Exploring the Vibrant Murals of Romagna From Coastlines to Hilltops

Three villages in Romagna have developed distinct outdoor mural traditions over the past 30 to 40 years — each with a different subject matter, history, and visual character. Bellaria Igea Marina, Borgo San Giuliano in Rimini, and Saludecio form a loose circuit of about 50 kilometres, manageable in a single day by car. None of them is the same kind of place as Dozza, which has a more institutional mural programme run by a biennial event; these three grew more organically.

Bellaria Igea Marina

Bellaria Igea Marina, on the Adriatic coast between Rimini and Cesenatico, has hosted the BIM Street Art Festival since 1994 — making it one of the earliest dedicated street art events in Italy. Over three decades the town has accumulated a large stock of outdoor works, with pieces by artists including Ozmo, Pao, and Moneyless among others. The murals are spread across the town rather than concentrated in a single street or district; the most recent additions tend to appear on the seafront and in the residential streets behind it. Entry is free; the town is accessible by train on the Rimini–Bologna line.

Borgo San Giuliano, Rimini

Borgo San Giuliano is a small historic neighbourhood on the north bank of the Marecchia river, a 15-minute walk from Rimini’s historic centre. The mural tradition here began in the 1980s as a community-led project to celebrate Federico Fellini — the director grew up in Rimini and retained strong ties to the city. The murals depict scenes from his films: the Vitelloni, Amarcord, 8½, La Dolce Vita, Satyricon. Artists who have contributed work over the years include Gianluca Minarini and the Albanian-born painter Agim Sulaj, whose style is recognisable throughout the neighbourhood.

The borgo itself is small and the murals are densely concentrated — you can walk the main streets in under an hour. The neighbourhood also has a handful of trattorie and wine bars that are popular with locals; it is a quieter alternative to the touristy historic centre nearby. There is no admission charge and no fixed visiting hours.

Saludecio

Saludecio is an inland hill town in the Rimini province, about 30 kilometres southwest of the city. Since 1991 the town has developed a mural programme with a specific theme: nineteenth-century inventions. Around 50 large-format works are distributed across the historic centre — along Via Roma, Via Pierino Albini, and Via degli Orti — depicting scientific instruments, mechanical devices, early industrial machinery, and the inventors associated with them. The imagery is illustrative and figurative rather than street-art in style, closer to fresco painting than to spray-can muralism.

The route through the historic centre takes about an hour on foot. Saludecio is not served by train; a car is necessary. The town centre is always accessible and the murals are visible from the street at all hours.

How the Three Compare

Borgo San Giuliano is the most immediately appealing to visitors who have limited time — small, walkable, easy to combine with Rimini’s historic centre, and with a coherent Fellini theme that gives the murals a narrative logic. Saludecio requires more effort to reach but offers a more unusual subject matter and a quieter experience; it is rarely crowded. Bellaria has the longest festival history and the largest total stock of work, but the pieces are dispersed across a sizeable town and require more walking or cycling to see properly.

None of the three should be confused with Dozza, the Apennine village in the Bologna province which hosts the Muro dipinto biennial. Dozza is a separate tradition in a different part of the region, about 100 kilometres to the northwest, and the two circuits do not overlap in any practical sense for a day trip.

Getting There

Rimini is the logical base: all three sites are within 50 kilometres and the city is on the main Adriatic rail line with fast connections to Bologna (1 hour), Ancona, and Pesaro. Bellaria is reachable by train; Borgo San Giuliano is a 15-minute walk from Rimini station; Saludecio requires a car. The full circuit — Bellaria in the morning, Borgo San Giuliano at lunchtime, Saludecio in the afternoon — works well as a day trip from Rimini, covering roughly 45–50 kilometres by road.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Fellini murals in Rimini?

The Fellini murals are in Borgo San Giuliano, a small historic neighbourhood on the north bank of the Marecchia river, about 15 minutes on foot from Rimini’s historic centre. The project began in the 1980s as a community initiative to celebrate Federico Fellini, who grew up in Rimini. The murals depict scenes from his films — Amarcord, 8½, La Dolce Vita, Satyricon, and others. Artists including Gianluca Minarini and Agim Sulaj have contributed work over the decades. Entry is free and the neighbourhood is always accessible.

What is the BIM Street Art Festival?

BIM stands for Bellaria Igea Marina, the Adriatic coast town that has hosted the festival since 1994 — one of the longest-running dedicated street art events in Italy. Over three decades it has produced a large stock of outdoor murals across the town by Italian and international artists. The festival itself typically runs in summer; the permanent collection is accessible year-round. Bellaria is reachable by train on the Rimini–Bologna line.

What are the murals in Saludecio about?

Saludecio’s approximately 50 murals, painted since 1991, depict nineteenth-century inventions: scientific instruments, mechanical devices, early industrial machinery, and the inventors associated with them. The style is illustrative and figurative — closer to fresco painting than to spray-can street art. The route through the historic centre takes about an hour on foot. Saludecio is in the Rimini province, about 30 kilometres inland; a car is required to get there.

Is there an admission charge to see the murals?

No. All three sites — Bellaria Igea Marina, Borgo San Giuliano, and Saludecio — are open-air and accessible at no charge at any hour. There are no gates, guided tour requirements, or tickets for the murals themselves. Some of the trattorie and bars in Borgo San Giuliano require a reservation in summer, but the murals themselves are always free.

How is this different from the murals in Dozza?

Dozza is a separate village in the Bologna province, about 100 kilometres northwest of Rimini. Its mural programme — the Muro dipinto biennial — is more institutional: a regularly scheduled event that commissions new works on the painted walls of the historic centre. The Romagna circuit (Bellaria, Borgo San Giuliano, Saludecio) and Dozza are entirely different traditions in different parts of the region and are not practical to combine in a single day trip.