Explore Fellini's Rimini
Tuesday, 04 Apr 2006 09:51
The Tempio Malastestiano, one of Rimini's many monuments (photo: Italian Tourist Board)
Rimini is a seaside haven in north Italy, a favourite of the likes of movie directors Martin Scorsese and Federico Fellini.
Based in Emilia Romagna, Rimini is a hive of monuments and artefacts of its former station as a Roman outpost.
Its position as a favourite Italian destination is illustrated by the increased popularity at the five-star Grand Hotel, immortalised in several of Fellini's films.
Tourists using the exclusive hotel were up by 15 per cent in 2005, compared to the previous year, while the summer season enjoyed a nine per cent upturn in visitors.
Fellini's influence extends to one of Rimini's top restaurants, the Michelin-recognised Rosso, which is decorated with murals of stills from the great Italian director's films.
There are more celebrity hang-outs to be explored in Rimini, such as the Hotel Villa Adriatica, which was a favourite hang-out of Eleonora Duse and Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Holidaymakers who stay at the Art Nouveau villa can enjoy coastal views, thermal whirlpools, oxygen therapies and fitness facilities.
Elsewhere, if you cannot see the sea at the Hotel Le Meridien Rimini, you are one of the unlucky ones because the sea-shell shape of the building means that 80 per cent of the rooms have a sea-view.
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