History and holidays in Rimini

Having once been dismissed as a busy holiday resort, Rimini is fast emerging as one of Italy's most attractive Adriatic towns. Visitors walking around its relaxed centre quickly gain a strong sense of Italy's history thanks to a centre whose buildings encapsulate its past – from the Romans onwards.

Rimini is also a leading domestic holiday destination for Italians, a popularity which has led to unfair comparisons with Blackpool.

The town has so much more to offer and its tourism has provided it with a building so important it has been granted national monument status by the Italian government.

The Grand Hotel, a five-star masterpiece designed by South American architect Paolo Somazzi, is a palatial temple to luxury whose construction in 1908 led the way in establishing Rimini's popularity among high-class holidaymakers.

Its extraordinary interior is replete with chandeliers in every room and painted-marble walls, charmingly transporting the visitor back to the 1920s. Old-fashioned doorkeys, as opposed to the modern swipe-cards, reflect its commitment to maintaining a period feel.

Lovers of Italian cinema will be flocking to the Grand Hotel for another reason. Its plush interior sparked the imagination of a young Federio Fellini, the Italian film-maker whose movie Amarcorda ('I Remember') features a childish memory of its grandeur.

Many visitors would be forgiven for not leaving the 'happy island' of the Grand Hotel, as its regulars call it, but there is much more to see in Rimini.

The town is full of landmarks from the past. Leonardo da Vinci was impressed by the Pigna fountain, so the likelihood is you will be too.

Then there's Tiberius' 2,000-year-old bridge over the pretty River Marecchia, the grand Arch of Augustus and the 15th-century castle of Sismondo.

Far from being a run-of-the-mill religious building, the local cathedral is a real curiosity.

The Tempio Malatestiano is an extraordinary structure whose unfinished 15th-century glory has attracted controversy over the years. Its pagan influences are clear and it once attracted papal condemnation for irreligiousness.

Judge for yourself, but there's no doubting its appeal as an extraordinary medieval oddity.

When you talk to locals about what the town has to offer, they will undoubtedly refer you to a newly opened archaeological site, one of the most important of its kind in the world.

Experts uncovered over 150 bronze surgical instruments in 1989 but it has taken 17 years for the site to be opened to the public. Now an impressive one-storey building allows visitors to walk over the Roman remains on transparent walkways suspended from the roof.

The effect is extremely powerful. One of the mosaics is broken into by a Lombard tomb, with the skeleton still visible below. The idea of one generation forgetting the advances of an entire civilisation, so perfectly framed, is haunting.

For those who find archaeology gives them an appetite Rimini's many restaurants will provide welcome relief.

As you would expect for a seaside town, fish is the speciality of choice. Crayfish is a must, as is enjoyment of the delicious regional piadana bread.

The Papille restaurant is especially recommended for its squid and artichokes and seafood pasta, while the sweeter white wines on offer throughout the wider Emilia-Romagna region are a guilty pleasure.

Rimini's background is now as much its 20th-century splendour as a popular tourist destination as it is the more obvious historic landmark.

Ryanair offer flights to Rimini and from July Birmingham airport will be operating flights to nearby Forli, offering easy access for an ideal weekend break.

It might be worth avoiding taking advantage of that opportunity immediately as the peak season of June to August can be a little hectic. Unless the idea is to see the Italians enjoying their summer holidays, of course.

If you do decide to brave it the big night not to miss out on is July 5th, when the town holds its annual La Notte Rosa festival. This major part of the summer season celebrates friendship, love and family and shows the Italian spirit at its best.

Alex Stevenson