The Adriatic Riviera [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION By « Riviera Romagnola » we mean the coast which from Cattolica extends for about 100 kilometres to the north, up to the so called « Lidi Ferraresi ». This coast is low, sandy and uniform, and has small promontories only near the mouths of rivers. It is characterized by large beaches which extend down to the low dephts of the sea. In its southern part, the beach becomes a plain which reaches the hill country with its green hillocks. All this makes the landscape quite characteristic and suggestive. In the northern part of the Riviera the landscape changes. After the Ravenna district with its famous and suggestive Gomacchio Valleys, where once the old mouths of the river Po were, comes the Fer-rara district, where the Po flows to the Adriatic Sea through the plain, with its large mouths. Here the environs are unique, thanks to the river, with characteristics and traditions which still survive. However, in spite of the different aspects of this area, thanks also to historical and economical situations, what characterizes the life of the whole Riviera of Romagna is the bathing tourism which has given a peculiar look to this part of the region. Tourism here began in the last century and flourished so much that during the last 30 years it has become the most important economical activity of this coastal area, influencing also the pre-existing activities. Some characteristics of the Riviera of Romagna are those of other bathing resorts in Italy. What makes the difference is the extension of this tourist area. We have here the beach which is many kilometres long, running between the sea and the railway. All along the beach there are numberless bathing establishments, hotels, restaurants, pensions and villas. Many factors have contributed to make the beaches of Romagna so important from a tourist point of view. Among them we should mention the fine situation of the Riviera, in comparison to the densely populated plain of the Po; its safe low waters and many free areas between the sea and the inland, whose means of communications and economical life can continual-