Early history Riccione's oldest archaeological remains were found in the Villaggio Papini area, and date to 5,000 BC and the
Bronze Age. A Roman settlement in Riccione, officially a
vicus, was centred in the area of the present-day San Lorenzo in Strada, where the Via Flaminia turned to a more northerly bearing. Excavations near the present-day pharmacy revealed a
necropolis and several buildings, dating to the second century BC. In later centuries, San Lorenzo in Strada was likely depopulated from swamping and incursions during the
Gothic Wars. The latter church was located on '''', a hill in the area of the present-day Fontanelle, south of Riccione along an eponymous stream. In 1260, the area was settled by the
Florentine Agolanti family, the
Papal States approved the building of watchtowers by the Torrente Marano and the Fontanelle to defend from
Saracen and
Usok pirate raids. It was a poor area, reliant on
subsistence agriculture and, to a lesser extent,
fishing. though Riccione would only have a permanent stop from 1865. The town grew in popularity soon afterwards: affluent
Bolognese families constructed elegant residences, which functioned as second homes by the sea. which he developed with wide avenues and tree-lined roads, selling plots of land for the construction of villas. In 1877, in partnership with Emilio Amati, Martinelli established Riccione's first marine hospice,
Late 19th-century development The first villas were built along Viale Viola in 1884. a village in
Misano Adriatico by Riccione's border. Maria began a proliferous philanthropic relationship with the area, beginning with a 200 lire donation for its civic library. She donated further funds for an annual winter soup kitchen from 1890, whose generator powered streetlights along Via Flaminia and Viale Viola,
Early 20th century In 1901, Sebastiano Amati inaugurated the city's first hotel in Viale Viola. the theatre was later renamed the Kursaal and the Teatro Dante. In 1905, Amati, Ausonio Franzoni, and Felice Pullè established a society to obtain more services from the municipality of Rimini. The
1916 Rimini earthquakes razed about 80% of Riccione's buildings. The 16 August earthquake destroyed the church of San Lorenzo in Strada, and the Martinelli-Amati hospice. already depressed by the First World War. Unemployment increased considerably. On 6 April 1921, Rimini's socialist municipal administration endorsed Riccione's request for independence. With the border agreed, the Royal Decree 1439 was passed on 19 October 1922 to make Riccione a separate . with the
fascist salute on Riccione's beach in 1932. From 1926,
Benito Mussolini, Italy's
fascist dictator, began to spend summer holidays in Riccione. In July 1934,
Rachele Guidi, Mussolini's second wife, purchased
a seaside villa for the family's summer holidays. and Mussolini learned of
Operation Barbarossa during his stay at the villa in June 1941. As a result of his association with the area, Riccione's development is cliched as dependent on Mussolini's patronage. In 1928, the Azienda di Soggiorno was founded to promote tourism. most notably the family of Nissim Matatia, who lived within eyesight of Villa Mussolini. In early September 1944, during the
Italian campaign, Riccione was largely spared the brunt of military movement along the
Adriatic Front: most fighting took place in the surrounding hills. From the evening of 2 September, the Germans retreated to a defensive line at the Rio Melo, defended by a single tank, allowing forces of the
1st Canadian Infantry Division to enter the city; by 12 September, they were reinforced by the
3rd Greek Mountain Brigade, notorious for their poor behaviour towards locals, who were consequently ordered not to pass underneath the railway. The area between Viale Ceccarini and the Rio Melo remained a no man's land until the surrounding hills had been cleared by 18 September. Outside the city, San Lorenzo in Strada was heavily fortified by General
Richard Heidrich's
1st Parachute Division, who barricaded themselves in the church with instructions to fight until the end. On 3 September, the 1st Parachute Division engaged the Canadians, who had then reached Abyssinia, during their retreat to San Lorenzo. The battle in San Lorenzo, which included sword-fighting in the church, claimed 31 soldiers and 124 wounded or missing, with the Canadians reduced to 18 men before they reorganised on 6 September. A second attack on the night of 12–13 September, supported by the 3rd Greek Battalion and the
20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment, claimed the church after four and a half hours. the engagement killed almost 100 troops of the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade.
Mina,
Ugo Tognazzi,
Vittorio De Sica, and
Gina Lollobrigida. following its demolition in 1956, Riccione's growth as a tourist destination was assisted by the construction of the
A14 tolled highway, It was especially popular among German tourists, and frequented by Italian workers and farmers as well as employers and aristocrats. The nightclub, with its distinctive pyramid shape, became an iconic brand and symbol of Riccione's nightlife and youth tourism. It gained notoriety for its provocative and transgressive clubbing, and attracted world-famous disc-jockeys and performers. == Geography ==