Riviera di Rimini Travel Notes Ancient Rimini Archaeology trails by

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www.riviera.rimini.it
www.cultura.provincia.rimini.it
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Archaeology trails by land and sea
Ancient Rimini
I - 47900 Rimini, piazza Malatesta 28
tel. +39 0541 716371 - fax +39 0541 783808
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Provincia di Rimini
Assessorato alla Cultura
Assessorato al Turismo
Provincia di Rimini
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edizione inglese
Riviera di Rimini Travel Notes
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Provincia di Rimini
Angela Fontemaggi
Orietta Piolanti
Ancient Rimini
Coordination:
Valerio Lessi, Sonia Vico, Marino Campana, Francesca Sancisi
Graphic design:
Relè/Tassinari Vetta
Photographs:
Photo library, Assessorato al Turismo Provincia di Rimini
(Provincial Tourism Department)
Photo libraries of the Museums included in the Guide
Fernando Casadei, Emilio Salvatori, Pierluigi Siena
Cover:
Rimini, Augustus Arch;
Orpheus (detail of the mosaic in the Surgeon’s House)
Page layout and printing plates:
Litoincisa87, Rimini
Licia Romani
Translation:
Gillian Forlivesi Heywood,
Link-up, Rimini
Printed 2009
Our thanks to Soprintendenza
per i Beni Archeologici dell’Emilia Romagna
(Regional Archaeology Superintendence)
Contents
Introduction
Angela Fontemaggi, Orietta Piolanti
page 5
The Mark of History
Angela Fontemaggi
page 7
In Search of Primitive Man
The Etruscan Princes of the Marecchia Valley
Ariminum: the Founding of a City
Caput Viarum
The Territory
The city of Ariminum
The Domus of Ariminum
page
page
page
page
page
page
page
Itineraries
Orietta Piolanti
page 22
1. In Search of Primitive Man
2. Tokens of Power: the Etruscan Princes
of the Marecchia Valley
3. Tokens of Power: Military Leaders and Roman Emperors
in the History of Ariminum
4. Caput Viarum
5. The Archaeological Site in Piazza Ferrari:
a Miniature Pompei in the Heart of Rimini
6. From One Domus to Another
7. Natural Resources and the Labour of Man:
a Modern Economy Rooted in Tradition
page 23
page 57
The Ancient World Festival
page 62
Museums and Archaeological Sites in the Province
of Rimini included in the itineraries
page 64
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12
14
15
17
19
page 29
page 32
page 36
page 43
page 50
5
Ancient Rimini. Archaeology trails by land and sea.
Introduction
Angela Fontemaggi, Orietta Piolanti
The itineraries in this guide will take you through the history and geography of
Rimini and its territory, at times moving beyond the borders of Rimini Province to
touch a broader horizon of human and cultural contacts. The byways of archaeology
sometimes cross nature trails or food and wine routes, coming into contact with
local economic and productive realities rooted in very old traditions, revealing little
by little the real identity of places which the tourist industry has made known the
world over. If we follow in the footsteps left by mankind throughout the long journey
from pre-history to the late ancient age, we can discover the most genuine heart of
Rimini (Roman Ariminum) and the nearby countryside, and gain understanding of
that appearance and character which has always had a vocation for hospitality,
being by turns a way stage and a crossroads for different cultures, or a gateway
open to Imperial conquest and lively trade, or a major road junction linking the north
to the south, a bridgehead between Rome and Europe.
And as we follow the traces still remaining, we can admire monuments which
take pride of place in any handbook of history or architecture; we can follow roads
first trodden by ancient populations and later developed by Roman consuls and
emperors, admire bridges built with immense engineering skill, and discover those
treasures, great and small, which make each of the museums in the territory of
Rimini the protagonist of a page of our human history. We can even go inside a
Roman domus and discover its secrets. And when you stop for refreshment, you
might like to remember how many hostelries and post houses could be found in the
towns and along the roads in Roman times, and enjoy the pleasures of ancient
hospitality and traditional flavours.
Turning our attention from the land to the sea, the suggested itineraries make
up a mosaic of opportunities promoting contact with local culture, enhancing human
and natural resources, underlining the topical aspect of the ancient world and
offering spaces for learning and for play, for enjoyment and for socialising, through
the various visits and workshops organised by the local Museums. There is
something for everyone: for families, for children, for adults, for lovers of cycling,
and not forgetting the non-sighted or partially sighted.
The proposals which follow are not an exhaustive overview (this would be
impossible!) of the immense archaeological potential of the Province: our intention
is just to hold a “magnifying glass” to the most lively and original aspects,
suggesting paths of exploration to take you right to the heart of the origins and the
authentic spirit of this far corner of Romagna.
Above: border of the
“Anubis” mosaic
(detail). Below:
mosaic showing a
procession, from
Palazzo Gioia (detail).
Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
7
The Mark of History
Angela Fontemaggi
In Search of Primitive Man
The history of Rimini begins … on the beach! Let us go back in time: close your
eyes for a moment and then open them again … a million years ago: we would find
ourselves in a lagoon setting, on a sandy beach with dunes; here and there the
gravelly estuaries of rivers and streams. At our back, woodland: pine and fir trees
alternating with dense grassy vegetation, then oaks, poplars, birches, spacious
clearings all along the coast, the marks of a temperate humid climate, a world
traversed by the shadows of large mammals (elephant, rhinoceros, bison), followed
by groups of men, hunting.
Our journey to discover the roots of the oldest population takes us inland, to an
offshoot of the Romagna Apennine foothills, the present-day hill of Covignano.
About a million years ago, this was coastline, washed by the sea covering that plain
where the city of Rimini would later stand. The sea, advancing and retreating by
turns, has determined the morphology and geology of the place, stratified in sandy
and gravelly sediments.
Against this background we follow the traces left by ancient Man in the most
remote of the Stone Ages, the Lower Palaeolithic. So says the important deposit of
worked stones found in 1968 by Stefano Sabattini and later examined by wellknown scholars. This discovery confirms in many ways the palaeontological
information brought to light in a number of sites in the region, chief among them
Monte Poggiolo, in the Forlì area.
The stones chipped on one or two sides (choppers and chopper-tools) are the
products of a real “industry” set up by homo erectus, skilled in working the flints
picked up at the river mouth or along the river beds as he travelled from one place
to another: this is clearly shown by the numerous chippings produced by hard,
decided blows given by hands obviously expert at converting ordinary stones into
efficient hunting tools and rudimentary implements. Choppers and stone splinters
off the nucleus become weapons and tools invaluable for survival in an age when
Man was a hunter and a gatherer of the fruits offered freely by Nature.
There are tokens confirming the presence of mankind throughout the territory
of Rimini for the entire Stone Age, a vast stretch of time marked by changes in
Chiselled flints.
Riccione, Local History
Museum.
8
climate and environment. The objects in worked stone found in Riccione and the
Conca Valley, dating from a later period in the Lower Palaeolithic age (from 200,000
to 150,000 years ago), show more developed working techniques intended to
differentiate the tools required for various everyday activities: from hunting to
slaughter of the prey, from breaking bones to working skins, from gathering roots
and fruit to building primitive shelters.
The new Stone Age (Neolithic) which spread along the Adriatic coast and
reached the Romagna area at the end of the sixth millennium B.C. brought with it a
cultural revolution defined first by new ways of hunting food, using new techniques
for working stone, which was no longer simply chipped but also polished and
sharpened; and second by the introduction of pottery. In his millenary experience as
a hunter and predator Man had learned the rules and rhythms of Nature, the
practice of sheep-farming and primitive forms of agriculture. Alternating periods of
nomadism with progressively longer periods of stability, determined by the rhythms
of animal breeding and agriculture, individuals made up minute communities,
simple conglomerates of huts equipped for the shelter of men and beasts. In these
little villages which grew up along water courses, cheese making and agriculture
developed, side by side with industry for the production of progressively more
specialised tools and the manufacture of that pottery which had become
indispensable for preserving and transporting milk, cheese and seeds.
There are fragmentary but significant tokens giving a window on the daily life of
Neolithic settlements: pottery decorated with engravings, baked clay (the plaster of
huts built on wooden frame supports), tools made from flint (razors, sharpened
points, scrapers), shells used to make necklaces and pendants. The archaeologically
documented presence of Man along the coast (and especially near the one-time
water’s edge) in the Neolithic Age confirms the vocation of the territory south of
Rimini as a “hinge” between the cultural traditions of the Po Valley Plain and the
peninsula, a lively scene where even in pre-historic times people from different
traditions and cultures came together. This inter-cultural feature was consolidated
in the Bronze Age (third millennium - ninth century B.C.), aided by the technology
which followed the introduction of metal and by an increasingly dynamic economy
fuelled by trade in copper and tin as well as by agriculture and animal breeding. The
Bronze Age pottery
bowl. Riccione, Local
History Museum.
9
population continued to settle both close to the coast - where it was easy to
cultivate the land and where the sea’s resources could be exploited - and further
inland where there was rich pasture land.
Contact with the central Adriatic area intensified along the ancient “trails”,
bringing together the Apennine and sub-Apennine cultures. Knowledge of this broad
cultural horizon comes from the discovery, often on the surface of the land, of
fragments of pottery, objects made of stone, bone, or metal, and at times the
remains of settlements: traces of huts, four-cornered dwellings with holes for the
posts which supported the structure, have been found on Covignano hill, at Misano
and at Riccione along the Via Flaminia.
The importance of metallurgy at the end of the Bronze Age, and the level it had
reached, are evident from the deposits found in Camerano, Poggio Berni and in
Casalecchio, Verucchio, two deposits of objects in bronze intentionally concealed
because destined to be recast. These finds demonstrate that the hills behind Rimini,
as long ago as the tenth century B.C., were on the trade routes towards the north,
the Aegean, and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The Etruscan Princes of the Marecchia Valley
The most advanced techniques of metal-working were early borrowed from the
Etruscans, a contact which led to the growth of the Villanovan civilisation in
Verucchio. This hill-top town stood in a dominant, strategic position along the route
which led across the Viamaggio pass, linking Romagna to Etruria. Between the ninth
and the sixth centuries B.C., Verucchio became a focal point for the new Iron Age
culture. Its position, standing sentry at the entrance to the Marecchia Valley, some
distance from the sea yet still in contact with the coast by means of the river
estuary, gave the town of Verucchio influence over a wide area. The Villanovan
culture spread from Verucchio through the parallel smaller valleys, reaching
northwards as far as the river Rubicon and south as far as the river Marano, where it
gradually disappeared, blending with the Villanovan “island” of Fermo in Le Marche
and with the Picene environment.
Protagonists of a new civilisation, the Villanovans of Verucchio inherited long-
Earrings made of gold
and amber. Verucchio,
Municipal Archaeology
Museum.
10
standing agricultural practices, adopting first the well-established system of burnbeating, which makes it possible to fertilise fields with the ashes of stubble and
dead leaves burnt in situ, and subsequently introducing crop rotation and the use of
fallow land. Agriculture also gained new instruments, such as the sickle for cutting
hay, through the spread of iron and the progress made in metal-working, and it
seems that there were also more working animals and animals available for
transport.
The history of this population, related to the Etruscans, is told mainly by the
numerous burial sites in the necropolises found on the slopes of the hill where
Verucchio stands. Here the terrain was less hospitable for the living but suitable for
the city of the dead: a veritable mine of information on the ancient way of life.
