Milano Marittima – Tourism and Hospitality

Why Milano Marittima is called the "Garden City"

Milano Marittima was born in 1912 from a plan by Giuseppe Palanti, who imagined a seaside resort built inside the greenery rather than in its place: villas nestled among the pines, tree-lined avenues, no wall of buildings in front of the beach. It was designed for the Milanese bourgeoisie (hence the name), and from 1927 hotels, holiday camps and restaurants arrived, turning it into one of the most popular destinations on the Riviera Romagnola.

What remains of that plan is the thing that still sets it apart from any other resort on the coast: a centuries-old pine forest, the southern part of the Po Delta Park, which reaches right into the town and almost down to the sand. It is the reason why, here, you can still find real shade at midday in August, and why you can go kayaking along a canal ten minutes after stepping out of the sea.

Milano Marittima belongs to the municipality of Cervia, in the province of Ravenna. They are two distinct places, and it helps to know it: people looking for Cervia and people looking for Milano Marittima are often after the same holiday, but the two centres do not share the same character.

What to expect

The shoreline stretches for 3.6 km, with fine sand and a gently sloping seabed, 77 beach establishments and 2 free beaches. Water quality and services have earned the Blue Flag, and the paediatricians' Green Flag certifies it as a child-friendly beach. This is also home to Italy's best-known beach clubs, Papeete and Paparazzi: they coexist with family-oriented beach resorts without getting in each other's way, because they sit on different stretches of coast.

The area counts 177 accommodation facilities registered by the municipality, including 147 hotels: from family hotels to 5-star properties. There are the Terme di Cervia thermal baths, inside the pine forest, which use the mother water and mud of the salt pans; the riviera's first 27-hole golf course; and, a short distance away, Mirabilandia (11 km), Ravenna with its 8 UNESCO monuments (20 km) and Rimini (37 km).

The three areas to stay in

Where you stay changes the kind of holiday you get, far more than the hotel's star rating.

• The centre, between Rotonda Primo Maggio and viale Gramsci. This is the heart of the resort: the shopping, the street bars, the late-night life. Everything is within walking distance. To be honest: in high season the music reaches your windows, and if you are a light sleeper it is a factor. One of the two free beaches is also close to the Rotonda.
• The pine forest Traverse, to the north, up to the Anello del Pino. These are the numbered avenues running down from the pine forest to the sea, and this is where a good share of the hotels sit, among the villas and the pines. Wider, more family-friendly beaches, a few extra minutes' walk to the centre, much more peace and quiet. On summer weekends the free shuttle serves the area.
• Towards the Canalino, on the Cervia side. Here you find the pedestrian seafront promenade "I pionieri del turismo", with the dune and the bunkers of the Gothic Line, the statue of the Madonna del Mare and the canal harbour where the tour boat departs. It is the most convenient area for the Cervia-Milano Marittima railway station and for walking to the old salt workers' quarter.

How to get here

By car: from the A14 exit at Ravenna and continue towards the Lidi Sud, or exit at Cesena Nord, take the E45 to the Casemurate exit and then the SS254 for 16 km; from Cesena it is 12 km on the SS71 bis. From the north-east, take the SS309 Romea via Ravenna.

By train: the station is Cervia-Milano Marittima, on the Ferrara-Ravenna-Rimini line, with Ravenna 20 minutes away. For high-speed trains change at Cesena (about 20 km) or Rimini. From April to October there is also a direct RailJet connection from Munich to Rimini.

By plane: Rimini 30 km and Forlì 32 km away; Bologna 90 km, served by a year-round shuttle with 8 daily runs.

Once you are here: on summer weekends (Saturday and Sunday) a free shuttle leaves every 15-20 minutes from the via Jelenia Gora park-and-ride towards the centre and the beach. It is worth using: parking in the centre in August is the most tiring part of the day.

What to eat

The local symbol is the sweet salt of Cervia, which ends up in savoury dishes and even desserts, and is given as a good-luck gift. Then the piadina from the kiosks, excellent in the version with sardoncini, grilled Adriatic fish and cappelletti pasta. To drink, Albana and Sangiovese.

Plan your holiday

This site gathers up-to-date, independent information about Milano Marittima: you can compare hotels side by side and contact them directly, with no intermediaries and no hidden fees. The figures you read here are backed by official sources, and when a figure changes we update it.