The Sun Festival of Riccione is coming back from June 29 to July 4, 2008.

International event, one every two years, aimed at athletes of all ages, levels and specialties, the fair of free gymnastic in groups is coming to its 9th edition.

The athletes taking part in the Sun Festival come from every corner of the world and, with their fund of linguistic, physiognomic, stylistic and cultural diversity, they speak the common language of gestural expressivity.

They will bring in Riccione the skill and the harmony of their bodies, the vitality and the desire to perform and to stay together beyond the differences and the competitions.

Animated by the uncontrollable desire of moving and of getting worked up through physical exercise (aerobics, dance, artistic, rhythmic, experimental gymnastics…) they will transform the Green Pearl of the Adriatic in the largest gym in the world.

The rich programme of the Sun Festival opens with the parade of athletes that from the centre of Riccione will reach Piazzale Roma for the big inaugural gala.

Then the more or less young and more or less technical gymnasts will to set up, with passion and enthusiasm, seven evenings of demonstration-show.

All engaged in training in the morning, each group will present two athletic performances with musical accompaniment on the equipped and suggestive stages of the two arenas on the seafront.

The public will reward them with warm and endless applause and the city will thank them with parties and special events on the more trendy clubs and on the theme parks in the Riviera. On July 4 the closing gala in the square will say goodbye to them precisely with the intensity of solar explosions.

While the Green Pearl of the Adriatic  is launching the slogan “Gymnasts worldwide let us unite!” and is preparing itself  to become “the world gym”, our hotels, with their comfortable surroundings and the friendliness of the staff, are ready to welcome the protagonists of the event and all the tourists that with the Sun Festival of Riccione will live one week of early summer in an unique way.

Le Festival du Soleil de Riccione revient du 29 Juin au 4 Juillet 2008.

Événement international, à cadence biennale, adressé aux sportifs de n’importe quel âge, niveau et spécialité, la kermesse de gymnastique libre à groupes parvient à sa 9e édition.

Les athlètes participants proviennent de chaque coin du monde et, avec leur bagage de diversités linguistiques, physiognomoniques, stylistiques et culturelles, ils parlent le langage commun de l’expressivité gestuelle.

Ils portent à Riccione l’adresse et l’harmonie de leurs corps, la vivacité et l’envie de s’exhiber et rester ensemble au-delà des différences et des compétitions.

Animés par l’irrésistible désir d’émouvoir et de s’émouvoir par l’exercise physique (d’aérobic, danse, gymnastique artistique, rythmique, expérimentale…), ils transforment la Perle verte de l’Adriatique en la salle de gymnastique la plus grande du monde.

Le riche programme du Festival du Soleil ouvre avec le défilé des athlètes qui du centre de Riccione rejoindra Piazzale Roma pour le gala d’ouverture.

Ensuite les plus ou moins jeunes et plus ou moins techniques gymnastes donneront vie, avec passion et enthousiasme , à sept soirées de démonstration- spectacle.

Tous engagés dans l’entraînement le matin, chaque groupe pourra présenter deux différentes exhibitions gymniques avec accompagnement musical sur les équipés et suggestives scènes des deux arènes sur le le bord de mer.

Le public les récompensera avec des chaleureux et infinis applaudissements et la ville les remerciera en organisant pour eux des fêtes et des événements spéciaux dans les locaux les plus trendy et dans les parcs thématiques de la côte.

Le 4 Juillet le gala de fermeture en place les saluera vraiment avec l’intensité des explosions solaires.

Pendant que la Perle Verte de la Adriatique lance le slogan “Gymnastes de tout le monde réunissez-vous!” et se prépare à devenir “la salle de gymnastique mondiale”, nos hôtels avec leurs milieux réconfortants et la cordialité du staff, sont prêts à accueillir les protagonistes de la kermesse et tous les touristes qui avec le Festival du Soleil de Riccione vivront la semaine du début de l’été de façon vraiment unique.

Riccione is one of the main sea holiday resorts in Italy but also offers a wide range of nature and culture tours all year round.

