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Rimini’s Wild Side
Your insider guide to Italy’s party capital
Words by Louise Roddon
PHOTO: ©
EVERYNIGHT IMAGES
Rimini was once considered the tacky capital of the Adriatic, with big sea-facing hotels, pizza parlours and old-style razzmatazz – but now the town’s buzzing to a livelier beat. And it’s all happened within the space of a few years. Style-conscious party animals flock here for hot weekends. It’s Italy’s answer to Ibiza. And why? Because the kids who holidayed here in the seventies have returned with ready cash and a determination to inject new life into the place. The result? Hip hotels, bars and chic restaurants – and a club scene that has expanded to more than 100 venues. So how do you play a holiday here to the hilt?
NoMiDevote the morning to serious flop-time. And that means the beach. Rimini’s nine-mile stretch of talcum-powder sand is sliced into around 150 pay-per-day fiefdoms – each distinguishable by the colour of their umbrellas. Most charge an entry fee of around €15 a day – hefty, yes, but for that you get access to fun extras, from four-poster muslin-draped day beds and aromatherapy showers, to open-air gyms, libraries, Wi-Fi access and massage. One of the funkiest with a good night vibe too, is the Moroccan-themed Beach Café.
Feeling peckish? Then stroll along to beach-chic Barafonda. Delicious raw trays of seafood dressed simply in lemon and oil can be enjoyed while you gaze at the waves. Alternatively, try the Rimini food staple – the piadine romagnolo (traditional flat bread stuffed with a variety of yummy fillings) – served at one of Rimini’s coolest beach-club hang-outs, Tikibagno 26.
PHOTO: © RIMINI
TOURIST BOARD
Late afternoon, head back to Piazza Cavour in the old town and grab an eye-opener espresso. All the cafes here are great for people-watching: especially the Bar Caffe Cavour, giving a flavour of the Rimini immortalised by local boy Federico Fellini in his film Amarcord.
Later on, when you’re washed, scrubbed and blinged to the nines, join the town’s smart set at one of the hottest bars – the noMi, part of designer Ron Arad’s startlingly innovative duoMo boutique hotel. The bar has a great curvy brushed bronze fascia, loads of polished steel, and is open to the street on one side, where old dentists’ chairs come fixed to the pavement. Great for cocktails (around €7 each), free snacks and agreeable DJ sounds.
Nearby, at the end of the old seafood market, is the Caravaggio Art Bar. With black glass walls and leather banquettes, this is a more intimate, low-key venue.
Clubbing starts late in Rimini. So eat lightly first. Two of the most fashionable eateries are the stylishly minimalist Otto E Mezzo and Farini.
There are so many venues to choose from, both in Rimini and its even more in-vogue neighbour, Riccione – the fun kicks off along the lively seafront from around 11pm. Venues like the popular biker’s dive, Red Devil, stage live music in a friendly atmosphere. And Rock Island, a port-side wooden shack built over the water, is great for snacks, beer and rock music. Or venture into students’ favourite, Mucho Macho, for drinking and grooving on a spacious open-air veranda.
Fancy something more spangly? Then head for Piazzale Kennedy and hop on the Blue Line night bus, trawling the string of clubs around Misano Monte. Venues like Pascia, Villa delle Rose or Byblos charge hefty entrance fees (around €30), but the settings are super glam: think Beverly Hills-style villas with white banquettes, swimming pools and tinsely dance floors – and they all attract big-name DJs. Enjoy!
DECKED OUT
JOURNALIST LOUISE RODDON GETS HER GROOVE ON WITH A DJ LESSON IN RIMINI
I’m leaning over rows of switches, flashing lights and twiddly buttons, but I’ve lost the gist of what teacher Davide Crystal is trying to say. I feel somewhat out of control, so I start flicking switches for the hell of it – and Davide, with a kindly smile, flicks them smartly back.
This is the “control tower” at noMi bar, where I’m having a cocktail-hour crash course in DJ-spinning – part of a brilliant fun Ultimate Party package organised by the duoMo hotel. I had hoped for turntables (scribble scratching sounds so cool) but Davide, a well-respected Riminiese DJ, soon teaches me to “leak” new sounds into the mix, and to read the mood of the floor, inserting energy when dancers begin to flag.
This proves the most fun, and I go wild with the “jet”, “wah” and “zip” special effects. Unfortunately, I misread my audience. For some reason they’re finding the exit more compelling than my sounds…
Ultimate Party Package (for 8 people) costs from €242 per person for two nights b&b to include DJ lesson, cocktail mixing class and VIP pass to one of the main clubs. DuoMo Hotel (+39 0541 24215 www..duomohotel.com)
Little Black Book
Beach Café
(Spiaggia 132, Viale d’Annunzio)
Barafonda
(Viale Ortigara 4, +39 0541 21955)
Tikibagno 26
(Beach 26, Piazzale Kennedy)
Bar Caffe Cavour
(Piazza Cavour, +39 0541 785123)
noMi
(Via Bruno 28, +39 0541 242156, www.nomiclub.com)
Caravaggio Art Bar
(Via Pescheria 18, +39 0541 789315)
Otto E Mezzo
(Via Beccadelli 5, Marina Centro +39 0541 23814)
Farini
(Via Farini 13, +39 0541 709548)
Red Devil
(Viale Regina Margherita 119, www.reddevilpub.com)
Rock Island
(Piazzale Boscovich, +39 0541 50178)
Mucho Macho
(Viale Amerigo Vespucci, 12, +39 0541 25525)
Pascia
(Viale Sardegna 30, +39 0541 697844)
Villa delle Rose
(Via Camilluccia 16)
Byblos
(Via Pozza Castello 24, +39 0541 690252)
PHOTOS: © RIMINI TOURIST BOARD
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