Tag: sea

Celebrating the Italian Summer at the Seaside in Cesenatico

Italians find themselves at the sea nearly every summer weekend, whether they smartly rent or own a whole beach house, or just a few feet of sand under an umbrella.  Having lived in Bologna for years and living as any honorable Italian would do, I joined in the weekend beach-side adventures, fleeing as far as Ancona, but mostly sticking directly East of Bologna in Rimini, Riccione and Ravenna.  But mostly Rimini, because it was familiar.  As soon as the fan came down off the top shelf of my closet and propped up by my bed, the early Saturday morning train rides to Rimini commenced. So it was fitting that I spent my last weekend in Italy before my big return to the United States relaxing at the Italian seaside lifestyle that had defined my summers there.  But this time I didn’t have to wake up early and take the train.  Instead, my boyfriend at the time preferred to drive.  And he was a different sort of character.  He didn’t do things the same way everyone else did.  Instead, he suggested we go to the tiny town of Cesenatico.  I didn’t have the slightest idea what to expect, but as always, I was up for the adventure.

The canal leading to the sea in Cesenatico, Italy
The canal leading to the sea in Cesenatico, Italy

The non-eventful drive and the parking process played out like all of my other beach adventures.  The drive east toward the Adriatic Sea is flat with huge green fields broken up by an occasional ancient structure.  As you approach the sea, there are lots of trees shading the streets and houses.  I was unsuspecting as we parked in an ugly supermarket parking lot until we emerged onto the main walkway of the village.  Stretching before me was a long canal that ran to the sea, flanked by colorful buildings and sporting a long line of cleverly named boats.  But these weren’t recreational boats, they were fishing boats.  And the canal, apparently, is famous because it was once surveyed by Leonardo da Vinci.  Only in Italy.

Fishing boats in Cesenatico, Italy
Fishing boats in Cesenatico, Italy

I was surprised by my surroundings.  “Where are we again?” I asked him.  I’m bad with proper nouns. “Cesenatico,” he replied. “But this place is so cool – why doesn’t everyone come here?” “I don’t know,” he said. “But that’s why I like it.  Not everyone comes here.”

 A boy playing on the beach in Cesenatico, Italy
A boy playing on the beach in Cesenatico, Italy

He was right.  There were definitely other Italian tourists, but they were mostly families.  Instead of walking into a tourist trap, it felt instead like we were stepping into the seaside life of these lucky Italians that call Cesenatico home.

A girl taking a stroll along the beach on her own in Cesenatico, Italy
A girl taking a stroll along the beach on her own in Cesenatico, Italy

We walked down the crowded main stretch along the canal, toward the sea.  I almost felt like a voyeur, watching all the families and the family dogs enjoying their Saturday.  There was even a funky shaped boat that cost one euro that would take you to the other side of the canal if you so desired.

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We drifted until we couldn’t walk anymore, to the point at the end of the boardwalk.  Fishermen and teens and couples like us trickled around, but nothing overwhelming.  Near the boardwalk was a sprawling restaurant with whitewashed walls and tables.  We were led to a table in the sand.  A family with a toddler playing in the sand sat at the next table.  We sat a bit with our drinks, the sight and sounds of the sea releasing our stress, much of which stemmed from my impending departure.   “It seems impossible to believe that in a week you will be in New York.  From Cesenatico to New York – I can’t imagine a bigger change,” said my traveling companion.  I sat and munched my olive and took a sip of prosecco.  He was right.  At that moment, New York was absolutely worlds away from Cesenatico.

The scene of a small town that looks after itself in Cesenatico, Italy
The scene of a small town that looks after itself in Cesenatico, Italy

We eventually found ourselves making our way back up the canal.  A pair of sunglasses caught his eye, and as he tried them on I wandered a few steps and discovered a little fair on a tiny side street, so characteristic of Italy.  Everywhere I turned this little street was dripping with charm – a candy-cane striped awning and a retro bike, a gelato shop that tempted my traveling companion, and knitted jellyfish hanging from a string tied to streetlights.

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I followed the jellyfish hanging from the sky, one by one, to a small, quiet piazza, full of families and a few curious adults, officially stepping over any remaining line between tourist and resident.  To my delight, there were nautical-inspired knittings livening up the ancient stone fountain, church, and doorways of the building facing the piazza, to match the hanging jellyfish.

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Children played under trees decorated with diamonds and more jellyfish.

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With a bit of internet research, I realized I had stumbled upon Cesenatico’s Urban Knitting Group “Il Mare in Conserva,” an installation art exhibit in the Piazzetta delle Conserve.

