Cattolica is a town and comune in the Province of Rimini, Italy, with 16,233 inhabitants as of 2007.

History

Archaeological excavations show that the area was already settled in Roman times. According to one legend, Cattolica received its name after Gaudentius of Rimini, with seventeen other bishops, retreated to the settlement during the closing stages of the Council of Ariminum, before Gaudentius' martyrdom. Cattolica rose as a resting place for pilgrims who traveled the Bologna-Ancona-Rome route, on their way to the sanctuary of Loreto or to St. Peter's in Rome. In 1500, it counted more than twenty taverns and inns. Under the Kingdom of Italy, on 5 December 1895, Cattolica gained municipal autonomy; it was previously a village within the jurisdiction of the municipality of San Giovanni. Only from the second half of the 19th century did the fishing industry became relevant in the economy of the town. One of the first notable visitors to Cattolica's beach was Lucien Bonaparte, brother of the French Emperor, who preferred it to noisy Rimini, in 1823. The town became an independent commune in 1896. After the end of World War I the tourism industry became predominant.

Main sights

People

International relations

Cattolica is twinned with:

Events

Languages and dialects

In addition to Italian, in Cattolica a local variant of the Romagnolo dialect is spoken. Even if it's located right next to Marche, this is not considered a border area from a linguistic point of view, since the dialect spoken across the border is classified within the Emilia-Romagna continuum.

Theatre

The "Teatro della Regina" offers a full season of performances with many different genres during the year. Also in Snaporaz cinema theatre shows and artistic performances are held.