Italian garden city by the sea

Selva e Mare – Forests and Sea – where could be better for the very first truly green destination in Italy?

Cervia on the Romagna Riviera offers the best of fresh air, open spaces, pine-wood backed beaches, extraordinarily good food and wine, ancient festivals and superb hospitality.

So, it’s no wonder that the colourful ancient salt-port of Cervia, its art-deco suburb of Milano Marittima and delightful little resorts along the Riviera Romagnola are rapidly becoming Italy’s Green Tourism hot spot.

The story of this very green stretch of coast is fascinating. The Adriatic coast municipality of Cervia  had been an ancient salt city with enormous salt-pan lakes, owned by the Popes. In the 18^th century they built an elegant new model town and port to house their vastly wealthy salt businesses and the people running it. In the 19^th century seaside tourism developed as a health-giving activity and Cervia’s beaches and pine woods came to be utilized.

Then, at the beginning of the 20^th century an agreement was reached between Cervia and the Maffei Family from Milan who bought a large piece of land by the sea. On this land, they built villas, parks and gardens to transform the area into a superb Art Deco holiday resort. It would be called Milano Marittima (Milan by the Sea).

The man chosen to lead the development was painter Guiseppe Palanti who had been influenced by Ebenezer Howard (the force behind the Garden City movement – thought to represent the perfect blend of city and nature).

In1913 the Society built the first three cottages and the following year four more, including Giuseppe Palanti’s villa. All these cottages were in the heart of the pinewoods and in Liberty style (Italian Art Nouveau. In few years Milano Marittima became a smart new middle-class beach resort within Cervia.

The beneficial effects of Cervia’s health spa have been known for centurie

s and the centre has been visited by many people over the years. "Selva e mare"–‘forests and sea’ was the first theme used to publicize the spa at the start of the century and today is still considered the winning formula of the city.

Milano Marittima adds to Cervia’s history its own unique ethos: the environment, spa and wellness, its fascinating architecture and, of course, its Milanese fashion – not forgetting of course the local food, wine and hospitality for which Romagna is renowned – and its extraordinary greenness.

And it’s not just these two destinations along this stretch of coast that offer unique options. The whole area is set along a glorious stretch of the Adriatic coast between the 54,000 hectare Po Delta National Park, with its 250 species of birds and great flocks of flamingoes and the historic seaport of Cesenatico.

Along this lovely coast, the extraordinary pine forests join wide sandy beaches, a combination which provides two kinds of superb playgrounds, the one shady and afforested, the other sunny, golden and warm.

And strung along this coast, are a series of different, each fascinating resorts in themselves. The comfortable family resort of Lido di Savio is set immediately after the vast and beautiful National Park, Next down the coast is Milano Marittima deeply fashionable and full of activity. MMA (as it’s locally known) gives on to Cervia, the ancient salt port once owned by the Popes. The port of Cervia is as colourful as it’s historic – in itself it was an elegant new town in the 18^th century and still a delight with its serene squares and lovely churches. Further down from Cervia comes Pinarella (named after its evergreen pinewoods) and then it’s just a walk to Cesenatico, and Igea Marina.

The coast is unquestionably beautiful and with its pine forests, wildlife and saltpans it is truly different.

But this part of the Romagna Riviera has much more to offer than just beauty for the eye. Here all the senses are catered for. This unique environment is abundantly fertile too. So here you will some of the greatest, most authentic food in all of Italy with every option available from the sea and from the land. And the nearby hills are covered with wonderful vineyards producing sensational local wines. There are not only these bounteous harvests, though, the coastal plain is also covered with market gardens and orchards producing wonderful cherries, apricots, peaches, plums apples, pears and persimmons. And, of course, the very best wheat for the very best pasta and the very best rice for the very best risotto.

These great harvests of food and wine give ample ammunition for the extraordinary generosity and hospitality for which the locals are renowned. Here there is absolutely no point in eating anything else other than local.

A winning green combination if ever there was one – sensational and authentic local food and drink, vast pine forests in which to roam on cycle or on foot, great safe beaches on which to play, up-to-the-minute shopping, entertainment and activity facilities, historic ports and squares, a fascinating natural world of wildlife and wonder on the doorstep and, above all an extraordinary local commitment to warm, generous hospitality.

Long a national secret holiday spot, it’s no wonder that the Cervia area is looking forward to welcoming more international tourists who now the secret’s out!

Valere Tjolle @ValereTjolle [email protected]