The area inland at Riccione has, for many years now, attracted cycle tourists from all over Europe  due to its breath-taking landscapes, the stunning tours of varying difficulty on offer and genuine, delicious gastronomy.

But a holiday at Riccione is more besides: you can discover the history and culture of the people that live in the villages and towns of a region rich in grand monuments, folklore and art crafts.

You can visit important historical buildings, masterpieces such as the majestic forts that symbolize the power of two great seigniories of the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Malatesta and Montefeltro.

Sigismondo Malatesta and Federico da Montefeltro were responsible for much cultural and artistic development, countless works for tourists to discover on a fascinating and exciting “treasure hunt” around Romagna and Le Marche: the Caccia delle Signorie (The Seigniory hunt).

Valmarecchia: Malatesta’s reign
Le Marche: Montefeltro’s cradle

To discover the prominent traces left by the Montefeltro family you need to go to San Leo (PU), situated atop an enormous insurmountable rocky outcrop: the only way to get there is via a road cut into the rock.

At the very top of the spur is the impregnable Fort built on the orders of Federico III da Montefeltro; it was converted into a prison during papal rule and the count Cagliostro and Felice Orsini were imprisoned there.

Famous visitors to the town were Dante and St Francis of Assisi: you can still view the room where the two men conversed.

There is no end to the architectural wonders: the Pre-Romanesque parish church, a XII century Lombard Romanesque Cathedral, the fort; the Museum of sacred art recently installed in Palazzo Mediceo, the ruins of several castles, including those of Pietracuta and Piega, the Monte di Pietracuta Dominican convent, and Montemaggio church with its magnificent lacunar ceiling.

San Leo offers one of the region’s most beautiful and characteristic panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and down the Marecchia valley to the sea.

Urbino (PU), cradle of the Renaissance, also offers valuable works attributed to Montefeltro’s times: the entire town, a world heritage site boasting some of the most famous and talked about masterpieces in the world, still greatly retains the magnificence enjoyed by Federico and his court.

History can be relived at the Rimini’s striking Malatesta Fort (Castel Sismondo). It originally served various functions: it was the Prince’s Castle, a fort, the barracks of the garrison town and a prison; and now it is an historical monument housing various exhibitions.

The splendid Gradara, which can seen from the A 14 motorway, comprises the Malatesta castle mentioned in Dante’s Inferno.

Mondaino with its seventeenth century colonnade and Malatesta Fort, which draws millions of visitors in August due to its famous “Palio del daino” (deer ‘race’).

Montegridolfo, instead, is in an idyllic setting, nestled among olive groves and vineyards, and its fortified historical centre is still remarkably intact and well restored.

Montefiore Conca, a lively fortified medieval village classified as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy on account of its dominating Malatesta Fort and architecture, offers superb food.

Near the border with Le Marche, the Karst caves in the Onferno Natural Reserve are also well worth a visit.

Nearby is Montescudo, a small town with civic tower and crumbling walls.
It is famous for its rich production of terracotta objects and potato cultivation (there’s a potato festival in August).

You should also visit Gemmano if you fancy a walk in the lush Malatesta Valleys.

Verucchio, ‘Malatesta’s cradle’, was the town of Villanova culture, finds of which are now kept in the Museo Civico Archeologico (Civic Museum of Archaeology), and features late medieval buildings such as the Parish church and Franciscan Convent where you can admire an enormous cypress over seven centuries old.

The town produces an excellent Cagnina, a sweet wine that goes perfectly with roasted chestnuts. Beautiful crafts shops are full of printed cloths, embroidery and rustic organic furniture.

Next, at Santarcangelo, you can admire the hundred or more grotte di Giove (Jupiter’s Caves), tuffaceous caves where it is believed Sangiovese wine was conserved.

Slightly to the right is a panoramic road that takes you to the splendid Torriana and Montebello forts still bearing signs of the Malatestas’ relentless battles.
You can also visit the Torriana-Montebello Fauna Oasis to take in its pristine nature.

Food is simple and genuine, such as the home-made strozzapreti and tagliatelle pasta. As for wine, Sangiovese and Trebbiano are produced throughout the region.

The printed cloths, ceramics and rustic terracotta products make especially good souvenirs.