Archaeological excavations, study of the materials found, and their organisation in
the splendid Archaeology Museum in Verucchio - one of the most original and most
significant in Europe - give a magnificent view of Villanovan society. The most visible
are groups of aristocrats whose high rank was based on their activity as warriors or
as governors, or from the control they held over the territory or over trade in the
most lucrative commodities, such as amber.
The rich collections of funerary objects found among the ashes of the deceased
collected in characteristic biconical ossuaries, or recovered from the large “dolium”
burial containers, have yielded much information useful for drawing up an “identity
card” - so to speak - of each individual. Arms (spears, swords, crested or skullcap
helmets) denote the warrior, the man who enjoys freedom and fights for the defence
of his land; while jewellery, accessories, objects for the care of the body, and tools
denote a universe which may be female (necklaces, earrings, bracelets and anklets,
clasps, belts, spindles and bobbins) or male (buckles, razors, arms, parts of horse
harness or chariots). Valuable bronze dishes and finely carved wooden furniture
Left, crested helmet
from tomb Lippi 89.
Verucchio, Municipal
Archaeology Museum.
Right, Attic vase
decorated with figures
in red and an owl.
Museum.
11
decorated by skilled craftsmen all denote that the deceased belonged to a highranking household.
We may consider these funerary objects as letters of an alphabet allowing us to
gain an insight into the people buried here: the richness of the tombs and their
position within the necropolises are indicators of the roles and positions held by
these personages, all of them high up on the social scale, and some of them
“princes”. These indicators are often linked to the equestrian sphere, to the
prestige of arms or to the fortunes of commerce. Those who distinguished
themselves in the civic, religious, or military spheres were buried with their finest
and most precious belongings: pieces of jewellery - miniature masterpieces created
by craftsmen to meet the tastes and ambitions of the local aristocracy - using the
most highly developed techniques and the most prized materials, ranging from
bronze to silver, gold and magic amber; crested helmets and dress helmets, war
chariots and objects symbolising the most highly prized activities, charismatic
marks of power; bronze dishes and elegant furnishings in wood, reminiscent of the
banquet, that convivial gathering in which a person could demonstrate his
excellence within the community. High prestige roles which, in life as in death, seem
to have been attributed also to women, and not only within the domestic sphere.
The archaeological data available denotes a civilisation which evolved and
became wealthy by keeping control over the territory, over trade and over the
distribution of various products, first and foremost the precious amber coming from
the far-away Baltic region and from certain areas in the Mediterranean.
During the sixth century B.C. Villanovan Verucchio was destined to see its
former splendour fade and to yield its hegemony to the harbour on the river
Marecchia, given new vigour by the new policies of the Etruscans in the Adriatic
area. As they spread towards the valley and the coast, the Etruscans came into
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contact with an ethnic tissue fuelled by different cultural influences which scholars
link sometimes to the Umbrian and Picene civilisations, sometimes to the broader
horizon of Greece. From the sixth to the fourth century B.C. this “Rimini before
Rimini”, in common with the entire coastline from Le Marche to the river Po, was
enlivened by exchanges with Greek cities, beginning with Athens, source of the
renowned Attic pottery. Emblematic of the multicultural environment which
characterised the territory from the fifth century B.C. to the advent of the Romans is
the Villa Ruffi hoard, a votive store found on Covignano hill and scattered through
various museums in Europe and America as a result of antique dealing in the
nineteenth century. Here, in a sort of pantheon set up in the cult of the divinities
presiding over war and water, were found Etruscan, Umbro-Italic and Hellene
influences. But in the fourth century B.C. Ariminum (in the sense of the territory
corresponding more or less to that of the present Province of Rimini) was also
involved in the invasion of the Gauls coming from the Po Valley Plain, to the
detriment of the Etruscan domination. And it was these feared warriors from Gaul
whom the Romans were destined to meet as enemies during their conquest of the
lands north of the Apennines.
Ariminum: the Founding of a City
In the year 268 B.C. a contingent of 6,000 farmer-soldiers with their families
crossed the Apennines and came to the valley of the river Ariminus, the present-day
Marecchia. Driven by their hunger for land, they had left the regions of Latium and
Campania to undertake the long journey which was to lead them to the northern
corner of Ager Picenus et Gallicus, that territory part in Romagna and part in Le
Marche which had been annexed to the Roman empire after the defeat of the Senon
Gauls at the battle of Sentino (295 B.C.).
The mission entrusted to them by the Senate of Rome was to found a Latin
colony which would take its name from the river, becoming Ariminum, an
autonomous state allied to the mother country, bounded by the Conca and Rubicon
brooks. In little over a century these pioneers and their descendants were to
transform the still “natural” countryside into a “man-made” environment,
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1
D
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C
2
B
A. Augustus Arch
B. Porta Montanara gate
C. Forum
D. Theatre
E. Tiberius Bridge
F. Harbour
G. Amphitheatre
A
The domus included in the itineraries:
1. Palazzo Massani, Prefecture
2. Palazzo Arpesella
3. Chamber of Commerce
4. The Surgeon’s House
5. Palazzo Diotallevi
14
characterised by those traits which still distinguish it: the orderly geometry of fields
and crops, interspersed with small groups of dwellings, and a network of roads
leading in all directions around the town, the whole scene framed by the blue of the
sea and the rivers and the grey lines of walls.
In their strategy of occupation of the territory the settlers followed the choices
of those who had preceded them. And so the city was founded at the mouth of the
river Marecchia, the obvious place for a harbour and for coasting trade, and formerly
the favoured place of settlement for Villanovans, Etruscans, Greeks and Umbrians.
Caput viarum
A number of roads meet at the harbour: the pre-historic route through the
Marecchia valley (via Arretina), the “pedemontana” track towards the north, and the
coastal routes. The Romans exploited this to the full, making Ariminum a major
military and trading harbour, a strategic junction for communications between the
north and the centre of the country, and also the point of departure for long routes
towards central and eastern Europe. The ancient routes, with the exception of the
Via Arretina, were honoured with the title of consular roads, the motorways of the
time, prime players in the process of conquering territory and favouring the
economic interests of the Roman state. The Via Flaminia (220-219 B.C.) begins at
the Milvian bridge in Rome and ends at Porta Romana, the southern gateway to
Ariminum enhanced in 27 B.C. by the Augustus Arch; the Via Aemilia (187 B.C.)
begins at the opposite extremity of the city, crossing the river Ariminus, traverses
the Po Valley Plain in a north-westerly direction and touches all the towns at the
confluence of the Appenine valleys as far as Milan; the Via Popillia (132 B.C.), the
natural continuation northwards of the Via Flaminia coincides for a little way with
the Via Aemilia but then follows the coast as far as Aquileia.
This integrated road network was begun by the Consul Caius Flaminius, the first
leader of the populares, opposed to the hegemony of the Senate, such as Marius and
Caesar, who made Ariminum the protagonist of famous chapters in the history of
republican Rome: by means of the Via Flaminia the colony developed from being
merely a defence against invading Gauls to become an open gateway to the
Tiberius Bridge,
Rimini.
15
boundless plain towards the north, a springboard for the conquest of Cisalpine Gaul.
The routes followed by the consular roads in the Rimini area were not very
different from the present-day roads. They had a man-made surface, usually made
from layers of gravel, and well-built bridges. Travelling was rendered safer and more
comfortable by efficient infrastructures similar to those we find today. There were
milestones, road signs in the form of stone columns at the roadside marking the
distance; mutationes, “fuel stations” for changing horses; and mansiones, inns
offering refreshment and shelter for the night.
The road network, together with smaller local roads, soon became a gathering
place for minor towns and villages which depended mainly on trade or manufacture.
And according to a custom typically Roman the necropolises, the cities of the dead,
were placed beside the roads, immediately outside the boundaries of the
settlements, where the funeral monuments could attract the gaze of the passer-by,
so perpetuating the memory of the deceased.
The Territory
The consular roads were the backbone of that organisation of the territory
brought about by centuriation, the process of reclaiming and reorganising
agricultural land by subdividing it into regular plots measuring about 710 metres
each side, delimited by right-angled lines. The grid drawn by ditches, canals,
hedges, walls and paths was the basis for intense exploitation of land which gave
generously its fruits even in those areas not included in the centuriation process:
the mountain area yielded stone, wood, and all the products deriving from sheepfarming, while in the valleys oak woods favoured pig-farming and the consequent
production of meat.
The fertile and varied land and the sea so rich in fish (the exquisite fish of the
Adriatic) guaranteed the well-being of the city, meeting the demands of both the
domestic market and of trade. On the plain vegetables, grain and fruit trees
Right, flat-based
amphora, Rimini,
Municipal Museum;
Far right, model of a
kiln, Santarcangelo di
Romagna, MUSAS.
16
flourished, while in the hills olives and above all vines were grown using trees as
living support, and pruning methods learned perhaps from the Gauls but derived
from Etruscan tradition.
Ancient sources praise the exceptional wine production of the lands to the south
of Ariminum: 10 culleum (wineskins) per iugero, equivalent to approximately 210
hectolitres per hectare of land. This abundance made it possible to export wine - not
exceptional in quality - by means of a widespread trade network which seems to have
found its main outlet in the popular markets of the capital. This intense agricultural
activity, which reached its peak between the second and third centuries A.D., led to
the production of appropriate containers, the characteristic small amphorae with a
flat base, ideal for transport by cart, since distribution was mainly by road.
Kilns where amphorae of this type were produced in the Rimini area have come
to light, some in the territory of Riccione, but mainly in Santarcangelo, which in
imperial times must have been an “industrial estate” specialised in the production
of pottery ware for crockery, lamps, and bricks.
The organisation of agriculture in small or medium-sized farms - destined to last
over time without evolving into the latifundum system of large landed estates - gave
rise to widespread population of the land and considerable prosperity which
reached its peak between the first century B.C. and the second century A.D. The
typical farm was built from brick and inexpensive materials and included
storehouses, stables and outhouses equipped for the working of produce or for use
as small craft workshops. Traces of country villas have been found, mainly to the
south of Rimini. A villa included both the master’s house, similar to a town house in
comfort and quality of materials, and the space devoted to the labourers, with the
necessary equipment for working the produce of the land or for use by craft
workers. Completing the portrait of land population were villages (pagus and
vicus), maintained by the rich array of resources available and by their position in
the network of communications. All the archaeological traces found on the plain of
San Pietro in Cotto, in the Conca valley between Gemmano and Montefiore, suggest
that there was a large country villa here. This was a privileged position since it stood
on high ground within a network of roads through Romagna and Le Marche. The
materials discovered point to a sizeable settlement based on intensive exploitation
Cameo showing the
profile of Dionysus,
god of wine, and
cornelian showing
Ceres, goddess of the
harvest. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
17
of agricultural resources, perhaps extended imperial property, with high-quality
residential buildings and in all probability religious buildings also.
The City of Ariminum
The city of Ariminum was a major road junction and a focal point for the lively
economy of the territory. Right from its foundation, it took on an appearance which
we can still trace in today’s historic core: a well-ordered grid of streets at right
angles to one another (cardo and decumanus) made a network of rectangular
insulae where buildings both public and private would be erected. The original
nucleus consisted of the cardo maximus (now Via Garibaldi - Via IV Novembre)
which linked the Via Arretina to the harbour at the river mouth (near the present-day
Largo Martiri d’Ungheria, also known as Piazzale Clementini), and the decumanus
maximus (Corso d’Augusto), the street which links the Via Flaminia to the Via Emilia.
