I've written previously about the incredible street art and graffiti of Rimini, but wanted to share more of the trip, as Rimini certainly warrants it.
It was only around an hour and a half on the train from Bologna, and as we're in holiday season, the train was full of people heading for the coast. We arrived at the main station in Rimini, and made our way to the centre.
When I was younger, I was never really into the culture when paying a visit to a new place. For example, my football tours during university were spent drinking and sleeping, rather than seeing the sights.
We visited Prague during my second year, and I honestly thought it was a bit of a dump. This was because a few of us had spent our days and nights drinking in the 'seedier' area of the city, and I didn't even realise there was an old town! It wasn't until the last day, where I couldn't drink as I was driving the minibus home, that we explored the old town, and I realised how beautiful the city was!
This has certainly changed as I'm getting older, and one of my favourite things to do, is to explore churches as I travel around. I did similar in Spain during my 2016 trip, and I try and see as many as I can. For one thing, they're normally a lot cooler inside, so a bit of respite from the incessant heat is always welcome. More importantly though, they're normally stunning to look at, and it's fascinating to see so many hundreds of years of history.
This church in Rimini was exquisite from the outside, the whitewashed walls shining splendidly in the Italian sunshine. Here are a couple of photos from our brief visit:
We then headed to the centre of the city, and made our way to the famous Augustus Arch. It's slightly surreal to see this incredibly old structure standing amongst the hustle and bustle of a thriving beach resort, but it's certainly impressive. Built in 27 BC, and with a height of over 10 metres, this should certainly be on your list if you ever visit.
We then started walking towards the beach, stopping off at the famous Pigna Fountain in the main square. The water that shoots from the taps is still drinkable, and so refreshing! We stopped back at the fountain on our way back from the beach to cool down and wash our hands, and it was so nice. There is also one tap that seems to be a favourite of the local pigeons, and it was funny to watch them cool off and grab a quick drink. The fountain is said to have enamoured Leonardo da Vinci, and if it's good enough for him....
Following a slight detour (shout out the other half for getting us lost), we then made our way to the beach. There are lots of paid areas, but we made our way to the free beach, towards the left of the main beach area. We found a nice spot, close to the water, and relaxed for the next couple of hours. The sea was a lovely temperature, and after a nice dip, I returned to our towel's, where we enjoyed a delicious ice lolly, courtesy of the movable refreshment kiosk on the sand.
I'd seen electric scooters on the way towards the beach, and looked on with jealousy as we found ourselves lost in Rimini port. Walking towards the beach exhausted, I made a vow to get a scooter back to the centre of the city when our time next to the sea was done. We downloaded the Lime app, and my girlfriend sent me a referral code, meaning we both saved £5 off our first journey. We unlocked our scooters, and had loads of fun on our way to the centre. This isn't a sponsored Lime post or anything, I just really fucking love scooters, especially as my legs were exhausted.
In the centre, we parked up, and grabbed a nice cool drink, followed by a delicious ice-cream. We took a slow amble back to the station, and boarded our much quieter train to return to Bologna, exhausted after a wonderful day in Rimini.
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