Our (gentleman) host provided a simple breakfast of scrambled egg on toast (very good) and yoghurt with fruit. There was also some cheese and ham plus homemade Tiramisu which I felt I had to take! Farewell from our hostess who could only speak a little English (and we of course to our embarrassment can’t speak almost any Italian) but gave us a fond farewell. A little gem.
An hour and a half’s top down drive to Bologna where we parked just outside the old centre and wandered through the colonades and porticos of the old town. Coffee in a bar just off the Neptune Piazza. We could see why the statue of Neptune and his maidens caused some consternation when it was unveiled!
There was a concert with kids playing rock music in the main square - really good too! Inside the main church we found the solar calendar which Dante and then Cassini had setup - fascinating. We continued our walk through these fabulous porticos (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and came across the famous 2 towers - one seriously leaning! How on earth is it staying up?!
Onwards to Rimini, again top down with the temperature hitting 30C during the drive, and another hour and a half. Our hotel, the Amsterdam Suite hotel, is on the street one back from the beach. Our car was valet parked I assume because the parking (15 euros per night) is tight. Parking would be a nightmare here. After a small hiccup when we were given a room without balcony and seaview (which turned out to be a Junior suite at twice what we had paid!) we ended up with the penthouse which has spectacular views and a roof terrace. The room isn’t huge but the terrace and views are fabulous. Plus AC thank goodness as we are basically in a box on the roof! Did a bit of laundry catch up and then out to explore.
Rimini beach is amazing, sunbathing on an industrial scale. We sat for a drink (sparkling wine from the gun!) at a beach bar and did some people watching. A long stroll through the rather shabby apartment hinterland of the beach took us to the older part of town where we had a drink on the main piazza near a statue of Julius Caesar (we had passed the remians of an amphitheatre on the way). Those Roman’s got everywhere! We had passed through The Valley of the Rubicon earlier.
Dinner was pizza ( first of the trip) at a restaurant near our hotel and more people watching as the locals and tourists promenaded.
Daily drive 152 miles
Total trip 1486 miles
