs:Riminibr:Riminibg:Риминиca:Riminics:Riminida:Riminide:Riminiet:Riminieml:Rèmines:Ríminieo:Riminifr:Riminigl:Riminiko:리미니hr:Riminiid:Riminiia:Riminiit:Riminihe:רימיניka:რიმინიsw:Riminila:Ariminumlt:Riminishu:Rimininl:Rimini (stad)ja:リミニnap:Riminino:Rimininn:Riminioc:Riminipms:Rìminpl:Riminipt:Riminiro:Riminiqu:Riminiru:Риминиscn:Rìminisimple:Riminisk:Riminisl:Riminisr:Риминиfi:Riminisv:Riminitl:Lungsod ng Riminiroa-tara:Riminitr:Riminiuk:Рімініvec:Riminivi:Riminivo:Riminiwar:Riminizh:里米尼
