The weather was so grey and wet, that we didn’t even think about visiting the famous beaches of Rimini, but instead took a stroll through the drizzle into town, where some remains of the history of Rimini can be found.
The first sight we encountered was the Arch of Augustus, a gate in the former city wall of Rimini, dedicated to the Emperor Augustus by the Roman Senate in 27 BC. It is one of the oldest Roman arches which survives to this day. It signalled the end of the via Flaminia coming from Rome.
The original gothic-style cathedral of San Francesco was built in the 13th century, but reconstructed in Renaissance style, commissioned by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. He was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the most daring military leaders in Italy and commanded the Venetian forces in the 1465 campaign against the Ottoman Empire. In the unfinished cathedral are the tombs of Sigismondo and his wife Isotta.
The bridge on the river Marecchia was begun under Emperor Augustus in 14 AD and completed under Tiberius in 21. The bridge still connects the city centre to Borgo San Giuliano and to Via Emilia and Via Popilia leading north.
When the rain got heavier, we managed to find refuge at a caffè, where they accepted us with an orange? “Green Pass”, neither they nor us had an idea what that meant.
Tomorrow the weather should get better and we want to visit San Marino – more on our next post!