Rimini: 10 things to do like a local

Visit Rimini and discover what to do like a local in the city of the Italian cinema maestro Federico Fellini. With the help of some insider tips, of course! 

You'll soon realise that it's a continuous discovery. In summer, the famous nightlife that enlivens the clubs and crowded beaches on its endless seafront makes it an irresistible magnet for anyone searching for fun and relaxation. 

Despite its more party-oriented side, Rimini is much more. We have gathered anecdotes and curiosities that will allow you to fully experience the city.

Aperitivo is a kind of ritual for the Riminesi. While bars and cafés pop up in every corner of the city, this district in the historic centre is quite popular with locals.  

The area is confidentially known as "le cantinette", a quadrangle of narrow streets, medieval squares and paved alleys near La Vecchia Pescheria, the old fish market.

Once you pass this historic 18th-century arcade designed by Rimini architect Giovan Francesco Buonamici (it still features the marble stalls initially used to sell fish), you find yourself in a lively, contemporary district with live music and DJ sets.

In some cases, pubs, wine bars and little restaurants (here for a list of the best venues in Emilia Romagna) are specialized in particular products: some only offer craft beers, others cicchetti (drinks to swallow in one gulp) or finger food. 

Crowded as it is, especially with young university students, La Vecchia Pescheria is the right place to meet new people.

Nearby, in Piazzetta Gregorio da Rimini, you can also enter the oldest bookshop in town. With its collection of rarities and out-of-print books, it's a true paradise for literature lovers. 

Any genuinely local experience in Rimini should be lived with your feet in the sand. Spending a day or at least a few moments at the beach is a must. Even in autumn, when the crisp, festive summer air makes room for a more intimate and solitary landscape. 

Indulge in an atmosphere of sweet melancholy by the sea, when most of the tourists have departed, the kilometre-long shores of Romagna are gradually emptying, and residents are taking over the Riviera again. 

Rimini's beaches are a wild card location from dawn to dusk and from dusk to dawn, especially during the warm season. Not sure what to do? Whether it's a slow day or you feel particularly energetic, you'll find the activity suitable for your mood.

For a romantic and solo moment, even in the middle of the tourist season, set the alarm clock early and put your feet in the sand to enjoy a breakfast with a view over the Adriatic and take a dip before the holidaymakers storm the sunbeds and umbrellas.

There will be time later to jump into the fray. You can always join a Crossfit class, do water aerobics, parkour, pilates, surf, sup, or kite: beachlife in Rimini also means fun and physical activity. 

Forget magnets and key rings; here is something in pure local style to buy as a stylish souvenir.

Rimini is one of the towns in Romagna where an ancient rural art, proudly carried on with rigour and passion by a group of craftsmen, still survives. 

La Stampa a Ruggine has been handed down from generation to generation for centuries. This type of printing, which literally means rust print, dates back to the 17th century. Initially, sacred images and rural patterns appeared on cloths used to cover cattle: effigies of St. Anthony, floral motifs, bunches of grapes, and cornucopias. 

Everything was done using hand-inlaid wooden moulds and a special paste made from flour, vinegar and rust, which imprinted the drawing with a distinctive colour. 

You will also find more fancy and contemporary proposals in the historic print shops of Associazione Stampatori Tele Romagnole (the association that reunites Romagna traditional printmakers). However, every item is made by following the same rigorous artisan process. 

Beware of imitations: the original stampa a ruggine must be clearly visible on both sides of the canvas.  

After breakfast and a bike ride downtown, you'll probably have a craving for a glutton break by mid-morning. As you can guess, you won't have to struggle to satisfy your desire. 

Rimini is a gourmand's paradise (with piadina romagnola as its queen), but if you want to eat like a local, then there is one stop that just can't be escaped. 

Let yourself be guided by the scents: your nose will know where to go. All you have to do is locate a panetteria and order a spianata. Freshly baked, soft and fragrant, stuffed as you like: it's the Romagna snack par excellence, a particular type of focaccia "flattened" by a rolling pin before being baked.

In Maiolo, a small rural village in the province of Rimini, an annual festival celebrate its tastiness. Seize the opportunity for a mouth-watering out-of-town excursion. 

Find futuristic vibes and Med Max atmospheres just a few kilometres from Rimini. Mutonia is home to a historic community of artists that, since the early 1990s, has shaped an exceptional park with flair and creativity in Santarcangelo di Romagna. 

Younger travellers will much appreciate this stop, but we challenge you not to be amazed at the creations you'll find once you enter the village gate. 

Monstrous and imaginative creatures give new form to objects and materials otherwise destined for the dump. Waste gets beautiful and noble. It takes the form of dystopian-future cars, cyborgs or fantastic animals. 

Mutonia was founded by the Mutoid Waste Company, a group that brings together artists, performers, designers and experts in mechanics and electronics.

The community includes thirty people living in the camp and is just a few kilometres away from Rimini. You can easily access this incredible world of metal and scrap by bicycle. The entrance is free. 

There's a photo that anyone travelling to Los Angeles shoots. You've certainly seen it thousand of times. And maybe, if you've ever been to California, you've even taken that picture.

A pink background and two angel wings spread: you stand in the middle, and the most Instagrammable shot is served. 

In Rimini, you can replicate the same photo. In a small street around the city centre, there is a mural very similar to those depicted around the world by American artist Colette Miller for her Global Angel Wings Project (the one in Los Angeles is probably the most famous pair of wings, but certainly not the only one). 

To take flight, you must go to Vicolo Gomma, near Corso d'Augusto, Rimini's shopping street. 

Actually, there is plenty of street art in Emilia Romagna and Rimini, with a myriad of creations that build an elegant fusion with the urban fabric. For a closer look at the coolest streets and neighbourhoods, we suggest…

This colourful and 'whimsical' fishing village is one of Rimini's most mesmerising and unexpected districts. 

Beloved by Federico Fellini, Borgo San Giuliano is located just beyond the Tiberius Bridge: cross it to be captivated in an atmosphere completely different from the city centre. 

Graffiti and murals sprout amongst low, coloured houses, narrow alleys and old 500 cars, creating an environment that is both ancient and modern (the first buildings in the area date back to the 11th century). 

'E borg, the village in Romagnolo dialect, is just like a memory book of the most authentic Rimini, a place as magical and crazy as the cinema of the great maestro born here. It's no coincidence that most works adorning the district's streets and squares are dedicated to Fellini and his films and characters.

Rimini has the largest fish market in Emilia Romagna. It's situated in the heart of the historic centre, Via Castelfidardo, and for residents, it's more than just a large sales area (4,500 square metres).

Il Mercato Coperto is a real meeting place. Between one shopping spree and another for zero km fruit and vegetables stands, a trip to the bakery and a detour to the butcher's shop, you can stop at a café for a coffee or drink and watch the noisy hustle and bustle. 

The market was first established in 1969 and someway represents the city soul, a kind of landmark. It's the right place to come across the most authentic Romagna, printed on the faces behind the colourful food stalls.

Here, shopkeepers are also confidants, people you can trust, ready to serve you a few tricks or kitchen secrets along with your purchases. 

Shopping at Mercato Coperto is a kind of ritual. You come there to grab the catch of the day and end up extending your stay with friends and acquaintances met by chance. 

Go there to rediscover a traditional atmosphere and make new friends.