On the Romagna Riviera between fun and sweet nostalgic atmospheres: a weekend in Rimini - II.

We return to the twentieth century, strolling through the characteristic streets of the historic Borgo San Giuliano district, where Fellini-esque atmospheres accompany us even along the road thanks to beautiful murals that evoke the cinematic works of the famous director, created on the occasion of the Festa del Borgo of 1994, dedicated to Fellini, who had died the previous year. Framing our Rimini weekend is the San Giuliano al Mare district, where, staying at the Hotel Ottavia, we can immerse ourselves in the charm of riviera life, enjoying all the comforts and appreciating a family hospitality on a human scale, without chasing pointless luxuries and discovering, once again, chapters of Rimini's history. Our room, located on the second floor, is a nice, bright double with all the conveniences, from wifi to a safe, and with a view from the balcony over a glimpse of the sea.

Our friends, on the other hand, stay in a quadruple room (the hotel's 27 rooms are divided between doubles, family rooms, quadruples for adults and economy rooms), also equipped with a pretty balcony where you can sip a cool drink in the evening. There is also an annex, with an outdoor table and a hot tub in the garden. We also greatly appreciate the possibility of using a private car park on the characteristic parallel street, so that when we return in the evening we don't have to waste time looking for a spot. The beach can be reached in a two-minute walk and in the room we also found a very useful book that gave us lots of tips both on the best use of the beach services, and on the history of the district and the leisure opportunities in the area, including the excursions and bike routes that we gladly take advantage of during our stay.

Welcoming us with great kindness is the owner Andrea, who has run the hotel-restaurant for six years now. "This isn't a job, but a mission", he tells us with a smile when we happen to chat while sipping a drink on the terrace. "In the post-war period around here hotels and boarding houses were traditionally run by women, and when that wasn't the case, those businesses didn't even do well", Andrea begins his account. This hotel too was born thanks to a woman, Ottavia, indeed, a true pioneer of tourist hospitality on the riviera. "The original construction of the building dates back to the early twentieth century, and it was a small villa with a vegetable garden behind it.

During the summer season Mrs Ottavia rented the three rooms with kitchen to tourists, while she withdrew with her family to a shed at the back of the building." Not only that: if Romagna cuisine is famous all over the world, it's also thanks to women like Ottavia, whose tagliatelle and piadine nobody could resist, not to mention her fresh fish brodetto. Today it's no longer her doing the cooking, but the typical flavours we can discover at the restaurant of the Hotel Ottavia are just as exquisite and are much liked by the foreign clientele too. "Sometimes foreigners, used to one-plate dishes, are amazed at our different courses", Andrea recounts. In fact, besides the two-choice menu, with first course, main course and dessert, guests also have access to a rich buffet with pizzette, raw and cooked vegetables, crostini and much more.

Our Romagna dinner starts with a nice seafood risotto, while our friends opt for penne alla carbonara. The ingredients are of excellent quality, including the fish, especially the oily fish, which arrives fresh directly from the local fishermen. Next we enjoy an exquisite gratinated cod fillet, while the "carnivorous" friends can't resist the meat rolls. We accompany it all with various tasty side dishes, from french fries to crocche. To finish, we have no choice but to give in to the sweet temptations of the many homemade desserts, including mint, lemon and amarena semifreddi, baked cream, ice creams, puddings, creme caramel or panna cotta, not to mention the wide choice of seasonal fruit. After dinner, the lovebirds in our group withdraw to look at the stars from the lovers' bench on the top floor, painted with lots of lovely little red hearts.

By day, instead, from that romantic corner a lovely view over a glimpse of the sea opens up: sitting there it's really easy to dream. During our wandering around Rimini we heard an anecdote about Fellini. When he once wanted to take a room in a luxurious hotel, the owner wanted to dissuade him because he was ashamed of having only a small room. Fellini asked to see it and when he saw that there was a bed and a bathroom, he said nothing was missing and that it was perfectly fine for him. This is a bit the true spirit of the Romagna riviera, the authentic one, which knows how to enjoy life even without putting on airs. We're happy to have been able to spend a few days in this pleasant and human dimension, and we'll gladly return to the hotel born from Mrs Ottavia's dreams.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Hotel Ristorante Ottavia Via Umberto di Miniello, 10 Tel.: 0541/55181