Riccione dates back to the 2nd century BC. The town, formerly called Arcione, developed under Roman rule and was essentially a stopover place as it was situated on the Via Flaminia and near an important Roman town – Rimini.
The Florentine Agolanti family, related to the House of Malatesta in Rimini, moved to Riccione in 1260. The ruins of their castle can still be seen in what was effectively a medieval village at the time. In the 17th century, defence towers were erected along the beach to protect the area against pirate attacks.

The first real signs of tourism in Riccione were in the late eighteenth century. Grand houses were built in the town and the Bologna-Ancona railway line was established, encouraging Bologna’s elite to purchase second homes in the area.
The growth of the town was also thanks to the benefactress Maria Boorman Ceccarini who contributed towards many charitable works including the renovation of the Port Canal, the construction of the hospital named after her husband Giovanni Ceccarini and the nursery school which still bears her own name.
In 1934, Benito Mussolini purchased a holiday home in Riccione that was to be his summer residence for a full decade. Villa Mussolini  is now a Museum open to the public.

In the 1930s, the town attracted on average 30,000 tourists a year and had more than 80 hotels, although the villas with lush grounds that had made this resort the “Green Pearl” of the Adriatic had already stimulated a wave of building speculation.
Tourism further developed after the war, when Riccione became a real holiday destination for people in the world of entertainment, culture and sport including Pelé, who came here on his honeymoon, Mina, Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio de Sica, Gina Lollobrigida and many others.
In 1922, Riccione gained municipal autonomy and the following years saw the birth and evolution of bathing establishments, infrastructures for the entertainment industry, and hotels.