For those of us who love adventure, Italy reopening slowly but surely means only one thing: being able to travel again! Aside from the fact that we have already booked our summer vacation, this weekend we went back to our roots and we chose to visit a village close to home. Faithful to our enemy/friend the Romagna Riviera (there’s a bit of rivalry between Emilia and Romagna), we set out to explore a fishing village just a stone’s throw (literally) from Rimini: Borgo San Giuliano.
Vibrant Colors
Walking through the narrow streets of San Giuliano, we were amazed at how much life there could be in such a small, but welcoming village. There are actually three bed and breakfasts where you can stay in addition to the wonderfully well-kept places where you can stop to eat or have an aperitif. When I say “well-kept”, I am referring to the facades of the houses. Each one is different from the next, varying in color and original style. Houses that emanate love and pride for their village all the while showing their true colors (pun intended). The Sangiulianesi (who knows if the residents actually refer to themselves as such) are very aware of how “instagramable” and unique their village is and so they make every effort to take care of it paying close attention to detail.
Fellini’s San Giuliano
Borgo San Giuliano has also become famous thanks to Federico Fellini. In fact, the director fell in love with this village and decided to shoot some of his scenes right here. The outstanding features of this village are its murals and colorful houses and among these, you will immediately notice the countless tributes to Fellini. Make sure and check out the mural dedicated to the famous film, La Dolce Vita.
As already mentioned (and as you can see from the photos), San Giuliano is a typical fishing village. In fact, in addition to the murals, I noticed that many of the houses also had plaques indicating both the name of the fisherman and his boat who lived there. I began to notice that many of the boats had a name that was similar to its “master”, almost as if it were a person belonging to the family!
Events
In the typical style of a Romagna village, on even years in September, the “Festa de’ Borg” is celebrated. This is a real village festival that transforms the town into an open-air stage, hosting theatricals, music, and, of course, serving local specialties of all kinds! I plan to recommend it to all my festival-loving friends and family (e.g., my mom).
A Short Walk from Rimini
Walking through the streets of the village, by sheer chance, we found ourselves in the center of Rimini! In just 20 minutes on foot, you can get to the Romagna seafront. I recommend a stop at the famous kiosk “Del Kursaal”, the most well-known piadineria in the Rimini area. We ordered a typical cassone with tomato and mozzarella (which in Bologna is called a “crescione“) and enjoyed it right on the recently renovated seafront.
I’ll leave you with one question: what color would you paint your house if you lived in a village like this?
I hope that you’ve enjoyed learning about this little gem of a village!
Article and photos by Alice Cavalieri (for more by this author, read her blog in Italian)
Other places to see in the area:
