The “Garden City” from 1911 to today…

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of illustrious Milanese paved the way for what would become the capital of entertainment over the years. Milan’s upper middle class had chosen their summer holiday resort, giving rise to Milano Marittima. An uninhabited place transformed into an exclusive destination, which in the 20th century would become one of the most famous seaside resorts on the entire Adriatic. Inspired by the idea of the “garden city”, Milano Marittima was built in a lush natural garden: the pine forest, just a few steps from the sea. In the 1920s and 1930s it became a favourite destination for prominent figures from the world of culture and art, such as Grazia Deledda, who became an honorary citizen in 1927. Or like the poets Ungaretti and Luzi. After the liveliness of the 1960s, it was in the 1980s that Milano Marittima became the real epicentre of Italian summers. With the re-launch of the famous Pineta disco and the Vip Tennis tournaments, which saw the presence of Serie A champions, former national tennis stars such as Nicola Pietrangeli and film and television comedians such as Diego Abatantuono and Claudio Bisio. Since then, Milano Marittima has been the undisputed destination of a select group of tourists who love the most exclusive social life, luxury hotels, fashionable clubs, the sea and fun.

Parks, salt pans and nature

In addition to the centuries-old pine forest, “thick and living wood” celebrated by Dante and Byron, which covers about 260 hectares, the Cervia and Milano Marittima area is renowned for its precious salt pans, which cover 827 hectares and are already a nature reserve. Pink flamingos and many other extraordinary species pass through here. In 1963, a 27-hectare Nature Park was established and a wide strip of pinewoods covering 24 hectares forms a green lung between the beach and the towns of Pinarella and Tagliata. The whole of this environmental heritage represents the South Station of the Po Delta Park. Nature lovers should not miss the Musa-Museum of Salt, and the ancient Camillone saltworks, a veritable open-air salt museum. The town is the seat of the Cervia Ambiente Foundation, thanks to which seminars, environmental itineraries and special awards are promoted every year to personalities who have distinguished themselves in the environmental sector, including Konrad Lorenz, Jacques Yves Cousteau, Piero Angela, Folco Quilici and Sting.

Forest and Sea

The resorts of Cervia and Milano Marittima have always taken great care of their greenery, nature, pine forests and flowers. Since the 1970s, the international event “Maggio in Fiore” (May in Bloom) has beenheld here, part of a wide-ranging programme aimed at enhancing the value of Cervia and Milano Marittima as “Garden Cities”, a not-to-be-missed national event for “green architects” and “master gardeners”. Cervia was also the first resort on the Adriatic coast to be equipped with an impressive water purification plant in 1968, which guarantees a clean sea all year round. The town has won a number of important awards, testifying to the care and attention paid to the environment, one of which is the Blue Flag, which identifies the best Italian beaches. “Forest and sea” were the words of the first publications that appeared on Milano Marittima at the beginning of the 20th century. Still today, this is the combination that best describes and represents this enchanting place.

Spa and nature

Cervia and Milano Marittima are also famous for their spas and mud baths, rich in properties, extracted from the salt pans. A large thermal centre exploits the benefits of the salty-bromine-iodine properties of the thermal waters, and offers endless programmes of both curative and wellness treatments, including therapeutic baths, thermal muds, kinesitherapy, treatments and massages. The principle of “thermalism” is experienced here not only as a therapy, but also as a time for well-being and recreation.