Cycling along a path fringing the Adriatic Sea, I pass families entering a play park and older couples walking hand in hand. The pedestrianised “park of the sea” is a quiet spot for a morning stroll, but it also turns into a lively night-time destination after dark.

What once was a road and car park is now a path curved like the waves of the sea which will stretch to 15km when construction is finished next year. Rimini, a city in northern Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, has for a long time been a favourite coastal resort for Italians of all generations.