Where the two roads cross, in what is now Piazza Tre Martiri, was the forum, the
heart of public and economic life in the city. Archaeological evidence gives us some
interesting ideas of what the forum might have looked like. At the time it stretched
as far as the present-day Via San Michelino in Foro on the seaward side, and
important buildings faced on to it, including the basilica, the seat of justice and of
business, and the theatre built in the age of Augustus in the first insula to the north.
This prestigious site was also the setting for honorary monuments, statues and
inscriptions to commemorate important personages, emperors and benefactors of
the community. And let us not forget that according to tradition, it was in the forum
of Ariminum that Julius Caesar’s famous speech to his soldiers was made, after the
crossing of the river Rubicon which marked the boundary of the state of Rome, and
before his march on the capital.
Augustus Arch, Rimini.
18
The colony of Ariminum was surrounded on three sides by water: on one side
the river Ariminus, on another the Ausa brook (now diverted, but then
corresponding to the present-day Parco Cervi gardens) and on a third the sea (which
in Roman times reached as far inland as the present-day railway line). It soon took
on the contours which would outline an urban layout destined to last, without any
significant alterations, until the beginning of the twentieth century. The role of the
city as a military outpost soon led to the establishment of suitable defences
designed to protect its southern side, the most exposed: a mighty curtain wall with
four-sided watchtowers was built, using roughly-squared blocks of local sandstone.
Restoration work to maintain the effectiveness of the defences was carried out
during the first century B.C., in the difficult times of civil war when Rimini, which had
sided with Marius, was a victim of Sulla’s reprisals. When Augustus brought peace
the defences were no longer needed, and it was not until the third century A.D. that
the escalation of the first barbarian invasions made new defences necessary and
new brick walls were built, surrounding the city on all sides.
In correspondence with the main city roads there were gates in the walls: Porta
Montanara, at the end of the cardo maximus where the Via Arretina begins, and
Porta Romana, where the Via Flaminia meets the decumanus maximus. This gate
was demolished in 27 B.C. to make way for the Augustus Arch, built by the Senate
of Rome in honour of Octavian to celebrate the restoration of the main streets.
Under Augustus Ariminum, already a municipium of the state of Rome since the
beginning of the first century B.C., took on the appearance and the dignity of a
splendid imperial city: as well as enhancing the entrances to the city by building the
monumental Augustus Arch and the bridge over the river Marecchia later
completed by Tiberius, Octavian commissioned the paving of the city streets,
development of the aqueduct and the sewers, reclamation of a whole district in the
southern part of the city, renovation of the Via Aemilia, and the renewal of private
Left, the Roman
amphitheatre, Rimini.
Right, ships coming
into harbour (detail of
a mosaic from Palazzo
Diotallevi). Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
19
building enterprise. The arrival of colonists, veterans faithful to the Princeps, gave
rise to the growth of a new ruling class, breathing new life into the city and the
territory, which became a huge ongoing building site. The urban development plan
commissioned by Augustus was centred on the area around the forum and
envisaged monumental expressions of the culture, power, and civic order of the
empire: the entrance to the city from Rome was embellished with a huge arch,
creating a pedestrians-only zone and forbidding access to carts, which constituted
heavy traffic, while on the opposite side of the square a theatre was built.
The last major urban work to define the appearance of the imperial city was the
Amphitheatre, built in the second century, probably by the emperor Hadrian, when
the climate of the times was different, as were the emperor’s intentions. Standing
on the eastern outskirts of Ariminum and destined to house the gladiator games
which always attracted a large enthusiastic audience, the Amphitheatre became a
means of integrating the citizens with the inhabitants of the surrounding territory
and with the various peoples from other parts of the empire. In building the
Amphitheatre to provide the populace with the amusements they wanted, the
emperor intended to ensure popular support for himself and for the aristocracy who
were his devoted followers. However, these amusements were not destined to last:
within a hundred years or so the terror unleashed by invading barbarians put an end
to all games in the Amphitheatre, which was encompassed in the city walls and
became a military fortress.
The “Domus” of Ariminum
Monuments show us the public face of the city, but it is dwellings which illustrate
the private life of a society in a state of continual change in the course of more than
eight centuries of Roman rule. In the republican period, buildings were simple and
functional, expressions of an austere lifestyle, while the first century saw the rise of
the domus, a one-family residence of one or two floors built around the atrium - the
entrance, with an open roof for the collection of rainwater - and the peristylium, the
garden with its portico. This style of building reflects contact with Greek culture and
the spread of the pleasures of otium; in the mid-imperial age the domus underwent
20
further changes, leaving ample space for triclinia, the elegant banqueting rooms
which, together with gardens embellished with fountains and furnishings, were
intended to showcase the wealth of the master of the house, against the backdrop of
a flourishing city now multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. And finally, in the fifth and sixth
centuries, in an atmosphere of decay, luxurious residences appeared, the homes of
senior functionaries and officials of the court of Ravenna, displays of grandeur and
power in a society where the distance between one class and another became ever
more extreme. The last domus, scattered here and there throughout a now
unravelling network of dwellings, drew their inspiration from the imperial palace: a
complex plan developed around spacious courtyards embellished with pools and
fountains and composite reception rooms which often had an apse, reached by a
route designed to underline the complex ceremonial of visiting.
Let us imagine we are entering a dwelling in imperial Rimini: our gaze is
immediately drawn by the brilliant colours of the frescos on the walls and ceiling,
broad monochrome backgrounds often divided into squares within which are found
various decorative elements or compositions similar to modern wallpaper. We would
then notice the floors, which denote the hierarchy, functions and organisation of
indoor space: in rooms open to the weather or destined for utility spaces the floors are
functional and hard-wearing, made of brick or “cocciopesto”, a mixture of brick and
mortar sometimes embellished with mosaic tesserae, while in the rooms destined to
the master of the house and his family we find extensive mosaic pavements, in black
and white or colour, or precious marble floors. Over a hundred specimens of mosaic
are preserved in the Municipal Museum and various archaeological sites, and these
display a wealth of geometrical or figurative decorative patterns.
Left, statuette of
Orpheus, probably a
garden ornament.
Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
Right, mosaic from the
cubiculum.
Rimini, the Surgeon’s
House archaeological
site.
21
It is the furnishings which illustrate the standard of living in the domus: statues,
household goods, objects intended for the care and adornment of the person,
elements which describe not just the tastes but also the culture and religiousness of
the inhabitants.
A unique and truly outstanding context is the excavations in Piazza Ferrari: the
archaeological complex, recently opened to the public, narrates the life of this
corner on the northern edge of the Roman city from the first century B.C. to the
Middle Ages. The most striking discovery is the domus, dating from imperial times,
which housed a taberna medica, as is demonstrated by the discovery of an
outstanding collection of over 150 surgical instruments. The “Surgeon’s House” was
destroyed suddenly, by fire, perhaps during the first barbarian invasions which put
entire cities in the Romagna region to fire and the sword during the mid-third
century. Ariminum too suffered from the atmosphere of anxiety and unrest: this is
made evident by the obvious desertion of the domus buried under the rubble, and
by the building of walls to defend the city boundaries.
Ariminum saw a period of renewal in the fifth and sixth century in the shadow of
nearby Ravenna, since 402 the capital of the Western Roman Empire. This is
illustrated by the sumptuous palatial dwelling with heated rooms and mosaic
pavements built in the front section of the insula where the surgeon’s domus stood:
the ruins of this dwelling, buried below heaps of earth, were left more or less intact.
But the palace was destined to be short-lived: the building decayed rapidly and
was then abandoned in the mid-sixth century, when Rimini became the theatre for
the terrible war between Goths and Byzantines which followed the end of Roman
domination, symbolically represented by the graves cut into the splendid mosaics.
22
Itineraries
Orietta Piolanti
The itineraries suggested are for adults
(visitor trails marked in red) adapted by means
of methodology and workshops, where indicated,
to be suitable for children (blue trails)
and in one case for the non-sighted (violet trail)
making up a sort of Museum you can touch.
There are also two itineraries for cyclists (green trails).
Visitor trail for adults
Visitor trail for children
Visitor trail for the non-sighted
Visitor trail for cyclists
23
1. In Search of Primitive Man
1 or 2 days
Itinerary:
Rimini, Municipal Museum - Stone-chipping workshop - Workshop
for modelling clay, as in a Neolithic village;
Riccione, Museo del Territorio (Local History Museum) - Pre-history
section - Bone, teeth and shells workshop: amulets and jewellery
from pre-history.
A14
Stone-chipping workshop
Held by Stefano Sabattini
Time: 2 hours
For children over 8 years and adults
A charge will be made and prior reservation is necessary
Info: tel. 0541 704421-704426
How did our most distant ancestors live? How did they defend
themselves? How did they hunt for food? And what sort of stone did
they use most? Whatever can bits of stone tell us? How many
questions about a world where Man lived according to the rhythms
and laws of Nature, in an environment not yet transformed! And so
many answers come from pieces of stone, flints collected along
watercourses and on gravelly beaches, the raw material most widely
used in Palaeolithic times, along with perishable resources such as
24
wood, leather, and bone.
In the workshop the specialist will guide participants through the
fascinating experience of chipping stones, simulating the technique
most used among those available: direct percussion, which means
holding in the hand the pebble to be chipped and striking it with a
stone; and bipolar percussion, where the nucleus to be chipped is
placed on a rock, a sort of anvil. From this nucleus, by means of
decisive blows, come those chippings and splinters of stone which
Man will gradually learn to transform, by working them, into
increasingly sharper tools. The actions of the expert operator repeat,
methodically and precisely, those which primitive men used to make
the tools indispensable for their survival. Observing the objects
produced makes it possible to understand the special features (not
The stone-chipping
workshop: putting the
finishing touches to a flint
and fitting a handle to a
spear-head.
accidental) where form and shape correspond to a predetermined
plan. Various types of weapons and tools appear, ranging from the
simple and rudimentary to the more complex and developed, chipped
on both sides and also polished. The different tools (chopper,
chopper-tool, chisel, blade, scraper...) demonstrate, when used, their
effectiveness for striking, shattering, digging, uprooting, slicing,
peeling and skinning … all the actions which primitive men needed to
perform for hunting, killing, cutting trees, or digging up roots. It is
easy to understand too why, over time, men began to fit handles to
the tools they made, attaching them to pieces of wood or bone.
This Trail will be completed in the future by a visit to the pre-history
section of Rimini Municipal Museum.
An excursion to Covignano hill will illustrate some of the geological
25
features - such as the Yellow Sands - of the place which saw the first
human inhabitants of Rimini. And to imagine a day in the life of a
hunter-gatherer, you can follow ancient paths through the hills and
valleys of Romagna, in search of wild fruits, herbs and shoots
(obviously, only things which grow wild and which it is not forbidden
to pick!)
Modelling clay, as in a Neolithic village
Held by Francesca Minak and Erika Franca Tonni
Time: 2 hours
Info: tel. 0541 704421-704426
One of the contributing factors to that long process of innovation
which goes by the name of “Neolithic revolution” was the
introduction of pottery, the production of recipients for preserving
and transporting liquids and the produce of the land.
Pottery made its entrance into a society which was changing because
of a number of factors: the domestication of plants, animal rearing,
ever-longer spells of sedentary living, the formation of small
communities, evolving techniques for working stone, the mastery of
fire, and the practice of barter. In such a context the working of
pottery took on great importance, becoming essential in an economy
based on early forms of agriculture and on dairy produce.
Pottery was hand-made (the potter’s wheel did not come into use in
Italy until the Iron Age) and exploited local resources: clay, water and
wood to fuel the rudimentary furnaces in which the recipients were
baked. Raw materials easy to find, which formed the basis for a
family “industry” built on the demands of the village.
