Rimini

Rimini (ancient, Ariminum), city and seaport in central Italy, in Emilia-Romagna Region, at the mouth of the Marecchia River on the Adriatic Sea. The modern section of Rimini is one of the most popular seaside resorts in Italy. Industries here include shipbuilding and the manufacture of shoes, furniture, textiles, and pharmaceuticals; railway equipment repair and food processing are also important to the city’s economy.

Roman remains include a bridge over the Marecchia River and a triumphal arch. Other notable landmarks are the restored 13th-century church of San Agostino, the remains of the mid-15th-century Malatesta Castle, and the church of San Francesco (or Malatesta Temple).

Rimini, founded as the Umbrian city of Ariminum, became a Roman colony in 268 bc. It grew into a strategic military post, a seaport, and a commercial centre on the main route between Rome and northern Italy. The city belonged to the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 8th century ad, when it fell first to the Lombards and then to the Franks, who presented it to the papacy. Part of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century, it was made autonomous in the 12th century. The Malatesta family ruled from the 13th to the 16th century, when papal dominance was re-established. Population 137,523 (2007 estimate).