Like a small tropical typhoon, the storm surged unexpectedly from the sea before sunrise, striking the beaches and resorts of Milano Marittima. It swept away sunbeds, umbrellas, tents, and coverings before turning its fury on the pine trees in the tourist town’s residential areas, felling at least 265 trees. The system then moved south along the coast, hitting Cesenatico and then Rimini and its surroundings, where streets were transformed into rivers.
The maritime supercell, born from the hot Adriatic, lasted about an hour, bringing hail, rain, and wind gusts exceeding 120 kilometers per hour. Significant damage was reported, particularly to cars crushed by fallen pine trees, alongside flooding in homes and basements. In Bellaria Igea Marina, a bus was trapped in a flooded underpass; no one was inside. Fallen branches on the tracks halted the Rimini-Ravenna rail line, forcing the evacuation of 23 people from a stranded train. Service resumed by noon. Fortunately, occurring at night during the peak tourist season, the storm resulted in no injuries.
“It was a massive hit; it devastated the beach: broken umbrellas, gazebos, torn tents. It was very challenging,” said Massimo Casanova, manager of the famed Papeete Beach in Milano Marittima. The beach club immediately began cleanup and remained open. By morning, all affected areas were working to repair the damage and reopen.
Crews in Milano Marittima cleared streets of fallen trunks, while in central Rimini, shop owners emptied their stores of water and mud. Beaches were prepared to welcome Sunday tourists. “The riviera is fully operational,” said Regional President Michele de Pascale by late morning. Rimini’s Mayor, Jamil Sadegholvaad, confirmed that the situation had largely returned to normal by mid-afternoon, though the most critical situation remained in Milano Marittima due to the fallen trees, leaving 200 homes without water and 83 gas customers without service, with utility teams working to restore services.
The storm also impacted the Veneto region overnight, where fourteen pine trees were felled along the Venetian coast in Cavallino-Treporti, disrupting traffic on a key holiday road.