Why Rimini is a destination for young people and families

2024-07-21 08:29:30

Want to drink beer barefoot at a beach party on the beach in Rimini as if you were 22 years old and not 42 – anti-aging on the Adriatic! This is possible because Rimini is renovating itself and at the same time bringing back the good old days. From the beginning, that was the good news from the city of 150,000.

The bad: Last year the situation was precarious. The first flood of a century in May. Severe flooding in Emilia-Romagna. The beaches of Rimini, lost under many waters. A few weeks later, the cleaning work is over for the summer, the next news: the beach bars are very noisy! New deadline: 9 p.m.

The desire for more silence is justified. The bass in the clubs near the Ferris wheel can be very loud on the weekends. The mosques are basically covered with lush gardens, sound insulation is zero. Maybe you have an impact or you have a hard time on a hotel balcony with an ocean view. Even if you stay in a house that stands for piano music and good cocktails, it’s not beer from a 1.5 liter pitcher.

Different lives come together

There are only 50 meters between the two lives, young people who love to party in “Summer” and rich guests in the Grand Hotel. In Rimini this patchwork is normal. In order to accommodate the guests of the Grand Hotel, they were moved to a quiet room, said receptionist Francesca. During the day, the luxury hotel is a place of relaxation.

The odds are common: next to the parties in the luxury Grand Hotel.picture alliance

Almost out of character. When you look out over the garden on the large terrace, it’s easy to forget that you’ve been waiting half an hour for your four euro espresso. In the only five-star hotel in the city, where you can stay the night in the low season for 160 euros, time is not important. Since opening in 1908, the building has been visited by many famous guests, including Sophia Loren, George HW Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger and Princess Diana. The outdoor area is full of aperitivo. Men wear black suits, women wear floor length dresses.

When the pianist at the piano, Henry Mancini, sings, there is greatness in the air, the greatness of Fellini. Italy’s most famous filmmaker worked here as an illustrator at the beginning of his career. When Federico Fellini later returned as a guest, he stayed in Suite 315. He remembered the fun and joie de vivre of the Grand Hotel for the rest of his life.

Think about past times

Nostalgia is strong currency in Rimini. In Bagno 8, diagonally opposite the Grand Hotel, Luciano dreams of the entertainment of the eighties. In the shade of his beach hut, with his dog on his lap, he talks about how fun the parties are in Rimini. His son Daniele knows the stories. “My father talks about it almost every day.”

Ciao, Rimini: Beach guard Luciano raves about the lively city.Julia Stelzner

Luciano raves about “Embassy”, a club on the main shopping street that has been revived, with a concept store. But also about the “Paradiso”, a discotheque in the hinterland, which is now just an “abandoned place”.

The club, where the singer Al Bano was a frequent guest, did not survive the years of crisis. Luciano is over 80 years old, but when he talks about those days, his back, strained by carrying a beach chair, stretches a lot. “I’ve been doing this job here in Bagno for 40 years. I can’t get away from it. “

A parasol is a must

Rimini has a 15 kilometer long beach and 200 baths. We know the image of the parasol legions. It is reminiscent of the children’s mosaic pegging game in which you put mushroom-shaped nails into white pegs. Two bedrooms, parasol, locker, sanitary facilities, changing room and playground are part of the offer.

When you are on vacation with small children, you will not find cigarettes while digging; Labor costs around 22 euros in high season. Riminese did not question the price. He took his loungers for the whole season. Shade, protection from sand fleas and a warm shower are worth it to them.

At the weekend, the beach cafes are busier than usual, and the plastic tables are so full that you wonder how it will all last. What it does keep is the fantastic promise of Dolce Vita. People smoke and eat piadina, a thin, flat bread. The cards are played. drink wine. Drink iced coffee. Rarely in pairs, often in groups. You don’t speak German. Solo Italiano.

Party wildly on Gay Beach

It must be amazing to spend every weekend like this from May to October. And when from 6 pm on the Gay Beach of Bagno 27 young and old dance “YMCA” in shimmering Speedos and transparent glittery skirts, it is the opposite of Weltschrei – and maybe a little like Luciano’s young.