Using blocks of clay (clay in its natural state needs soaking in water
for a spell to remove impurities) we can simulate types of crockery
produced in the Neolithic period, both by hand and by using the
technique known as “colombino” or “lucignolo”.
In the first instance a piece of clay is shaped by hollowing it out with
the hand; in the second instance, long “ropes” of clay are rolled out,
wound in a spiral shape, and fixed to a flat base. These methods
make it possible to produce simple pieces - pots and bowls sometimes destined for specific activities, such as dairy produce.
Once the pot has been formed and smoothed, it can be decorated
26
either by “impression”, using the fingers or nails to make a pattern in
the clay, or by using the technique of “sgraffito” in which patterns
are scratched into the clay using sharp pointed tools.
Each recipient is unique, the fruit of the skill and creativity of the
The pottery workshop:
decorating a bowl.
potter who shaped it: each participant in the workshop can take
away their original handwork, created in keeping with models and
techniques which were widespread in Romagna in the Neolithic
period.
The workshop omits the final stages of the manufacturing process:
the lengthy drying procedure to harden the clay, and the baking in
special ovens.
Riccione Local History Museum: a journey into pre-history
Riccione Local History Museum was set up in the “Centro Culturale
della Pesa” in 1990 and has some rooms devoted to the evolution of
the geology and the most ancient human settlement in this territory
to the south of Rimini: a tale covering millions of years and
concluding with the Romans, thereby linking the fortunes of the area
to the destiny of the colony of Ariminum.
This trail illustrates the transformation of the coastal area and the
Conca Valley, reconstructs palaeo-environments, and records the
presence of mankind throughout pre-history. Stones chipped with
advanced technique (see Levallois) date the earliest traces of human
habitation to the last years of the Lower Palaeolithic, a period when
scrapers were especially frequent among the different articles
manufactured. Remains of hut settlements (such as those found
along the Agina brook during the building of the Santa Monica motorracing circuit) give interesting glimpses of the Neolithic Age, of the
27
first permanent settlements and of the new agricultural-pastoral way
of life: once more, it is worked flints, pottery vessels and articles
made of bone which “speak” to us of daily life and archaic forms of
spirituality.
Bronze Age axe and
dagger. Below, objects
found in a Gallic tomb.
Museum
In parallel with these hesitant records of the Aeneolithic period when metalworking first appeared, trade increased, and work began
to be more organised - are found tokens of the Bronze Age and of the
Iron Age, including pottery and objects made of metal.
The materials illustrate a cultural horizon permeated by the Apennine
way of life, an economy based on sheep-rearing and the rhythms of
transhumance, but at the same time influenced by the terramara
culture of the larger villages of the great plain to the north, where
agriculture was greatly developed. The relationship between the two
cultures can be seen in the traditional Apennine pottery and in tools
for working in the fields, small mattocks and scythes made of bone or
metal.
During the early Iron Age the territory of Riccione appears to have
been peripheral when compared with the centrality of the Marecchia
Valley and its Etruscan-Villanovan epicentre Verucchio, but the fifth
28
century B.C. gives significant indicators of a Greek presence in the
area, in the wake of lively trade by sea, and tangible evidence that
Celtic culture still persisted in the area can be found in the funeral
objects discovered in Misano, in a Gallic tomb dating from the third
century B.C.
Bone, teeth and shells workshop:
amulets and jewellery from pre-history
Held by Vanessa Delvecchio
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
For children from 8 to 12 years
Info: tel. 0541 600113
Just like everybody else, primitive men liked to adorn themselves
with jewellery, and not only for aesthetic reasons: to jewellery they
ascribed magic powers and the function of good luck charms to keep
away evil spirits. Using simple materials found along the route as
they moved from place to place, Neolithic men made and wore
necklaces and amulets to which they entrusted the happy outcome of
hunting expeditions and the events of day-to-day life, with a
“religiousness” which bound mankind closely to Nature and its laws.
Using perforated shells (just like those the sea continues to deposit
on the beach today), wood, feathers, and clay (rather than bone and
stone, which were however widely used for jewellery manufacture in
pre-historic times) the workshop invites you to “create” a piece of
jewellery or an amulet, using your imagination and aesthetic sense.
All the participants, with the help of the operator, will be able to
create “their” own adornment after a visit to the museum and a short
introduction to acquire the ideas necessary for the activity.
Each piece created, unique and original, will be a personal record of
an experience following very ancient traditions which used raw
materials found in the surrounding environment, and liked to express
in symbols the forces of Nature, using the objects created to exorcise
feelings of fear and death.
29
2. Tokens of Power: the Etruscan Princes
of the Marecchia Valley
1 day
Itinerary:
Verucchio, Municipal Archaeology Museum.
A14
The guided visit includes viewing
an animated video illustrating the funeral ceremony
of the “prince” buried in tomb Lippi 89. The funerary
objects found here are on display in the Throne Room.
For children we suggest the themed trail entitled
“The Prince’s throne and its symbols”
and the narrative trail “The Magic Throne”.
Info: tel. 0541 670222
If you follow the Marecchia river upstream, about 18 Km. from Rimini
you come to Verucchio, a rocky spur 330 metres high, dominating
the valley. Situated on the boundary with the Montefeltro region and
the Republic of San Marino, in a strategic position both for defensive
purposes and in relation to communication links with the Tiber valley
and the Tyrrhenian coast, Verucchio still shows the glorious tokens of
its past, which had its most enthralling chapters in the early Iron Age
when the Villanovan culture flourished, and in the Middle Ages when
Verucchio became the cradle of the Malatesta dynasty. The power of
the mighty Malatestas is vividly evoked by the fortress, while the
30
Wooden throne from the
Lippi necropolis (detail).
Archaeology Museum.
long history of the Villanovans, who here gave rein to their originality
and power, can be read in the local Archaeology Museum housed in
the former Sant’Agostino monastery, built in the twelfth century and
enlarged in the seventeenth by the addition of the church and
spinning-mills. In the building, which stands just outside the
mediaeval town walls, is displayed a splendid collection of finds from
the rich tombs found in the Verucchio area, including objects both
rare and immensely interesting which bear witness to the supremacy
of an élite of warrior princes.
Each room narrates a part of this splendid civilisation by means of
the objects preserved in the necropolises which spread along the
hillsides, and there are many display cases where the visitor may
pause for a “virtual encounter” with the Etruscan princes who dwelt
here in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. Well-planned
information panels and captions help to outline personages of high
lineage, those princes whose functions included military action, as is
demonstrated by the contemporary presence in the tombs of both
full dress arms and real arms, both for attack and defence. Tombs
number 85 and 89 of the Lippi necropolis (the most substantial in
the Verucchio area) stand out as the paradigm of the funerary objects
which accompanied in death individuals of princely rank, both men
and women. The funeral rite, a veritable mine of information about
31
Decorated amber bead.
Archaeology Museum.
the “identity” and personality of the deceased, shows in this case an
incomparable ostentation of wealth illustrated by the very fine and
prestigious objects found here. For instance, the wooden thrones
(exceptionally well preserved because of the chemical composition of
the earth where the tombs were found) and especially the richly
decorated specimen found in tomb 89 in which, within a complicated
pattern of decorative elements, can be deciphered scenes narrating
the life of the times. Finely carved on the back of the throne are
scenes illustrating the cycle of working wool, spinning and weaving.
Clothing and personal objects also point out the status attained by
the princes of Verucchio, as do elements of chariots and horse
harness, and sets of precious bronze vessels. These objects show
familiarity with the Etruscan world and when viewed together with
the organisation of burial space and the composition of the entire
funerary rite, point to important roles in society, high rank, and
considerable wealth and culture. The double “habit” of the funeral
urn and the dolium in tomb 26 of the Moroni-Semprini necropolis is
emblematic, an evident message, together with other significant
elements, to communicate the social standing of the individual.
Among the many tokens attesting to the wealth and power of the
“princes” of Verucchio we can admire pieces of jewellery, fine
specimens of a craft which reached its peak in the eighth and seventh
centuries B.C.: gleaming gold finely worked employing the most
advanced techniques of the period and used to create splendid
brooches and surprising earrings. And as well as the glass paste
used for necklaces and pendants we can find the glorious colours of
legendary amber, the gift of the gods offered as consolation for the
death of Phaeton, son of the Sun. The wealth of Verucchio was
increased by the amber trade: the town was a centre for sorting and
working this fossilised resin which by virtue of its transparency,
intensity of colour and therapeutic properties, was destined to
belong to the local upper classes.
32
3. Tokens of Power: Military Leaders and Roman Emperors
in the History of Ariminum
1 day
Itinerary:
Rimini, Municipal Museum - archaeology section - Roman Epigraphic
Garden (visitor trail also suitable for the non-sighted)/
Augustus Arch/Piazza Tre Martiri/Tiberius Bridge/Amphitheatre.
Ponte di Tiberio
Piazzale
Boscovich
Palazzo Arengo
Museo della Città
Lapidario Romano
Grand Hotel
Rocca Malatestiana Palazzo del Podestà
Teatro degli Atti
via Sigism
Camera di Commercio
Palazzo del
Turismo
Biblioteca Gambalunga
Vecchia Pescheria
Piazza Tre Martiri
Porta Montanara
ex Consorzio
Agrario
IAT
XXIII
ondo
ni
Ufficio info
Corso Giovan
comunale Domus del chirurgo
Palazzo Massani
Prefettura
IAT
Tempio Malatestiano
Arco d’Augusto
Anfiteatro Romano
Famous figures in the history of ancient Rome linked their names to
that of Ariminum: as well as Flaminius and Marius, we must
remember Julius Caesar, the great general who with the words “The
die is cast!” sealed the crossing of the Rubicon and all that followed;
Octavian Augustus, the prince who held dear the greatness of ancient
Rimini; and the emperor Hadrian, lover of the arts, who gave the city
the monument symbolising Romanism, the Amphitheatre.
The visitor trail which follows in their footsteps begins with the
Municipal Museum, guardian of the historic, artistic and archaeological
heritage of Rimini, housed in the eighteenth-century Jesuit college.
Here we can “meet” Octavian Augustus, whose face, recognisable by
the characteristic lock of hair falling on his forehead, is immortalised in
the marble portrait head, perhaps posthumous, which shows an
idealised image of the emperor with an expression full of pathos.
33
Portrait head of Augustus
and epigraph on a paving
stone. Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
Monuments and archaeological evidence, instead, give us the figure of
a politician engaged in a complex programme of urban works and road
building: in the Roman epigraphic garden is a milestone found in 1949
near the bridge over the Uso brook at San Vito, which originally marked
the seventh mile from the city and commemorates the renovation of the
Via Aemilia in the year 2 B.C., while a marble cippus celebrates the
paving of urban streets promoted by Gaius Caesar in the year 1 A.D.
The process of renewal begun by Octavian also touched private
circles: the Augustan ideals of art inspired the funeral stele of
Egnazia Chila, one of the most elegant examples of sculpture from
the first imperial age. Emblematic of residential building are the
domus in the area near the Augustus Arch, gracious homes with
heating systems, ornamental fountains, and apsidal rooms, with floor
mosaics embellished with marble tiles, which will be displayed in the
rooms of the Archaeology Section after forthcoming renovation work.
Octavian was responsible for building two of the monuments which
symbolise the city of Rimini: the Arch at the end of the Via Flaminia
and the bridge over the river Marecchia at the opposite end of the
decumanus maximus (Corso d’Augusto).
