Rimini, August 22, 2026 – The Rimini seafront is currently a sea of flags, banners, signs, and colorful hats as far as the eye can see. Since early afternoon, the port area has been stormed under the scorching sun, facing a beach overflowing with faithful people who have arrived from all over Italy and abroad, some from Argentina, some from Peru: it is the big day of Pope Leo XIV in Rimini, between the Meeting, the Cathedral, and the mass at the port. The arrival of the Pontiff in piazzale Boscovich, in the late afternoon, has captivated an entire city, aware that it is living a chapter of history awaited for 44 years, when Pope John II came to Rimini.
The late August heat stops no one: families organize themselves with water bottles and makeshift fans, while the volunteers move through the crowd distributing water and directions.
Every now and then a spontaneous applause crosses the beach and vibrates the collective anticipation.
“A breath of positivity in a dark period”
Raffaella Montevecchi comes from Roncofreddo: “I really wanted to be here today — she says — The arrival of Pope Leo is a breath of positivity in a dark period, which makes us hope and trust more and more in the love of Christ and what the Holy Father represents.”
She had already met Pope Francis, but with Leo it is the first time: the emotion, she says, is all visible in her eyes.
Not far away, a group of young people from Rimini wait with the same intensity. “We have waited so long for this day – explains one of them – It is faith, of course, but it is also a great celebration. Seeing the Pope so close does not happen every day.”
“Pope Leo is unconventional, I appreciate how he welcomes people”
There are those who have made a long journey just not to miss the appointment. Giuditta Pasetto left Vicenza and arrived in Rimini two days ago. “It’s a great opportunity — she says — I have always met all the Popes since I was little, even when Pope Wojtyla was not yet Pope. I took every possible opportunity.”
What she appreciates most about Pope Leo is his way of being: “I really like him on many things: how he teaches, how he welcomes people, how he faces today’s world. He is unconventional.”
Around them, the day flows between waiting and celebration: there are those who wait for hours under the sun, tired but smiling, those who hold a rosary in their hands, those who start the first songs while the stage comes alive.
The crowd tightens as the minutes pass, the emotion rises, eyes remain fixed on the road from which the procession arrives. There are hugs between strangers, looks that seek each other, a wait made above all of shared faith. Every passing minute brings the meeting closer and Rimini prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV in what his faithful already call, without hesitation, an unforgettable page in the city’s history.
