Rimini

Rimini (ancient Ariminum), city and seaport, 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.

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 center 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 century until the 16th century, when papal dominance was reestablished. Population (2007 estimate) 137,523.