The Augustus Arch was the first major work commissioned by the
emperor in Ariminum. Built in 27 B.C. as a city gate, it honours the
figure and the policies of Octavian, beginning with the epigraph
celebrating him for his renovation of the Via Flaminia. The entire
structure, with core walls faced with Istria stone, is both strongly
religious in character and a notable example of propaganda: the
architecture is reminiscent of a temple while the gateway, so wide
34
The god Neptune (detail
from the Augustus Arch).
Rimini.
that it cannot be closed by hinged doors, proclaims the peace
achieved by the battle of Actium in 31 B.C. The decoration is rich in
celebratory symbols which also fill the panels in the typanum; the
divinities in the clypei (Jove and Apollo on the outer face, Neptune
and Rome facing towards the city) exalt the might of Rome and the
greatness of Augustus. Originally the Arch was part of the ancient
stone walls surrounding the city - remains of which can still be seen and was surmounted by an attic with the statue of the emperor, on
horseback or in a quadriga; in the Middle Ages the summit of the
Arch was adorned with the merlons which survive today.
In the ancient forum, today Piazza Tre Martiri, openings have been
left in the present paving to show archaeological remains recalling
the age of Augustus. At that time the calcareous stone paving
extended over the whole square, which was enclosed to the north by
a theatre built from brick and to the south by the arch which denoted
the entrance; there stood the tall base of one of the many honorary
monuments celebrating the munificence of the ruling class, while on
the side towards the sea, level with present-day Via San Michelino in
Foro, stood the basilica.
Another personage emerges imperiously from the square: Julius
Caesar, evoked by two modern monuments, the bronze statue and
the stone cyppus standing at the beginning of Via IV Novembre.
According to ancient tradition (which is not confirmed by the
general’s own writings) he harangued his army right here, in the
forum of Ariminum the day after crossing the Rubicon. This tradition
gave rise to the belief that Caesar stood on a huge stone to speak to
35
his troops, that same stone which until World War Two was placed on
top of the cyppus put up in 1555 to commemorate the event.
Our journey in the footsteps of Octavian begins again at the Tiberius
Bridge. It was actually begun by Augustus in the year of his death, 14
A.D. and was completed by his successor in 21 A.D., as is recorded by
the inscription on the inner parapets. Built from blocks of Istria
stone, the bridge is over 70 metres long and crosses the river on five
arches supported on massive piers with breakwater spurs, placed at
an oblique angle to the road axis to follow the current and minimise
its impact on the bridge. The bridge is the beginning of the Via
Aemilia and the Via Popillia, and the link between the city centre and
the suburbs. It is outstanding both as architecture and as a feat of
engineering, uniting utilitarian function, harmony of form, and
exaltation of the emperors. Exaltation took the form of epigraphs and
a sober decorative display recalling civic power (the laurel wreath
and shield) and religious power (the lituus, the priest’s staff; the cup
and the patera for sacrifices). In the last arch towards Borgo San
Giuliano can be seen the damage caused during the war between the
Goths and the Byzantines, one of the many occasions in history in
which the bridge was threatened with destruction.
The works ordered by Augustus are part of a systematic project
inspired by political ideals and by a culture which refers back to
ancient Roman tradition, while the building of the Amphitheatre by
the Emperor Hadrian in the second century A.D. (recorded by a coin
found in one of the walls) is symbolic of the panem et circensem
policy, which sought to gain widespread approval and keep tension
to a minimum by providing collective entertainment for the populace.
The vestiges of the grandiose building where gladiator combat,
animal hunts, and spectacular public executions took place, are the
most significant in the entire Region. The amphitheatre stood on the
outskirts of the town, close to the harbour and well served by roads
to facilitate the arrival of spectators who came from all over the
territory. Built of concrete mix faced with bricks, it had two orders of
pillars with sixty arches, one above the other. It was over fifteen
metres high and could accommodate over ten thousand spectators.
Oval in shape, it had a huge beaten earth arena, only slightly smaller
than the Coliseum in Rome. Still standing today is the north-eastern
sector with one of the main entrances; other entrances led to the
corridor which gave access to the steps leading to the stone tiers
with numbered places. After little over a century, the amphitheatre
lost its original function and was encompassed in the walls put up to
defend the city from the invading barbarians.
36
4. Caput viarum
1 or 2 days
Itinerary:
Cattolica, Archaeological area near the former wholesale fruit
market/ Regina Museum;
Riccione, Bridge over Rio Melo brook/ Municipal Pharmacies
archaeological area/Local History Museum;
Rimini, Augustus Arch/ Montanara Gate/
Municipal Museum/Tiberius Bridge;
San Vito.
San Vito
A14
This Visitor Trail is suitable both for motorists and cyclists,
who can make use of the network of cycle tracks currently
being organised throughout the Province of Rimini.
Info: www.ciclo.emila-romagna.it or
www.piste-ciclabili.com/provincia-rimini
For children and their families we suggest
the workshop at the Regina Museum in Cattolica
“Tabernae and Hospitality in the Roman World:
resting places for travellers”, held by Maria Luisa Stoppioni,
time about 1 hour 30 minutes,
for children aged from 9 years
Info and reservations: tel. 0541 966577
37
Travellers coming from the south along the Via Flaminia would have
found the first dwellings of the territory of Rimini where Cattolica now
stands. Towards the end of the first century B.C., in the years when
Augustus commissioned the maintenance work recorded by the
inscription on the Arch named for him at the end of the Via Flaminia,
a mansio, the Roman equivalent of a motorway service station, could
be found half way between Pisaurum and Ariminum, where travellers
could find refreshments and hospitality for themselves and their
horses. Archaeological excavations carried out from the 1960s
onwards in the area where the former wholesale fruit market once
stood revealed buildings and work spaces, and these have been left
on view. There are basins with terracotta flooring, a drainage
network, and a well over eight metres deep, which remained in use
until the third century A.D. when a fire, probably caused by early
barbarian invasions, brought about the decline of the settlement. The
objects discovered during these and other excavations are displayed
in the Regina Museum, which is housed in the ancient Pilgrim
Hospital and has two sections: archaeology and marine. A visit to the
archaeology section gives a view of day-to-day life in the little
settlement: the vessels for decanting drinks evoke the taberna within
the mansio, a rough mosaic made from irregular-shaped tesserae in
limestone recalls the artisans who worked here, the objects found in
the well remind us of the difficult task of drawing water, while
gracious frescos, carved marble, elegant furnishings and personal
belongings describe the wealthy lifestyle of the village which grew up
around the mansio.
Continuing the journey towards Rimini we pass Misano and
Fontanelle, from where, it is thought, came respectively the
milestone which stood at mile 211 from Rome and the epigraph
Mosaic of irregularshaped tesserae, and
plaster fragment showing
a foot. Cattolica, Regina
Museum.
38
celebrating works commissioned by Domitian in 93 A.D. From here
onwards we find ever more frequent archaeological tokens marking
the course followed by the last few miles of the road, which
corresponds mostly to the present-day main road.
Immediately after Riccione cemetery, a few metres under the viaduct
over Rio Melo brook, is found the arch of a stone bridge which
crossed the brook in Roman times.
The route continues inland as far as San Lorenzo in Strada, where it
turned once more towards the sea, making an almost right-angled
turn now lost because of the roundabouts built here. It is now
thought that the road moved inland to avoid the marshes on the
coastline, or to skirt an important religious site.
A succession of archaeological discoveries in the area confirm that
there was a village near the bend in the road - traditionally identified
as Vicus Popilius - specialised, from the second century B.C. to the
early imperial period, in producing architectural terracotta for
decorating civic or religious buildings.
It is well worth stopping to visit the archaeological site near the
municipal pharmacy (Farmacie Comunali) where the remains of
buildings are brought to life by drawings reconstructing the various
stages in the life of the site, from the earliest settlement in the Iron
Age to the industrial area which served the road building, from the
organisation of the settlement in the age of Augustus to the imperial
necropolis and its use as a lime-kiln in late antiquity.
39
Left, the Roman bridge
over Rio Melo brook,
Riccione. Right: terracotta
tablet showing a Satyr
and a Maenad, from San
Lorenzo in Strada, Rimini,
Municipal Museum; and a
cremation casket from the
Via Flaminia necropolis,
Museum.
The objects found in rural settlements further inland, in San Lorenzo
in Strada and in the necropolis on the Via Flaminia, are preserved in
the Local History Museum in Riccione. There are original records of
burial rites: a cremation casket covered with a tile perforated to
support the base of an amphora, also perforated, for bringing to the
deceased the ritual offerings; a large stone chest inside which the
funeral pyre was made and the ashes of the deceased interred
together with funerary objects; the burnt remains of a funeral bier in
decorated bone on which can be deciphered winged cupids, figures
in drapery, and a horse.
The road continues, measured out by place names: al Terzo (3rd mile),
Colonnella, and by milestones which have survived at the third and
the first mile from Rimini: one can be seen at Miramare, about one
kilometre from the airport, the other near the Colonnella church.
No trace remains of the necropolises, the most ancient and
monumental in Ariminum, which formed a wing to the city walls over
a mile long, with imposing burial buildings, solemn funeral
monuments or more humble grave markers, arranged according to a
strict hierarchy of visibility.
The Via Flaminia ends theatrically with the Arch commissioned by
Augustus over two thousand years ago (see Itinerary no. 3). The
spacious opening invites us to enter: and we are soon at the end of
the cardo maximus (via Garibaldi), Porta Montanara gate. The
remains of the gateway were placed here in 2004 a few metres from
their original site, which is marked in the paving of the road. Built
from sandstone around the end of the first century B.C., this was the
40
Porta Montanara gate,
Rimini.
entrance from the Via Arretina. The gate had a double archway and an
inner courtyard for the guards, with an inner door, but one archway
was blocked as long ago as the second century A.D.
Our itinerary begins again at the Roman Epigraphic Garden in the
Municipal Museum.
The first exhibits to catch the eye are the earliest funeral monuments
from the necropolises along the Via Flaminia: the dado tombs of the
Ovii and of the Maecii are a mine of information about Ariminum from
the beginning of the first century B.C., a city with a lively economy
and a dynamic multi-ethnic society.
The Museum has a rich collection of dedications from funerary
epigraphs, which touch the reader today as much as they must have
done when first carved, greeting the reader and recording touching
expressions of mourning for a loved one, or heart-breaking grief at
the loss of a child.
Also found in the Epigraphic Garden are the marble tablet from
Fontanelle in Riccione, from which the name of the emperor
Domitian has been removed, cancelled after posthumous conviction
for the crimes attributed to him (damnatio memoriae), and a
collection of inscribed milestones, eloquent manifestations of
imperial propaganda: a colossal one placed by Augustus in 2 B.C. to
mark the seventh mile of the Via Aemilia, near the bridge over the
Uso brook, another marking mile 211 on the Via Flaminia, erected by
Massentius in the fourth century and “recycled” by Constantine and
by Magnus Maximus, and another milestone mentioning emperors
Valentinian, Valente and Gratianus, who undertook renovations to
41
Dado funeral monument
and milestone, from the
Via Flaminia. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
the road at the end of the fourth century.
A tablet portraying a Satyr and a Maenad comes from the group of
architectural terracotta pieces found at San Lorenzo in Strada in
1866, and is exhibited as a foretaste of the entire collection, which
will be displayed in the archaeology section once renovation work
has finished. It is also planned to display the most outstanding of the
funeral objects from the necropolises which lined the roads outside
the city.
