CATTOLICA

Queen of the Adriatic

cattolica

History of tourism

Cattolica stands at the transition point between the wide beaches of Romagna and the hills of the Marche region close to the sea. A Roman settlement located on the Via Flaminia, it began as a post and resort station and has continued to maintain this characteristic, increasing the tourist focus. Luciano Bonaparte was Cattolica’s first bathing man in August 1823, considered the precursorof a new tourism that was to change the layout of the Cattolica Riviera.

We start our itinerary here, in primo maggio square. From the 1940 the primo maggio square was also named " Piazza delle sirene" thanks to the beautiful fountain, restored recently. The fountain is located at the center of the square, the original sculpture was commisioned in 1928 to Giuseppe Casalini, it repreisent. the fountain was located in the point where, in 1800, the Lazzaretto stood, a health and customs garrison placed to guard the battle. It is also one of the distinctive symbols of the city and features three beautiful sirens, mythical creatures that are half-women and half-fish, emerging from the water. The sirens are sculpted in bronze and positioned on a stone base.

Primo maggio square

Born at the end of the 1800s as bathing establishment, the hotel is located where once stood the “Lazzaretto”. The most important redevelopment project dates back to 1936, it was composed of a care room and a space for theatre, dances and gambling. Every evening the ballroom and the restaurant filled up with dames, knights, aristocrats and political figures. Today is a 4-star-hotel of the Riviera open all year around and holiday destination of show-business and sports celebrities. Let yourself be won over by a holiday at the Hotel Kursaal, directly on the sea and in the center of Piazza Primo Maggio, the heart of Cattolica. Its location will make you experience the city in all its facets, the sea and its beaches, the dancing fountains in the square, the green gardens and pedestrian avenues for walking.

Hotel Kursaal

Villa Fulgida is located in the heart of Cattolica. Its position is strategic: it overlooks the sea and Piazza delle Sirene. Its gates open onto the pedestrian avenues that lead to the Darsena or the Cattolica aquarium. The Hotel is completely surrounded by a garden and is made up of two buildings: a beautiful historic Villa which, although modernised, has managed to maintain the structural and architectural characteristics of the last century unchanged over time and a more modern building which integrates well with the main structure.

Villa Fulgida

Villa Marconi

Guglielmo Marconi was the initiator of one of the most extraordinary mutations at the origins of the contemporary world: his invention, a wireless telegraphy system developed in 1895, started radio communications. At the beginning of 1880 by Giuseppe Majani, it was inaugurated in 1888 and intended for Letizia Majani, wife of Luigi Marconi, Guglielmo's uncle. The building overlooks, in the part of the Rasi Spinelli seafront towards the Port, one of the most beautiful views of Cattolica over the Adriatic and its splendid garden tells of serene summer excursions when the young Guglielmo stayed there with his uncle Luigi already drawing up some important experiments that would later revolutionize the world of communication.

Torrente vivare

n Cattolica there is an underground stream that crosses the city passing along Via Indipendenza and then right along Via Fiume, until it reaches the sea.

Villa Maiani

In honor of the famous Bolognese family who had the villa. This is the pedestrian area between the Guido Paolucci promenade and via Don Minzoni. Mrs. Anna Majani was present at the ribbon cutting for the family of entrepreneurs from Bologna, specialized in the production and sale of chocolate.

From Piazza primo maggio we arrive at Via Bovio also known as "Viale Balneare" is one of Cattolica's main streets and is very popular with tourists and residents. In this street we can found nomerous villas, the most well-known is Villa Adoaf that belongs to a Jewish family that worked in the cinema. It was built in the 19th century, is distinguished by its elegant architecture and its location offering breathtaking views of the sea. The villa has been carefully restored over the years, retaining its original charm while adding all modern amenities. The villa also boasts a private swimming pool and a large, well-maintained garden. In This street we can find also caffè commercio (today is a bank) visited only by rich people that in the afternoon engage in other hobbies, such as boat trips.

Via Bovio

The first seaside hotels were then built in the square: the Hotel Alessandrini (Benetton side) and the Hotel Nettuno (Adler side). Next to the Hotel Alessandrini was created the Theater Zacconi, which was owned directly by Alessandrini. In the 1940s it was later made a school and then converted into a cinema. These structures were later demolished and nowadays we find commercial buildings there.

Neptune square

Neptune Square can be considered the crossroads of streets branching off to the sea and to the " historical" Cattolica. From the square little streets develop, forming folding fan design. In the 1500s the planning of the harbor was being considered, near the Vivare Stream, which was later abandoned because Cattolica was dependent by Rimini and Pesaro. The last decades of the 19th century, the present Via Mancini did not exist, in fact here, an huge cliff was located.