Most of the Italian tourist destinations have lost what makes Rimini attractive, especially Lake Garda and South Tyrol: it is owned by Italians, especially in high season. The Teutonic choice was already on the back burner: Long-distance trips, unassuming family hotels and undiscovered places have kept Rimini quiet since the 1990s. Recently, Russian visitors prevailed. But tempi passati. Time for a new beginning.

Parco del Mare is one of the urban renewal projects with which former mayor Andrea Gnassi wants to upgrade Rimini as a green city. As the sun slowly sets over the horizon, joggers, dog owners and families appear on the barrier-free and car-free greenway. It is a parade promenade. A lot goes on the basketball court with the floor painted in color, especially after dark, and on the playgrounds too. It was full, the audience was different, the mood was good. S’Arenal on Mallorca can dream of you.

An actor in the congregation

A little later at the outdoor party in the Parco Federico Fellini: the artist Giorgio Mazzotti was moving through the crowd as if he was no more than 80 years old, but 18. the chutzpah of the youth enticed him to make Capoeira dance attempts. He didn’t have to tell anyone that Mazzotti was an artist. A black hat, a shirt, a white side, a black one, all full of flowers. Mazzotti has moved around a lot in his life and was in India for a long time. In the end it ended up back in Rimini. When he says goodbye, he raves about the old town while dancing.

Rimini can do more than just the beach and party. Historical landmarks such as the Arch of Augustus from 27 BC or the cathedral church Tempio Malatestiano from 1450 are not loved by anyone. The Fellini Museum has been renewed in the old town since 2021.

It has two parts, Palazzo Valloni with Cinema Fulgor, a cinema that shows Fellini films in the original, and Sismondo Castle with photo exhibitions. In front of the castle, small children splash around in a shallow pool. To the right there is a small cafe kiosk that offers excellent cappuccino and brioche. This is a newspaper and the world stands as it is a country estate in Umbria, only in the center of Rimini.

We walked through the cities

From the Fellini Museum it is a few minutes to Piazza Cavour, one of the most famous squares in the city. The Teatro Amintore Galli in the square was also reopened under Gnassi. Opened by Verdi in 1857, it stood empty for 75 years. Now it is in bloom again.

On the piazza, in Palazzo Garampi, is the town hall of the new mayor, Jamil Sadegholvaad, who owes his last name to his Iranian father. The old building on the square is the Palazzo dell’Arengo. A breakdance combo often danced in the arcades in the evening. Medieval city palace and hip-hop beats, old and new, history and pop culture – exciting contrasts.

Similar differences are the Tiberius Bridge, which connects the San Giuliano area with the old city. There is a large city park where the Porto Canale ends. Parco XXV Aprile is another green project. At the end of the day, 100 people come together in Piazza sull’Acqua to do yoga together in front of the ancient backdrop.

Meanwhile, across the bridge, the first tables in the old Borgo are filling up. San Giuliano was once poor. The fishermen live at the subsistence level. Today the area has changed, but many of the designs in the walls on the colorful buildings are marine. Sometimes they also show Fellini, of course. You can also quickly explore the house of the artist Giorgio Mazzotti. Floral decorations are recognizable.

Time for dinner: “La Esse Romagnola” Serve wonderful fresh pasta. The tables are spread across three side streets. On the way home, every table in Borgo is occupied, fairy lights are shining. Pianist in front of Tiberius Bridge – not yet time to fall into bed.

Piero Marini also knows the power of Rimini. As a hotel manager he has worked in many fields. He opened Demo, the city’s first design hotel, north of the fishing district, in Borgo San Giuliano Mare. “There are a lot of business games in Rimini, so there are always a lot of Italians in the area. And finally more vacation visitors are coming again.” the demo has nine rooms, designed by 14 different architectural studios. Marini is currently planning a second hotel, with many more rooms, in front of the beach. An old house has to be gutted for this purpose. Old upgrade – representative of Rimini.