Our itinerary now continues in the street, to trace the Via Aemilia
which left the city, together with the Via Popillia, crossing the river
Marecchia by the Tiberius Bridge (see Itinerary no. 3). The first
stretch of the consular road, paved perhaps when Augustus carried
out his monumental interventions, followed a straight line from the
bridge through the suburb, inhabited until the third century A.D. and
then becoming a necropolis.
After separating from the coastal Via Popillia, probably at what is now
Le Celle, the Via Aemilia headed inland, then as now, over the plain to
the north, keeping to the foot of the hills and crossing territory where
the presence of men was clearly visible because of the centuriation of
the land, which centred on the road.
At Santa Giustina we come to the Via Emilia Vecchia, which departs
from the main layout for a short stretch as far as Savignano. This
diversion was probably owing to renovation work carried out by
Augustus in 2 B.C., as the milestone found at San Vito, at the seventh
mile from Ariminum, records; but it is still not clear why the emperor
decided to modify the route, moving away from the older road, which
corresponded to the present-day main road. Certainly, the consular
road thus avoided the area around what is now Santarcangelo, then a
42
small industrial centre for the manufacture of bricks, amphorae, and
pottery.
The milestone was discovered near the ancient bridge over the Uso
brook, the remains of which can still be seen not far from the parish
church. Recent archaeological inspection has established that the
remaining brick arches date from the time of the Malatestas but rest
on stone blocks which must have been part of a Roman bridge. This
bridge probably dated from the age of Augustus, and measurements
taken from the collapsed remains still in place suggest that it was of
monumental size, about eight or nine arches: even larger than the
Tiberius bridge in Rimini.
The bridge must therefore have had notable symbolic and
propaganda value, which seems to support the theory that the Uso
brook was actually the original Rubicon; this river made famous by
Julius Caesar marked the boundary of the Roman state in republican
times. The state boundary was later moved by Augustus as far as the
Alps after the unification of ancient Italy with Cisalpine Gaul, a
political union which the emperor perhaps wished to celebrate with
an imposing bridge joining materially the two regions.
The Roman bridge over
the river Marecchia in
Rimini and the remains of
the bridge over the Uso
brook, at San Vito.
43
5. The Archaeological Site in Piazza Ferrari:
a Miniature Pompei in the Heart of Rimini
1 day
Itinerary:
Rimini, Archaeological site of the surgeon’s house in
Piazza Ferrari/Municipal Museum - archaeology section An impossible interview - “The archaeologist’s spade”, workshop.
Ponte di Tiberio
Palazzo Arengo
Museo della Città
Teatro degli Atti
via Sigism
Camera di Commercio
Vecchia Pescheria
Piazza Tre Martiri
Porta Montanara
XXIII
ondo
anni
Ufficio info
Corso Giov
Palazzo Massani
Prefettura
IAT
Since December 2007 the archaeological site has been open to the
public and is part of the Museum: over seven hundred square metres
narrating two thousand years of the city’s history. A real treasure
house, a discovery so exceptional as to merit alone a visit to Rimini.
The covering structure, designed for the conservation and protection
of the site, enhances the archaeological finds, allowing both an
overall view and a detailed reading of the various components while
respecting the integrity of the structures. The excavation work begun
in 1989 by the Emilia Romagna Archaeology Department
(Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici) brought to light a Roman
domus, a palatial residence dating from late antiquity, graves and
traces of dwellings from early mediaeval times, and walls dating from
both the late Middle Ages and modern times.
To visit the site is to be transported back in time: we can imagine
ourselves back in the Roman city, listen to the voices of the
inhabitants, hear again the sound of the sea washing the coastline
which was then close to the residential part of the city, gain an insight
44
into features of daily life.
Here, not far from the ancient harbour, in the second century A.D.
stood a domus, a residence which experts have named “the
surgeon’s house” because the last owner of the house was a surgeon
of Greek formation and culture. The house was destroyed by fire in
the middle of the third century during one of the barbarian invasions,
and among the ruins of the collapsed building walls, mosaics, plaster,
furniture and fittings have emerged, together making up a
“photograph” of life in ancient Rimini.
The fine floor mosaics and the remains of walls still covered in places
with vividly decorated plaster, give a picture of a residence which was
both a private house and a place of business, with a doctor’s surgery taberna medica - paved with refined polychrome mosaics with the
figure of Orpheus at the centre. When the building collapsed, the
surgery was sealed by falling masonry so that the medical man’s
surgical and pharmaceutical instruments were all preserved, leaving for
posterity the most complete set from such remote times ever found.
The history of the site did not end with this devastating fire, as is
shown by the remains of a palatial residence dating from late
antiquity which was built over the front part of the domus in the fifth
century: polychrome mosaics with intricate geometrical patterns and
the heating technique employed attest to the richness of the
residence, which reached the end of its life in the sixth century A.D.
The place was subsequently used as a burial ground, as is recorded
by a number of graves, and then - probably during the seventh
45
Left, the Surgeon’s
House archaeological
site, Rimini. Above
right, Orpheus mosaic
from the taberna
medica. Below right:
detail of mosaic from
palatial residence
dating from late
antiquity. Rimini, the
Surgeon’s House
archaeological site.
century - the western part was once more covered by a new building
in poor materials (wood and clay) and reclaimed elements. This
building was destroyed in the early Middle Ages and was probably
replaced by an open space.
The archaeology section of the nearby Municipal Museum has a
dedicated space illustrating the surgeon’s house: here visitors can go
inside the taberna medica, rebuilt to scale to simulate the original,
and admire the most significant items discovered among the masonry
46
Left, glass panel, from the
Surgeon’s House. Right,
pestles and mortars,
medicine pots, and a
votive hand, from the
Surgeon’s House. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
which collapsed during the fire. The glass panel which adorned a wall
of the triclinium, or dining room, is outstanding: in the central disc
are portrayed, surprisingly lifelike against the blue background which
represents the sea, a gilthead bream, a mackerel and a dolphin made
from mosaic and inserted in a panel of carved glass. This is a rare and
precious picture (pinax in Greek) of Hellene tradition, made to hang
on the wall, very similar to one produced in Corinth in the middle of
the third century. A piece able to evoke marine horizons and marine
light even inside the domus which, we must remember, stood only a
very short distance from the shore of the Adriatic sea.
Here before us today is the exceptional array of surgical and
pharmaceutical instruments: over one hundred and fifty pieces,
some of the bronze instruments soldered together by the heat of the
fire. There are scalpels, probes, tweezers, forceps, and dental
Surgical instruments with
the remains of their
container, from the
Surgeon’s House. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
47
pincers; and we can also recognise pincers for bone surgery, an
instrument for the removal of stones from the urinary tract, a drill
with moveable arms, and an orthopaedic lever.
In the same display case is a bronze sheet decorated with the figure
of Diana the huntress: this is the cover of a small medical chest,
probably made from wood, with a sliding cover.
There are also large stone pestles and mortars, used for crushing
and mixing herbs and minerals which would be used to prepare
medicines. The variety of shapes and materials used indicate
someone specialised in the preparation of the various substances.
One curious exhibit is a container shaped like a foot, which has a
hollow space under the sole: this could be used as a hot water bottle
or an ice pack, depending on the circumstances. And there are a
number of interesting little containers with the name of the contents
written on them in Latin and Greek.
From the taberna comes also the bronze votive hand which can be
linked to the oriental cult of Jupiter Dolichenus, practised in Rimini in
the second and third centuries.
And at the end of the display is an interesting piece of graffiti carved
in the plaster of the wall next to the bed in the taberna medica where
patients would be hospitalised: perhaps as a mark of gratitude one
patient wrote the doctor’s name (interpreted as Eutyches) defining
him homo bonus.
In the display case opposite is a small hoard of over eighty coins
(small change for day-to-day expenses) scattered on the ground from
the upper floor of the domus when the building collapsed, and also
weapons (a spearhead and a javelin) found on the floor of the
surgery, reminders of the warring events which must have led to the
destruction of the house.
48
An impossible interview with a personage
who lived in the surgeon’s domus in the third century A.D.
Held by Francesca Minak and Marina Della Pasqua
For children aged from 9 years
Info: tel. 0541 704421-26
The visit will be enlivened by a meeting with someone closely
connected with the surgeon who lived in the domus in Piazza Ferrari,
played by the guide who will symbolically take on his habit. Who was
the medical man who lived in the domus in the third century? What was
his name? Where did he come from? Which illnesses could he treat and
which operations could he carry out? A visit to the archaeological site
prompts so many questions and so much curiosity! And these questions
can be answered, or a hypothesis put forward, by the conclusions of the
archaeologists and experts who have studied the site. In this
“impossible interview” children will feel that they have gone back in
time, to the mysterious and fascinating world of the early centuries of
the Roman empire, in a wealthy and flourishing city, open to peoples,
goods, and cultures coming from the East, but already threatened by
the barbarian hordes at the gates. Balanced on a seesaw between past
and present, our conversation with the personage close to the Roman
medical man brings to life pages of history and day-to-day life, opening
windows on to the present and imparting notions about the ancient
science of medicine and the beliefs and tastes of our ancestors.
For smaller children there are stories inspired by the site
and an amusing educational experience of archaeological
excavations, “The archaeologist’s spade”.
Animated tales available include:
Once upon a time there was … a domus (for children from 3 to 6)
Pinax. A sound story from the sea (for children from 3 to 8)
The surgeon and the secret temple of Anubis (for children
from 7 to 12)
The surgeon and the strange case of the sniffles of love (for
children from 3 to 6)
Held by Cristina Sedioli
Info: tel. 0541 704421-26
49
The archaeologist’s spade
Held by Ilaria Balena
Time: 2 hours
Info: tel. 0541 704421-26
This workshop has links to an experience of archaeological
excavations on the beach (hence the spade!) organised by adArte
sas: in the Roman epigraph garden in the courtyard of the Municipal
Museum a site will be set up where children, under the guidance of
an expert archaeologist, can play at being little archaeologists
themselves.
The simulated excavation is an enjoyable and stimulating way for
children to experience archaeology, becoming junior investigators in
search of the past, experiencing the thrill of discovery. Using the
“tools of the trade” they will follow all the stages of archaeological
research, learning the criteria and methodology required: digging and
observing the terrain and the traces found there, recovering finds and
recording them, in order to understand the concept of stratigraphy,
the meaning of the archaeologist’s task, and the importance of
respecting what time has buried.
This introduction to archaeology is an approach to history, where
layers of earth are the pages of our book and the objects discovered
and unearthed are the words printed there. Through their personal
involvement and through sharing the work with others, children
become protagonists of a thrilling adventure which leads them to an
awareness of the value of history and the need to respect our
heritage.
Detail of the Orpheus
mosaic, showing a deer.
Rimini, the Surgeon’s
House archaeological site.
50
6. From One Domus to Another
1 or 2 days
Itinerary:
Rimini, Palazzo Massani, Prefecture/Chamber of Commerce/
Municipal Museum - archaeology section - fresco workshop.
Palazzo Arengo
Museo della Città
Teatro degli Atti
via Sigism
Camera di Commercio
Vecchia Pescheria
Piazza Tre Martiri
Porta Montanara
XXIII
ondo
anni
Ufficio info
Corso Giov
Palazzo Massani
Prefettura
Underground Rimini is revealed to the visitor with all the treasures of
an ancient city upon which grew the historic core as we now know it.
Treasures which are revealed every time we venture below street
level, bringing to live the vivid weave of the city which surrounded the
monuments found.
