10 Best Things to Do in Cervia

Cervia's golden sandy beaches are some of Italy's cleanest and most beautiful and most hold the coveted Blue Flag status. As one of the most well-equipped beach towns on the Adriatic coast, you can find a lovely beach club for every taste. Fantini Beach Club, Peperittima Beach Club 305, and Bagno Delfino are some of our favourites.

These beach clubs offer sun loungers, restaurants, bars and all sorts of water sports and activities for the kids. You can even get a massage or spa treatment in some of them – a great way to relax and enjoy the summer sun on the Adriatic.

As the historical town hub of Cervia, the spacious and pebble-paved Piazza Garibaldi is surrounded by several historical buildings. The classical Cattedrale di Cervia is the most prominent, with its spired bell tower. Opposite the cathedral is the majestic 18th-century Municipal Palace. 

Check out the small Roman-style fountain in the rectangular square’s southwestern corner. It has four spouts pouring into its quadrangular base. Locals say the water’s potable, and they do drink from it! The square’s usually lively in the summer evenings, with street performances and light shows projected onto the City Hall.

A short stroll from Piazza Garibaldi is the 17th-century Torre San Michele (St. Michael’s Tower) by the canal. It has served many different purposes in the past. The bastion has visible holes in its sides where cannons and other weapons peered through, to defend the port town and the prized salt storage nearby from ambushing Turks and pirates. 

At a different point in history, before its current roof was in place, the tower served as a lighthouse. The tower is illuminated and looks great at sunset. Permits are required to access the top of the tower, though.

Downtown Cervia has little to offer for shoppers, but neighbouring Milano Marittima is the way to go. Although they’re two different areas apart, Cervia and Milano Marittima are closely-knit, in that you can easily cross the canal bridge of Via Bonaldo next to St. Michael’s Tower and reach Milano Marittima within 10 minutes. 

Bearing the name of one of Italy’s best fashion capitals makes it easy to remember. Start along Viale Gramsci from the grand intersection of 7 streets for a collection of some of the trendiest shops and fashion boutiques on the Eastern Riviera.

Cervia Natural Park (Parco Naturale di Cervia) is a protected natural park a few minutes from the Adriatic coast. The park spans over 32 hectares and offers walking and jogging paths and lush green spaces where you can enjoy a quiet picnic or read a book in the shade of pine trees. It’s also possible to go horseback riding in the park.

Thrill-seeking families can visit CerviAvventura: swing from branch to branch like Tarzan, walk across suspension brigades, and whizz through the air on a zipline. In the centre of the park is Binario 9 3/4, where you can grab a cup of coffee or a light lunch. Entrance to the park is free.

Right next to St. Michael’s Tower, this large building is Cervia’s salt museum. Like the adjacent tower, the warehouse-like building served a different purpose in the past, as the city’s main salt production and storage facility. 

What once stored tens of thousands of tons of prized salt beside the canal now houses a rich collection of exhibits showing documents, equipment and historical photos that preserve the memories of Cervia’s heritage of salt production.

Upstream from Cervia’s canal, you can find the city’s vast green natural park with scenic wildlife-filled lagoons, set alongside the city’s centuries-old saltpans. The green landscapes are a wonderful contrast to the town’s sail-filled harbour scenes. 

The park is beautiful by day, and you can stay on until dusk for the wonderful scenes when flocks of herons and egrets fly back to their nests against magical sunsets. You can go for a guided walking tour from the visitor centre. There are also bike rentals and bars selling refreshments within the park.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Pino (Santuario della Madonna del Pino) is a beautiful Romanesque-style church located about 3 km inland from the beaches of Cervia. The Carmelite Girolamo Lambertini built a modest chapel in 1445 to house an image of the Virgin, which, according to legend, mysteriously appeared on the trunk of a pine tree. 

A few years later, with the help of the people of Cervia, the chapel was expanded into the church that exists today. Inside, you can find 16th-century frescoes, including a painting depicting the Enthroned Madonna and Child.

The kids can have a blast at Il Parco dei Pirati, a fun-filled pirate-themed recreational park between Cervia’s coast and the pine woodlands of Pinarella. There are activities for different age levels, including go-karts, mini water rafts in pools and battery-powered minicars that the little ones can cruise around in. 

Adults can join in on the fun at the arcades as well as a selection of funfair type games. In the summertime, there are often performances such as stilt-walking or unicycle-riding jugglers, as well as marionette puppeteers putting on a show.

The Park of the Saltern of Cervia (Parco della Salina di Cervia) is a natural reserve near the old town centre where Cervia’s centuries-old salt pans are located. The salty waters of the lagoon have been used to produce salt since Roman times and continue to do so today.

The salt pans are a beautiful sight, especially at sunset, and you can even take a guided tour to see how the salt is produced. Head to the Salt Pans of Cervia Visitor Centre to sign up for a tour on foot, by bike, or by boat. The reserve is also home to various migratory birds, including flamingos, egrets, and black-winged stilts.