Summer on the Riviera Romagnola: Italians paint the town pink
“Let’s paint the town red” is a famous English way to say “let’s go out and have fun”: similarly, the Riviera Romagnola paints itself pink during the summer to celebrate the Capodanno d’Estate, the summer version of New Year’s Eve. Italians enjoy ongoing parties, special events, concerts, and aperitivi, all having as main theme the color pink.
The choice of this color is not due to the celebration of women, conventionally associated with pink; in fact, the event is open and addressed to everybody, with no exception. It aims rather at spreading good mood, fun and creating a positive atmosphere, encouraging communication and relations.
Whether you are single, engaged, young, old, or a family, you will love the Capodanno d’Estate. La Notte Rosa, the pink night is the celebrations’ climax and sees beach parties, as well as over 300 music shows, spacing from jazz, to rock and events for children, art fans, and dance lovers, all hosted on the 110 km of the Romagna’s riviera.
The pink night was first organized seven years ago and was inspired by the growing popularity of the notte bianca phenomenon, known and enjoyed in several Italian cities and towns. The Notte Rosa, though, offers more than open shops at late hours: shows, shopping, concerts of the most famous Italian singers, and funky parties are organized, from Cattolica to Comacchio. All monuments are illuminated with special pink lights and restaurants, shops and bars always have a pink theme going on in their decor or menus.
La notte rosa usually takes place at the end of June or the very first days of July. The program always changes according to the season and each town decides its own agenda.
This year, more than 2 million people decided to take part in it. All those who wanted to escape from stress and relax for a little while picked up the place offering the events they liked most. Highly appreciated and very crowded were the concerts of famous Italian singers like Giorgia, Arida, Emma, Elio e le Storie Tese, and Francesco Renga. For those with a penchant for classical music, Riccardo Muti and a full classical orchestra also offered an amazing performance this year
If music was one of the major protagonists of the event, food was certainly not pushed into the background. In fact, some recipes ad hoc, in line with the mood and theme of the party, was invented. The most popular and eaten one was the pink piadina cooked with a newly invented taste of ice-cream, la riminosa, created with the nectarine peaches of Romagna.
This year the notte rosa was even more special, as the event was not only organized in name of fun and entertainment, but it was also an occasion to do charity: fund-raising stands were created to help all the towns victims of the earthquake.
How to take part in the event?
Every town follows the event according to a scheduled agenda, therefore, you should first have a look at what you would like to see and then decide which place to visit. The event involves most towns of the Riviera Romagnola, including cities like Rimini, Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna and Ferrara.
No matter the schedule, you will find fun, food, and entertainment in every single spot rallying to the initiative. If you want to have more information about the event or download the program, you can visit the official website of the event: http://www.lanotterosa.it/