Numerous archaeological sites, brought to light in the heart of Rimini
during excavations begun after World War Two, have given us
significant evidence of the domus, the prestigious homes which
reflected the social standing and profession of their domini, the
owners of these homes. Three of these sites have become museums:
the area of Palazzo Massani (the present seat of the Prefecture), that
of the Chamber of Commerce, and the complex discovered in Piazza
Ferrari (see Itinerary no. 5).
The home brought to light in the area of Palazzo Massani, facing on
to the cardo maximus in a position of great prestige, shows the
evolution of the domus in Ariminum: excavations carried out from
1998 to 2000 have evidenced at least six different stages of
habitation, from the first modest buildings dating from the middle of
the fourth century B.C. (before the founding of the colony of
51
Ariminum) to the desertion of the city in the fifth century A.D.
The remains now visible belong to the luxurious residence built at the
beginning of the first century A.D. Modelled on the houses found in
the area near Mount Vesuvius, the building had an entrance giving a
stunning view, like a theatre backdrop, of the atrium, the tablinum
(the reception room) and the peristylium (the garden with its portico),
the rooms in which the master of the house (dominus) did business
and entertained his guests.
The tablinum had a fine floor paved in polychrome marble edged
with a mosaic border; in the centre stood a fountain, the outline of
which can still be seen. The peristyle was adorned with a large basin
with a black mosaic inner base and walls lined with impermeable
cocciopesto, and the gentle murmuring of water must have made the
garden a most pleasant place. Stone steps and a hollow on the
bottom, buried during renovation work at the end of the first century
A.D., must have served as access for cleaning the fountain.
The continuity of settlement throughout the history of Ariminum can
also be seen in the site visible under the Chamber of Commerce.
Structures discovered between 1995 and 1996 record at least three
domus in one insula or block of the eastern sector of the Roman city,
mainly residential.
In this complex archaeological site it is the floors which attract the
Floors in cocciopesto,
mosaic and marble tiles.
Rimini, Chamber of
Commerce archaeological
site.
52
Gemstone carved with the
figure of Mars and
oscillum showing a hare.
Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
gaze: elegant cocciopesto with meander designs made from mosaic
tesserae, from a domus dating from the first century B.C. with an
arcaded courtyard; a precious pavement of black and white marble
from another residence of the imperial period; the original
polychrome mosaic decorated with geometrical motifs and stylised
vegetable elements attributed to renovation work in the third
century. A.D.; and the luxurious paving in polychrome marble, dating
from late antiquity, which stretched into the great hall with a raised
apse. Many of the marbles were plundered when the empire fell into
difficult times and the more costly materials became scarce; only the
outline remains clearly recognisable in the foundations of the floor.
In the centre of the excavated area it is interesting to see the traces of
a lane which cut through the block lengthways; along this unpaved
alley ran a drain built from brick, still clearly visible, which carried
away the waste water from the nearby dwellings. In late republican
times small shops began to encroach on the lane, until in late
antiquity it lost its function when the apse of the palatial building
covered it. The hundreds of thousands of objects discovered in
excavations in the city are kept in the Municipal Museum, guardian
of one of the richest and most interesting heritage collections in the
entire Region, waiting to be put on display in the Archaeology Section
currently in course of arrangement. At present the part illustrating
Rimini in the second and third centuries A.D. can be seen, much of
which is devoted to the domus and to day-to-day life.
Here the visitor is immersed in the intimacy of domestic life in the
reconstruction of one of the rooms identified in the Palazzo Arpesella
excavation: the flooring is a replica of cocciopesto with mosaic
inserts, the walls and ceiling are of plaster painted with compositions
similar to modern wallpaper, with geometrical and floral designs,
such as the pattern of roses and rosebuds against a blue background.
The objects on display give an idea of the rooms where the domina,
53
Small stone base showing
a schoolroom, from
Palazzo Diotallevi.
Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
the lady of the house, would spend her days, her time measured out
by the slow rhythm of spinning and weaving, or by the expert hands
of her slaves who would dress her hair in complicated coiffures, paint
her face, oil and perfume her body and deck her in jewels. Men too
loved to cover themselves in oils and perfumes and wear costly
jewellery such as rings set with gemstones carved with protective
symbols and deities, to be used as signet rings.
A sense of mystery pervaded the whole house, full of statues,
furnishings, accessories, amulets, to which were attributed the magic
power of keeping evil spirits away: the rooms would echo to the shrill
ringing of tintinnabula and in the porticos could be heard the whisper
of oscilla, marble discs decorated in low relief, hanging between the
pillars.
Pawns made of bone or glass paste, knucklebones and dice, remind
us that the Romans, in their periods of otium, were enthusiastic
gamblers and players of board games; while ceramic and glass
crockery evokes the atmosphere of the dining room and of the
kitchen.
After the rooms devoted to the taberna medica and the excavations in
Piazza Ferrari (see Itinerary no. 5), the visitor “enters” the luxurious
domus of Palazzo Diotallevi, built close to the forum overlooking the
decumanus on to which the theatre faced. Most of the discoveries
made here date from the middle of the imperial age, the period best
recorded in this site which was inhabited from the republican age
until the third century A.D. when the building was deserted after
54
Hercules (detail of the
ships mosaic) and
statuette of a dancing lar,
from Palazzo Diotallevi.
Rimini, Municipal
Museum.
being destroyed by fire - probably at the same time as the surgeon’s
house. Between the second and third century the domus was rebuilt
with spacious reception rooms, while an adjoining area with a
separate entrance was perhaps a private school: a small stone base
survives, carved with the figures of master and pupil.
Inside were elegant rooms: a triclinium (banqueting room) for the
winter and another for the summer, with splendid geometrical floor
mosaics, faced on to the spacious courtyard garden adorned with a
basin into which were carved niches. Presumably the statue found
here in fragments originally stood in one of these niches: it shows an
athlete and is probably a copy of the discobulus of Polykleitos.
The dominus of the house was perhaps a ship owner and is best
represented by the magnificent black and white mosaic showing
ships entering the harbour. The original and intricate mosaic
“carpet” with at its centre Hercules in the act of raising a cup, must
have impressed and amazed visitors as they entered the main
reception room, and visitors today are equally captivated by this
mosaic which gives us the first “photograph” of Rimini harbour. The
room was intended for sumptuous banquets, and this is recalled by
the great wine cup or kantharos, which adorned the threshold, and
the crockery depicted in the outermost of the numerous borders
around the central emblem.
Evidence of a wealthy lifestyle is the splendid bronze dinner service
discovered among the remains of a cabinet reduced to ashes by the
fire which destroyed the domus. The service included jugs, pots and
pans, a lamp holder and a dancing lar, one of the divinities who
protected the household, placed on the table for the ritual offerings
55
“Anubis” mosaic and
Dionysus herm. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
during the banquet.
Images of gods and figures from mythology were found everywhere in
the various domus and among the objects for everyday use,
especially during the imperial age when they became the expression
of artistic tastes and of current fashion, rather than objects of
devotion: thus the central scene of the “Anubis” mosaic is an
expression of the rapidly spreading passion for all things exotic,
rather than symptomatic of the spread of oriental cults.
The divinities of the Dionysian retinue were prominent, as they lent
themselves particularly well to the home and the garden: Eros,
Dionysus, Priapus and Silenus represented convivial pleasures and
the propitiatory forces of nature. We may imagine that the statue of
Orpheus playing his lyre was a decorative element and stood within
a niche, while the bronze statuettes of deities found in the 1950s
were probably foundry rejects which would have been placed in a
lararium.
56
Fresco workshop
Held by Lorenza Angelini
Time: 3 hours
Info: tel. 0541 704421-26
This workshop is intended both to broaden our knowledge of the rich
heritage of painted plaster from Roman times preserved in the
Municipal Museum and in the surgeon’s house, and to discover the
secrets of one of the most ancient and fascinating of decorative arts
which was used by able artisans and great artists.
Fresco is the technique of painting a wall while the plaster is still wet,
so that the reaction of the plaster to the air fixes the colours. The
most detailed information we have about this technique known in
Latin as udo tectorio (while damp) is contained in Vitruvius’ “De
Architectura”.
The workshop begins by examining the originals under the guidance
of the expert: broad monochrome backgrounds in vivid colours, often
divided into squares in which are painted stylised floral designs,
birds, or views. There are also “wallpaper” compositions with
geometrical and vegetable motifs. The next step is to make a smallscale fresco using the ancient techniques. Using the necessary tools
and materials, first the preparatory design or pouncing is drawn,
reproducing one of the elements viewed, reworked by the new artist.
The pouncing is transferred to a uniform layer of plaster spread on a
previously prepared support, and the outlines of the design emerge.
The figures are then painted, and with the addition of colour and the
definition of detail the fresco comes to life, illustrating the personal
creativity of the artist. At the end of the workshop participants will
take home their frescos as a record of the experience.
Rose fresco, from Palazzo
Arpesella. Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
57
7. Natural Resources and the Labour of Man:
a Modern Economy Rooted in Tradition
2 days
Itinerary:
Rimini, archaeological site of the former Consorzio Agrario
(Farmers’ Union)/Municipal Museum - archaeology section;
Santarcangelo di Romagna, MUSAS.
A14
This trail is suitable both for motorists and for cyclists, who can use
the network of cycle tracks now being set up throughout the Province
of Rimini (info: www.ciclo. emilia-romagna.it or
www.piste-ciclabili.com/provincia-rimini).
This itinerary can be linked to aspects of the territory today: wine
trails, farmhouse hotels, oil producers, fish farms, and to the
landscape of farmland and woodland. We suggest exploring the
Conca valley and the plain of San Pietro in Cotto, as far as the first
hills of the Montefeltro region.
For those wishing to experience Nature at first hand, we suggest a
visit to the Multi-media Nature Museum and caves at Onferno (info:
tel. 0541 984694). The Museum illustrates the geology of the
territory, from the chalk rocks and gullies to the characteristic caves.
This journey into the historic formation of the territory can be
continued at Mondaino Museum (info: tel. 0541 981674) which has a
rich local palaeontology collection.
For children we suggest the following activities at MUSAS museum in
58
Santarcangelo di Romagna:
Amphorae and Wine
This workshop aims to bring to life, through play, the entire
productive process, from the vineyard to the market.
Held by Cristina Giovagnetti
Time: 2 hours
Info: tel. 0541 624703
Fireclay the Giant
The fantastic story of how Marius the potter made
friends with the terrifying giant Fireclay and learned
to make beautiful amphorae. Includes building
a puppet version of Fireclay the Giant.
Held by Cristina Sedioli
Info: tel. 0541 624703
The life of Ariminum does not emerge only from its monuments, the
consular roads, bridges, and splendid domus: archaeological
excavations have also brought to light industrial sites which tell us
how working life was organised, remains of country villas and
structures for working local produce including oil and wine,
characteristic of the surrounding countryside. In Rimini, just outside
the city walls and close to Porta Montanara gate, stood the former
Consorzio Agrario (Farmers’ Union); some years ago this was
demolished and homes built on the site. During building, interesting
Roman remains were discovered, and these have been preserved as a
Museum exhibit, which can be visited. The remains formed part of a
manufacturing plant: there is a large basin with flooring of small
terracotta bricks arranged in herringbone formation (the classic opus
spicatum) and walls made waterproof by a layer of cocciopesto: it is
interesting to note that instead of steps leading into the basin there
is a chute, making it clear that the basin was part of a manufacturing
complex organised in a number of sections, possibly connected with
the working of clay or textiles, which was in use in imperial times.
This complex could be a symbolic introduction to the artisan vocation
of the territory of Rimini.
