His first novel was "Il filo meraviglioso di Lodovico Clo’" (The wonderful thread of Lodovico Clo). Then he wrote "La città degli amanti" (The City of Lovers). He was one of the founders of the Bagutta Prize. His more popular work was "Il mulino del Po" (The Mill on the Po), (1938–1940). A film from the novel was released in 1949. Later novels from 1967 to 1978 include: "Il rapporto segreto" (The secret relationship), "Afrodite: un romanzo d'amore" (Aphrodite: a love novel), "Il progresso è un razzo" (Progress is a rocket) and "Il sommergibile" (The submarine).
Riccardo Bacchelli was a member of the Royal Academy of Italy. He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1971.