Cervia is characterized by 10 km of white and clean sandy beaches, which have been awarded the Blue Flag of Adriatic Sea. The shores are lined with scented pinewood and a dense growth of Mediterrranean trees and shrubs (maquis) which, in the past, covered the entire coastline from the mouth of the Reno River to Cervia.
Inland, there are the ancient salt flats which sill produce the “sweet” salt of Cervia with the same traditional instruments used in the past. In this area you can admire beautiful bird species like herons, waders, swans, geese and ducks etc. The salt of Cervia is called sweet because it doesn’t contain potassium that is a bitter chloride.
The pine groves, the areas with sand dunes, the remaining marshlands between Milano Marittima, Tagliata andPinarella and around Ravenna and, more to the north, the valleys of Argenta; all these together constitute a natural habitat for many animal species, reptiles, marine and marshland birds. This region was a real paradise also for Lord Byron. He was not indifferent to the savage beauty of pinewood, holm-oaks, orchids, colours and scents that reach the sea.
Cervia is a very important seaside resort, with hundreds of hotels and accommodation facilities where it is possible to spend a holiday under in elegance and wellness. The thermal spa of Cervia has ancient origins, surrounded by the green pinewood and with special mineral water (bromine and iodine water) for various therapeutic uses.
The resort has about 250 bathing establishments along 9 km of beach. As in the other parts of the Riviera Romagnola the entrance to the beach is free, you must pay the eventual use of sun umbrellas, sun chairs and beds, etc. Every bathing establishment is well equipped and offers the opportunity to have an holiday full of sports and fun. Animation and beach games are organized during the whole summer.
Together with the nearby resort, Milano Marittima, there are no doubts as to the lively night-time “movida”; this is perhaps the most “in” summer resort area, attracting famous sport and entertainment personalities. Numerous discos and nightclubs organize parties and performances during the entire season.
The suggestive atmosphere of the 827 hectares of salt flats covered in water and salt, almost intact for 2500 years, merits a visit. From the Prato Rosa Tower the visitor can watch pink flamingos and grey herons.
The most famous salt flat in Cervia is known as “Il Cammillone“; this is where Cervia’s “white gold” is processed. The salt warehouses also merit a visit; these are at present used for cultural events. There is also a museum in the warehouses which illustrates the salt processing using ancient Etruscan methods – partially in use even today. The visitor can also admire a rare salt crystal which weighs almost 6 kg.
Important events: “Cervia Volante” – the “Kite Festival” which takes place in April/May, “Maggio in Fiore” (May in Blossom), this appointment is a must for garden architects and botanic lovers coming from all over the world; in August, the World Sandcastle Championship; in September “Sapore di Sale”, a three-day celebration during which an antique flat-bottomed boat, “burchiella”, goes up the channel to stock its load of salt in the warehouses; instead, the salt is given to all those present at the event.
