The holidays of the Mussolini family in Riccione

Extremely sea-oriented, the city soon began to lay the foundations of a new town layout and economic development based on tourism. It was the Duce, Benito Mussolini, who transformed Riccione into an icon of elite-tourism, when choosing it as the seat of his private bathing establishment.

Mussolini’s summer residence was the villa of Giulia Galli Barnabei, bought by Rachele Mussolini in 1934 and wholly restored six years later with the addition of a private tennis court and a safe guard post.

 

In the films of the Luce Institute, Benito Mussolini is frequently seen wearing a swimsuit while laying down on the beach or swimming, or portrayed near a seaplane.

 

Mussolini made Riccione and its beach appreciated destinations for thousands of Italian tourists and made them the backdrop of important political events, such as the meeting with Austrian Chancellor Dolfuss in August 1933, who was murdered on the following year while spending his holidays in Riccione together with the whole family.