Italy - Eco tourism - EHNANCING THE TERRITORY

EHNANCING THE TERRITORY A fascinating walking just a few steps from the city hustle

The harbour

• The itinerary starts from Riccione Harbour going up the narrow water stream called Rio Melo. It goes to the interior for 16 km from its mouth (in ancient times Riccione, a fishing hamlet, was called Arcione) to the hilly villages of Coriano, Monte Colombo and Montescudo.

EVIDENCES FROM THE PAST • Along its banks many relics dating back to the Bronze age have been discovered, along with the remains of a Roman bridge on the Flaminia high street, as evidences of the importance for human aggregations.

• Not far from its mouth, following the right bank, we come to the brick furnace, evidence of the industrial era, the first decade of 20th century, which has now been redeveloped and transformed into a junior school and into the new Museum of the City of Riccione.

ALONG THE STREAM • The walking tour along the rio Melo, in its naturalistic part, comes across the countryside.

Rediscovered and enhanced thanks to volunteer works, during these two years of pandemic disease, it was used in the past as a way to connect the sea with the hills, it was even used during the second World war (they say a tank sank in its water and has never been brought back to the surface).

• With the passing of time, traces of this path had been lost, but thanks to a group of adults, children in the 70s, remembering those adventurous and inaccesible places along the water stream, retraced that path making it more usable and making an important element of the history of the place known again.

Following the country path • Students and teachers enjoying the day out in the countryside