Former church of santa croce

The small building, born as the church of the ancient hospital, represents one of the most interesting architectural structures in the ancient center of Cattolica. For centuries the Church of Santa Croce has been an important place of worship and point of reference for the entire community of Cattolica until which, during the 19th century, was deconsecrated and transformed. It has become an exhibition space and art gallery: since the 1980s, temporary exhibitions have been hosted here with a particular focus on contemporary art.

Once finished with Piazza Nettuno, we move along via Giordano Bruno and arrive in viale G. Pascoli, the street was part of the old via Flaminia which connected Rimini with Rome. It was used for the transport of goods and for pilgrimages.

Pascoli street

Passing the church of Sant'Apollinare, we arrive at the historic center of Cattolica where the fortress stands. The fortress was built at the end of the 15th century; this structure combined defensive and refuge functions for the inhabitants in the event of military or piracy attacks, and at the same time for sighting and control of the Flaminia and the coast. In the second half of the nineteenth century the fortress was put up for sale and purchased by Saladino Saladini who transformed it into a villa, intervening heavily on the structure.

Malatesta Fortress

On Viale G. Pascoli, we will visit the church of Sant'Apollinare. From an architectural point of view, Sant'Apollinare underwent important restorations in 1782 by the Rimini architect Gaetano Cupioli; in 1795 the bell tower was built, the subject of a very recent restoration. Inside the Church there is a canvas with the Crucified Jesus. The painting is dated to around 1660 and has been attributed to Giovan Battista Langetti, who also has another painting in Rimini, currently preserved in the City Museum.

Church of Sant'apollinare

In particular, the Paparoni Cave can still be visited today with a guided tour on Tuesdays and Fridays through their complex galleries.

Paparoni Cave

Located on the former Via Flaminia, travelers stopped in these inns to rest. In addition to the inns, there were also stables where the horses could rest and caves where they could leave their goods and wine.

Cattaneo street

About us

Scholars believe the city was founded around 200 AD, when the Roman Empire created the first settlement. Catholic since its origins it has been a city of passage for travelers who had to arrive in Rome and for pilgrims heading to the sanctuaries of Loreto and San Pietro.The town of Cattolica is located at the transition point between the wide beaches of Romagna and the Marche hills close to the sea. Roman settlement located on the Via Flaminia.

After Via 24 Maggio there is Piazza delle Erbe where you can admire excavations with Roman finds

Square delle erbe

The church was built in the nineteenth century BC. It is in neoclassical style. The church was inaugurated in 1870 and was dedicated to Saint Pius V, who later became the patron saint of the Municipality of Cattolica

Church of San Pio

There is a road of September 20, which leads to the municipality. Where there were roads, where there were buildings, houses, where they were demolished to build the road and the rubble was used to close the cliff and build Via Mancini.

Street 24 Maggio

Cattolica obtained municipal autonomy (1895), establishing itself as a municipality (1896). The first mayor "by acclamation" was Robusto Mori, who wanted the seat of the municipality in the Malatesta fortress to leave a historic building to the population The construction of the municipality was carried out by mayor Mancini, who had obtained the land from the religious order of Pesaro but with the obligation to build the road that connected the municipality to the sea and the municipality with the "old" Catholic road. The central part was used for the Town Hall offices, while the right and left sides were used as a school.

Town hall

In the original project of the municipality, there were to be gardens (Cattolica was to be the garden city, for health by combining oxygen from plants and iodine from the sea) Since 1973, every year, during Spring, Cattolica is transformed into a real garden city and the whole centre, from Palazzo Mancini to the end of Via Curiel, is festively "invaded" by flowers, including the sirens of Piazza I May. This is the inevitable anniversary of Cattolica in fiore, affectionately called by Catholics "the Flower Festival".

Garden city

As early as 1500 it was thought to build the port in the area of ​​the Vivare stream (towards Piazza Nettuno and flows near Villa Fulgida). This project was abandoned because it depended on Rimini and Pesaro. In the following centuries there were several projects but they were rejected, because Rimini and Pesaro did not want to lose their Dominion. In the early 1800s this part of Italy was under French domination and there was hope for the construction of the port. The port was built in the last decades of the 19th century because the importance for sailors was understood, since the seabed was shallow, the boats were forced to moor offshore and the sailors did not work safely. The first pier was built with wooden poles and is still called Palata today

Port of Cattolica