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I was utterly charmed to so unexpectedly wander into this peaceful, simple world.  I participated as an outsider, snapping photos of the happy children and cats, until realizing my travel companion had probably finished his gelato by now.

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I reluctantly followed the jellyfish back, and found him happy as a clam (no pun intended), taking advantage of his phone’s data plan as the celebrations went on around him.

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We made our way back to the car slowly, our departure marking a transition into a much more complicated world, void of knitted jellyfish and children playing jump-rope on the street.  It had not been just another beach adventure.  It was the end of an era of a naive American girl marveling in the oddities and delights of a beach life so different from my Southern California home.  And the beginning of a mysterious something else.

A day at the sea: Rimini, Italy

Day 20 in a row of temperatures over 80 degrees and no air-conditioner finally got the best of me, so I did what any good Italian would do – I went to the sea.  We truly intended to take it easy and spend a quiet afternoon on the beach and return to Bologna by 7pm.  By now I should have learned that fun, no matter what, takes over as the highest priority in Italy.  So, as you will see through my photo diary, our best laid plans completely went awry, and the day was by no means a simple afternoon in the sun.


A quick train ride from Bologna offers many potential destinations by the sea, but on this adventure, we chose one of the most popular destinations reachable by train.  Rimini is medium-sized city on the north-east coast of Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region.  It has a beautiful city center, as well as a robust coastline full of restaurants, shops, and most importantly, beach.  Nearby Riccione is a famous destination for nightlife, and Ravenna, which I talked about in another post, is also nearby.


Despite plentiful options for fun and sightseeing around Rimini, on this day we intended only to engage in some relaxing on the beach.


After some laying out in the (really) hot sun and getting a bit of color, our hunger pains got the best of us and we headed toward the main drag to find some food.  Of course we encountered a detour.  Here, my friends are playing a little competitive game of bocce (otherwise known as bocci ball).


And then, some jumping.  I had no idea my friend was so athletic.  I don’t think he did either. 


Lunch at the local Irish Pub, Rose & Crown, which is an institution in Rimini.  Believe it or not, eating italian food every day does begin to get boring after a while.


As you can see, some of us ate more than others…


While we were waiting for my friend to finish his three-course meal, we noticed the managers of the pub were busy blowing up balloons.  And lots of them.  We wondered why.  They explained that La Notte Rosa happened to be that night, which I have now learned is one of the biggest entertainment nights in the Emilia-Romagna region during the summer.



The managers gave me a balloon and also an idea.  Why not go back to Bologna on a later train so we can enjoy La Notte Rosa?  After all, it only comes along once per year.


While we were digesting this idea, we left the pub to go back to the beach for a bit more sun.  On the way we witnessed the result of the manager’s balloon handiwork.  Balloons flying high over Rimini.


We went back to the beach for some sun.  Apparently we were not destined to get much sun.  The cloud formations became foreboding and dramatic.


And boy did the storm come.  We ran for cover at the nearest bar with more than a thatched roof for cover.  I was drenched.    The storm seemed more akin to a hurricane.  But I must confess, I loved every moment of it, as being a girl from Southern California, I am not accustomed to dramatic weather.  Somehow, it felt like summer, reminding me of running through the rain in New York during summers spend there in my childhood.


Lucky for my friends, I had my favorite travel accessory with me – my iPad – equipped with Fruit Ninja to help them pass the time while we waited for the storm to pass.


But I was much more interested in making friends.  While they were busy with my iPad, I kept myself occupied by meeting everyone who was also taking refuge at the cafe where we hung out during the storm.  Here I am – the drenched version – with my new friends.


When the storm finally cleared, the whole town immediately came alive for La Notte Rosa.  Even the streetlights were partaking in the fun with their pink light.


We loved the street artist that was creating complex images with spray paint on the ground for us all to watch, using bits of newspaper to create texture on a cityscape of New York.


Finally, it was time to get down to business.  Where’s the party?   My friend wanted to find an old co-worker from Bologna, who was now living in Rimini selling trinkets on the street.  He didn’t have his new phone number, so we began asking every street vendor that we met.  Believe me, there are a lot of street vendors.  I will spare you from all the photos.Of course, we finally found him.  It was a happy reunion.  And he gave us some tips for the rest of the night.


Most importantly, he equipped us with pink hats so we could join in the festivities of the La Notte Rosa crowd.  But of course, our hats didn’t compare to these.  I was jealous.


And then, the fireworks came.  And a few hours later, the end of a night.  We lost one of our friends after he disappeared and fell asleep on the beach, but we made it on the late (early?) train with several hundred other people.  The train arrived in Bologna in time for us to see the sunrise.


I never knew a day at the sea could be so successful.  Thanks Rimini…