59
Let us now set out to follow the various itineraries balanced between
the land and the sea, among hills and valleys where we can easily
find authentic reminders of our history in present-day farming, crafts,
and traditional flavours. In the many lively towns along the coast, in
the streets of historic villages, in landscape where vineyards and
olive groves follow one another, market gardens reach to the
seashore, and woods give way to meadowland: wherever you go you
can be sure of finding a glass of good red Sangiovese wine, produced
with modern methods which reflect a millenary tradition recorded in
historic and archaeological sources. We know that in Roman times
local wine - perhaps not top quality - was sold cheaply, travelling as
far as Rome itself, where it was drunk by the lower classes. Linked to
the production and sale of wine was the production of the
characteristic small flat-based amphorae, ideal for overland
transport. Forlimpopoli and Santarcangelo were the major
production centres for these containers, which were widespread in
the middle years of the imperial age. The History and Archaeology
Museum (MUSAS) in Santarcangelo, moved in 2005 to Palazzo
Cenci, well illustrates the vocation of a fertile and productive
agricultural area which also engaged in trade and in the production of
bricks and pottery, an activity which evolved to give us the mediaeval
artistic tradition and modern industry. In the Archaeology Museum
there are kilns to narrate the working of clay and show continuity and
the use of technology down the centuries, and a flourishing
agricultural economy is well documented by records of country villas
on which centred, in Roman times, the cultivation of the surrounding
fields. This economy was based on vines, cereals, vegetables, fruit
orchards and olives.
Far left, flat-based wine
amphorae. Santarcangelo
di Romagna, MUSAS.
Left, farmed fields and
olive groves in the Conca
valley.
60
Even today, the flavours of local produce are enhanced by the olive
oil from the local hills, the fruit of expert knowledge which has
learned how to make the best of a product excellent for degree of
acidity, colour, scent, and flavour. And everywhere you go, you find
the scent of “piada”, the simple unleavened bread made soft and
pliable by the addition of lard and olive oil. The hands that make the
bread repeat archaic gestures already known to the Neolithic
peoples, and it is cooked on a griddle of refractory terracotta,
reminiscent of the testum used by the Romans. Piada bread is filled
with locally-grown greens to make the rustic “cassone”, or eaten with
the excellent pork products and soft cheeses produced here in
Romagna. Cheeses include soft creamy squacquerone, raviggiolo,
and ricotta; and there are also stronger-flavoured cheeses such as
pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese) and the highly-prized “formaggio di
fossa” produced in Sogliano al Rubicone, Talamello and Mondaino, a
cheese matured for several months in special pits.
Typical of the valleys in the Provinces of Rimini, Cesena and Forlì and
the nearby Montefeltro region, these cheeses represent the
agricultural and pastoral economy of the inland countryside and the
continuation of a dairy industry rooted in pre-historic times. Sheep
farming is widespread and has always been one of the main
resources of the region; it was renowned even in Roman times: the
“doc” cheese made in Sarsina was mentioned by Pliny, and was the
forerunner of today’s “caciotta romagnola”.
As long ago as the days of the republic of Rome, extensive woodland
and the abundant production of cereals favoured pig-farming,
reminiscent of Gallic tradition, and the production of pork products.
Even today, pigs and the wild boar which still live in the more remote
areas where oak trees are widespread, give rise to a pork “industry”.
Here you can enjoy delicious salami, and the excellent Montefeltro
ham. Local cooking makes use of ancient traditions and flavours in its
meat dishes, such as roasting meat “in porchetta”, a method learned
from contact with the regions in the centre of Italy, contact which has
continued throughout history by means of the roads over the
Apennine chain.
From the fields and market gardens which make full use of the fertile
land come the beneficial herbs and the tender vegetables such as
asparagus so much appreciated by the Romans: the herbs are the
queen of many recipes in Saludecio, a small town in the Conca valley,
while the vegetables lend colour to market stalls and to the table,
blending with fine meats and Adriatic fish. Popular fairs have grown
up to celebrate local produce such as honey (celebrated at
61
Adriatic fish and shellfish
(detail of a mosaic From
Via Cairoli). Rimini,
Municipal Museum.
Montebello di Torriana) or chestnuts, once nutritious food for the
poor but now the star of pleasant autumn events, such as the fair in
the village of Montefiore.
The territory of Rimini is rooted in the land but edged by the Adriatic
sea, a sea renowned for its fine fish even in antiquity. The many
varieties available lend themselves to delightful mixed grills, fresh
salads, flavoursome fish soups. The tastiest and most healthy fish,
which form the basis of so many delicious dishes, are the so-called
“pesce azzurro” or “turchino”, such as sardines and anchovies,
considered “poor” fish but deserving of wider appreciation.
Rimini and its Province today are taking on all the characteristics of a
metropolis, in a society in which industry - and not only the tourist
industry - together with the services sector is reshaping the
relationship between man and the environment. So it is surprising to
discover that in the popular weave of the market the agricultural,
pastoral, and marine economies continue to live and thrive side by
side, in the ancient traditions of market gardening, dairy production,
and fishing.
Images of both the land and the sea are found in both the public and
private iconography of Roman Rimini: wild animals, bunches of
grapes, olive branches and darting fish peep at us from the carvings
on the Augustus Arch and are frequently found in the objects
displayed in our museums. In the archaeology section of Rimini
Municipal Museum, the room devoted to the sea has splendid, vivid
mosaics in which skilled craftsmen have portrayed fish and shellfish
of the Adriatic. The sea accompanies us like a thin blue line on the
horizon in our travels through the archaeological discoveries and the
landscape characterised by the long golden beaches ending at the
rocky promontory of Gabicce.
62
The Ancient World Festival
A special itinerary covering four days, or rather a “box full of
itineraries”, “Antico/Presente” is the Festival devoted to the ancient
world held every year in Rimini in June. Organisers include the
Gambalunga Library and the Municipal Museums, with other partners
from the Province of Rimini.
The framework of the Festival, much praised, is the same each year,
but the content varies, ranging from magisterial commentaries, book
presentations, archaeology trails, seminars and meetings on
historical, scientific, anthropological, and religious subjects, to
games and entertainment for children and adults and historic reenactments.
The rich programme aims to satisfy curiosity and meet interests
ranging from archaeology to politics, from history to law, from
literature to technology, to games, costume, religion, medicine...
Rimini and its territory are undoubtedly a convincing background for
such an event, because of the wealth of ancient monuments,
Museums containing original and often unique treasures, and
numerous archaeological sites which are being turned into museums,
a significant example of which is the domus known as “the surgeon’s
house” in Rimini. The archaeology section of the Municipal Museum
is currently being extended and will eventually number some forty
rooms.
Info: http://antico.comune.rimini.it
A scene from the Festival:
a Roman camp,
re-enacted by Legio XXX
Ulpia Traiana Victrix.
64
Museums and Archaeological Sites in the Province of Rimini
included in the itineraries
Cattolica, Regina Museum
Via Pascoli, 23
47841 Cattolica
Info: tel. 0541 966577
[email protected]
www.cattolica.net/retecivica/italiano/cultura
Open:
winter
Tuesday to Thursday: 9,30-12,30
Friday and Saturday: 9,30-13,30 and 15,30-19,00
Sunday: 15,30-19,00
Monday closed
summer
Tuesday: 9,30-12,30
Wednesday to Sunday: 17,30-23,00
Monday closed
Cattolica, Archaeological area
near the former wholesale fruit market
Piazzetta Mercato
47841 Cattolica
Info: tel. 0541 966577 Regina Museum
The outdoor site can be seen from outside
Visits by prior arrangement
Riccione, Museo del Territorio
(Local History Museum)
Centro Culturale della Pesa
Via Lazio, 10
47838 Riccione
Info: tel. 0541 600113
[email protected]
Open:
winter (1 September to 20 June)
Tuesday to Saturday: 9,00-12,00
summer (21 June to 31 August)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9,00-12,00 and 21,00-23,00
Thursday and Saturday: 9,00-12,00
Sunday and Monday: closed
65
Riccione, San Lorenzo in Strada archaeological site
Via Flaminia, 25
47838 Riccione
Info: tel. 0541 600113 Local History Museum
The site is part of Municipal Pharmacy no. 2
and can be seen at any time
Guided visits by prior arrangement
Rimini, Municipal Museum and Piazza Ferrari archaeological site
(domus “the surgeon’s house”)
Via L. Tonini, 1 and Piazza Ferrari
47900 Rimini
Info: tel. 0541 21482-704421/26
[email protected]
www.comune.rimini.it
Open:
winter (16 September to 15 June)
Tuesday to Saturday: 8,30-12,30 and 17,00-19,00
Sundays and public holidays: 10,00-12,30 and 15,00-19,00
Monday: closed, except public holidays
summer (16 June to 15 September)
Tuesday to Saturday: 10,00-12,30 and 16.30-19,30
Sundays and public holidays: 16,30-19,30
Tuesdays and Fridays in July and August: open also 21,00-23,00
Monday: closed, except public holidays
Rimini, Chamber of Commerce archaeological site
Via Sigismondo, 28
47900 Rimini
Info: tel. 0541 704421-704426 Municipal Museums
Guided visits by prior arrangement
(at least one week’s notice required)
Rimini, Palazzo Massani archaeological site
(headquarters of Rimini Prefecture, Territorial Government Office)
Via IV Novembre, 40
47900 Rimini
Info: tel. 0541 704421-704426 Municipal Museums
www.prefettura.rimini.it
Visits by prior arrangement
66
Rimini, former Consorzio Agrario (Farmers’ Union)
archaeological site
Via Circonvallazione Meridionale, 82
47900 Rimini
visible at any time
Santarcangelo, MUSAS-History and Archaeology Museum
Via della Costa, 26
47822 Santarcangelo di Romagna
Info: tel. 0541 625212-624703
[email protected]
www.metweb.org/musas
Open:
winter (1 November to 30 April)
Saturday: 10,30-12,30 and 15,30-17,30
Sunday: 15,30-17,30
Guided visits by prior arrangement, also on other days
summer (1 May to 31 October)
Tuesday to Sunday: 16,30-19,30
Saturday: open also 10,30-12,30
Tuesday and Friday (June to September only): open also 21,00-23,00
Monday: closed
Verucchio, Municipal Archaeology Museum
Via S. Agostino
47826 Verucchio
Info: tel. 0541 670222
[email protected]
www.comunediverucchio.it
Open:
winter
Monday to Friday: by prior arrangement
Saturday: 14,30-18,30
Sunday: 10,00-13,00 and 14,30-18,00
summer (30 March to 30 September)
Monday to Sunday: 9,30-12,30 and 14,30-19,30
N.B. Opening days and times
may be subject to alteration
Verucchio, cradle of the
Villanovan civilisation,
stands high on its rocky
spur; below, the
promontory of Gabicce.
*
*
Beauty
Our oil is beauty.
Beauty makes our thoughts soar.
And we throw it away, as though it were coins in pockets full of holes.
Beauty shouts its pain silently. We need to heal the ears of those who
rule, so they can hear it.
Beauty feeds our minds.
You can see beauty even walking round the streets of Italy and it
immediately fills you with surprise.
But in the little worlds, there is so much beauty that is dying.
If we save it, we save ourselves.
Tonino Guerra
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Ancient Rimini
I - 47900 Rimini, piazza Malatesta 28
tel. +39 0541 716371 - fax +39 0541 783808
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Provincia di Rimini
Provincia di Rimini
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edizione inglese
Riviera di Rimini Travel Notes

Riviera di Rimini Travel Notes Ancient Rimini Archaeology trails by

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