Riccione is primarily a summer destination, although I’ve been there in other seasons too. In winter, it’s a completely different place, a small sleepy town. During hot summer months, it’s transformed into a bustling resort full of life, excitement and entertainment.
I have a lot of friends there. I’m always very happy to see them and we keep in touch, more or less, on a regular basis. That’s very easy with the modern technology, although, being together is a completely different thing. However, only one of my Italian friends speaks English. The only way for me to communicate with my other friends is in Italian. I speak fluent Italian, which I studied at the university in Belgrade. I also spent a lot of time in Italy, so I’ve had an excellent opportunity to learn the language by talking to people and by fully immersing myself in the Italian culture.
This also gives one more dimension to my every stay in Italy. I never feel like an excluded foreigner who doesn’t understand what’s going on around him. On the contrary, I take part in every conversation and I’m conscious of various dynamics and subtleties of interactions in which I take part. That is priceless.
ENJOYING RICCIONE ON THE BEACH
I like when I’m in Riccione in the summer, because I can spend days on a beautiful sandy beach. The beach is very big and it stretches for many kilometres, along the whole length of the town. That long beach is divided into many smaller sections. Some sections belong to various hotels and are for exclusive use by their guests. Some sections are open to all, but you have to pay in order to use them. Finally, there are sections that are completely free and everyone can use them.
The beach where I always go is the biggest free beach. It’s at the border between Riccione and the Rimini’s neighbourhood Rivazzurra.
This beach is in front of the abandoned Colonia Santo Volto, on Viale Principe di Piemonte. Colonia Santo Volto was established in 1934 as a medical centre for children with scrofula, a disease very similar to tuberculosis. The decline of the colony started in the 1980′. At that time, the economic situation in Italy substantially improved and it became a shame to send a child to such an institution. It was considered a sign of poverty. The building is now completely abandoned and it mysteriously overlooks the beach.
The beach is 300m long and 150m wide. It’s never too busy, even during the busiest times on weekends or in the peak season. I never feel claustrophobic there, an aspect that I particularly like.
It’s also possible to walk along the beach. You can go either towards Rimini or in the opposite direction, towards Cattolica. There are many people jogging in the evening hours, when the sun is no longer too strong.
LUNGOMARE
One more feature of Riccione, closely related to the beach, is its prominent seafront (lungomare). It’s been completely restored in recent years and stretches along the whole length of the town.
I often cycled along the seafront on the way to the beach. It was a very pleasant experience, safe and away from the traffic. Nevertheless, I had to navigate people, although it wasn’t really that bad. There were large sections without anyone in sight, where I cruised smoothly on my bicycle.
ENJOYING RICCIONE IN RESTAURANTS
In many years in which I’ve been enjoying Riccione, I’ve been to many different places. But, in this post, I’ll only mention places that I visited this particular time. They are my most recent experience and most relevant for this post. As I was staying in my friend’s house, I didn’t go out for dinner every night. Some evenings we ate at home, usually when we stayed late on the beach and no one was willing to rush to go out. In Italy, you have to make sure that you are in a restaurant by 10pm at the latest, because kitchens don’t stay open for much longer. Italy is not like Spain where people go out for dinner at 10pm.
Restaurants that I visited this time are:
– Ristorante Trampolines – on Lungomare della Republica. This restaurant belongs to the Trampolines Hotel and it’s a veritable institution. It’s open all year round and both the locals and tourists go there. It’s an excellent restaurant and you will for sure eat well there.
One interesting observation about restaurants in Riccione, especially in busy touristic areas, is that despite the fact that they may appear as touristic places, you are guaranteed to eat well. The main category of tourists in Riccione are Italians and they are very peculiar about their food. They are generally accustomed to a very high standard and for any restaurant to exist, it simply has to be good.
This may be different in other popular touristic places in Italy, especially in establishment that predominantly cater to foreign tourists. In Riccione, in places where the Italians go, standards are maintained at the high level. Thus, if you happen to be in Riccione and you are hungry, you can go to any restaurant in Viale Ceccarini or Viale Dante without any problem. I had a very delicious pizza in Trampolines.
– Ristorante Santa Lucia – in Viale Piacenza 8, is a family run restaurant that won the Trip Advisor’s Excellence Award in 2015. This restaurant is famous for its meat dishes. The restaurant goes to great lengths to procure the best quality organic meat.
In my opinion, pizza is the best in this restaurant. I’ve been there many times in the past and I always go there at least once when I am in Riccione.
– Agriturismo I Crinali – is not in Riccione, it’s in the hills of Rimini, in Viale Santa Cristina 73. This is one of those unmissable places, but you have to know about it. The restaurant caters for the local Italian customer base and it’s fabulous. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to get there by car from Rimini and slightly longer from Riccione.
I was there once in the past and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to go there again. Their food is excellent and very reasonably priced. If you are in the area and would like to experience a slightly more refined side of the Italian cuisine, I suggest that you visit this place. There are other similar restaurants in that area, but I’ve been just to this one.
COFFEE SHOPS AND BARS
Another thing that you would want to do is to go for coffee or aperitivo.
– My favourite coffee place is Caffe Centrale, in Corso Fratelli Cervi, in Riccione Paese. It’s a place where the locals pop in for a quick coffee or cappuccino. It’s a nice bar and prices are very reasonable, cappuccino is € 1.20 and espresso € 1.
Aperitivo is a typical Italian tradition, a pre-dinner drink that so well reflects the Italian art of living. It habitually happens in the late afternoon or early evening, between 5pm and 7pm. Usually, it’s a very light alcoholic drink, served with some salty snacks. I had it in two different places:
– Pepper Riccione – is a bar in Viale Lazio 12, in Riccione Paese. It’s an excellent place, frequented by the local people, as it is some distance away from the main touristic area. It’s a very stylish place and they play very good lounge music.
– Caffe Pascucci – in Viale Parini 6, is actually at the corner with Viale Dante. It’s also a very good place, in an excellent location overlooking the port.
ICE-CREAM SHOPS
Then, there is gelato (the ice-cream), a must-do ritual for all Italians. The ice-cream in Italy is the best that you can eat anywhere in the world. It’s replicated in other countries but, for some reason, Italians make the best ice-cream. There are many ice-cream shops in Riccione and they are all good, but some of them are exceptional.
– Gelateria King – on Piazza Unità in Riccione Paese is an institution. Their ice-cream is excellent.
– Gelateria Pellicano – in Viale Ceccarini 158. This place mainly serves the locals and their ice-cream is also excellent.
– Gelateria Panna & Cioccolato – in Via Lungorio 1, probably offers the best ice-cream in Riccione. It’s a very popular place and there is always a long queue of people in the evening, especially after dinner.
ENJOYING RICCIONE IN CLUBS
Finally, one more thing that I’d like to mention is that Riccione is home to super clubs. There are four clubs in Riccione and they are: Peter Pan, Prince, Cocoricò and Pascià (this one is a disco-restaurant). There is one more famous club, Villa delle Rose, but this one is in Misano Adriatico.
These clubs are the main reason why Riccione attracts thousands of young Italians in search of entertainment. I’ve been to some of them in the past, but not this time. This year, the most popular was Peter Pan.
They are in the hills of Riccione. You can easily find them if you are in the area and if you want to visit one of them.
In summer, Riccione is a place full of fun and life. There is so much to do there, there are excellent places where you can go to eat or have a drink. You will never be short of entertainment.
But for me, the beautiful beach and warm Adriatic sea are absolutely the best.
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