At the beginning of last century, the area that today we call Riccione was simply a tiny suburb which pulsed with a strong inclination for seaside tourism, and which throughout the coming years would will transform it into one of the most renowned and frequented tourist centres in Italy. The small urban centre grew especially near the coast, with the services and various night spots that resulted being beneficial for the expansion of the tourist economy. This growth, based above all on private enterprise, has had a strong motivating force on the autonomist movement. The municipality of Rimini has constantly been cited as the cause of widespread concern for the future of the southern area, and in Riccione the pretensions the protests of an increasingly entrepreneurial class swelled. This class saw the town’s autonomy as the only favourable condition for its economical and social development. It was on 24th of August 1922, after tough internal strife, circumstances forced the setting up of an ad hoc urban committee which decided to proclaim autonomy and set up the Committee of Rimini, with a clear socialist majority. After the fall of the committee, which was in strong contrast with the pressing violence of the fascist squads, a prefectorial commissioner was given the task of nominating a commission which will have the difficult task of establishing the borders and  properties of the newborn municipality. However, the real birth of Riccione officially took place on 4th of November 1923 when its first elected Major, Silvio Lombardini, took power.