Like a small tropical typhoon, the storm hit the Romagna Riviera during the night between Saturday and Sunday, starting from Milano Marittima and reaching as far as Rimini. Wind gusts over 120 km/h, hail, and torrential rain turned the streets into rivers and destroyed entire stretches of pine forest.

Milano Marittima the hardest hit

In the tourist resort, over 260 maritime pines were felled, damaging cars, homes, and making several roads impassable. On the beaches, umbrellas, sunbeds, and gazebos were swept away. “It was a very hard blow,” said Massimo Casanova of Papeete Beach, “but we immediately got to work to reopen.”

Flooding and disruptions in Rimini

The storm continued south, hitting Cesenatico and Rimini. Underpasses flooded, shops invaded by water and mud, and rail traffic interrupted on the Rimini-Ravenna line. In Bellaria, a bus was stuck in an underpass, fortunately without passengers on board.

The rescue operation

Since the morning, teams from Civil Protection, firefighters, and volunteers have been working to clear roads and beach establishments. “Many damages, but the situation is already under control,” declared the mayor of Rimini, Jamil Sadegholvaad. The president of the Region, Michele de Pascale, also confirmed that the Riviera is “fully operational.”

Veneto hit during the night

The bad weather also affected the Venetian coast, where in Cavallino-Treporti 14 maritime pines were felled along the busy Via Fausta. Intervention teams cleared the roadway to ensure traffic flow during the peak summer season.