Old American Bar

Old American Bar

In the beginning it was the Tazza d’Oro bar, which opened its doors for the first time at the end of the 1960s, but the real turning point came in 1981 when one of Rimini’s most active entrepreneurs, Roberto Baldrati, together with a partner, entrusted the restyling to the well-known Rimini architect Simonetti and transformed it into one of Rimini’s best known pubs. After the first summer, another partner, Giulio Bernabei, joined the club and managed it together with Baldrati, making it one of the most popular pubs in Rimini.

There is no Rimini inhabitant who, in the eighties and nineties, did not go to have a beer at the Old American Bar in Viserba. It was a perfect British-style pub, like the ones in Rimini, but with an important novelty: for the first time a real pub was born in the northern area of Rimini. The Old American Bar was immediately a great success, becoming in a short time a meeting point for many young people, mostly from Rimini in winter and tourists from all over Europe in summer. Very special quality beers, excellent sandwiches bearing the names of the most famous American actors and good live music: this was the winning recipe for the Old American, which for twenty years cheered up the evenings and nights of generations of Rimini residents. People with a great desire to have fun, but also some VIPs: thanks to the organisation of the Summer Festival, singers of the calibre of Lucio Battisti, Claudio Baglioni, Edoardo Bennato, Nilla Pizzi and Heather Parisi have performed on the stage of the Old American.

In 2000 there was a turning point, when it was decided to transform the place into a restaurant and pizzeria, but always maintaining the style of the pub to recall the splendour of the early days and the fashions that made the Rimini Riviera a very trendy tourist destination. The bar counter still retains its historicity, as do some of the sofas on the mezzanine floor, the wall mirrors and the wood panelling. The sign has remained the same since 1981, as the English pub-style lamps that adorn the bar counter and seating area. Look up and admire the relief decoration on the ceilings.

Since June 2011, Old American 2011 has been managed by Marco and Davide, who together with their staff welcome their customers every night, offering a Romagna menu and a wide choice of pizzas cooked in the wood-fired oven with particular attention to the rising of the dough. The typical soul of the pub remains in the excellent hamburgers with homemade bread.

Phone: 0541 732481

Cheri

Merceria Cheri

The Merceria Cheri in Via Garibaldi, in the heart of Rimini’s historic centre, owes its origins to Liliana Urbinati, who opened the business in 1957, buying the start-up and licence from a relative.

Her entrepreneurial virtues, together with her great determination and the support of her husband and family members, enabled her to carry on the business successfully and, over the years, to become the owner of the shop. Mrs. Liliana is no longer with us, but in the same 19th century building, the Merceria Cheri is still run by her daughters Nadia and Maria Gabriella, who began working behind the counter when they were very young and who have been working alongside their mother since the 1970s, fulfilling a desire they have had since childhood.

Colours and glittering objects had always attracted the two girls, and after finishing their studies they both decided to work with their mother in the haberdashery. Thus, a typical haberdashery shop for the world of handmade tailoring supplies and for those who liked to make or embroider their own clothes got a considerable boost, thanks to a business turnaround. An appropriate choice was to rationalise the variety of goods and focus on clothing accessories. At Merceria Cheri today you can find all the materials for tailoring, from buttons to beads, from trimmings to ribbons and linings, as well as bags, gloves, shawls, hats and other packages.

The great importance Nadia and Maria Gabriella give to quality has made Merceria Cheri a real reference point for those in Rimini looking for Italian-made accessories of the best brands and a service made up of helpfulness, kindness and competence. Not to be missed are Nadia and Maria Gabriella’s useful and precious suggestions for those interested in discovering the world of quality tailoring.

Elettroforniture Lucchi

Elettroforniture Lucchi

Elettroforniture Lucchi

Entering the historic portal of via Giordano Bruno 33 in Rimini, your gaze opens on a timeless gallery with cross vaults. The wood and glass shop window and a sign that still bears the telephone number without the area code smell of history. The Elettroforniture Lucchi shop was able to stop time and carry on the commercial tradition of an ancient Rimini, which withstood the Second World War and flourished again thanks to the ingenuity and commitment of small family businesses. Founded in 1928 by brothers Luigi, Giovanni and Giuseppe Lucchi, the Lucchi electrical supplies shop operated for a few years at the beginning of Via Giordano Bruno 16 on the corner of Corso d’Augusto, and then moved a few hundred metres to number 33, where it is currently located, as well as having a branch on the outskirts, in Via Carlotta Clerici.

Entering Elettroforniture Lucchi’s means not only finding a vast assortment of lighting accessories, but it means letting your imagination run wild inside the large drawers of the wooden shelves thanks to a commercial decor that has remained intact, but above all it means getting to know Sante, Luigi’s son and current owner of the shop. His disenchanted view of commercial dynamics, his knowledge of the profession and the changes involving the city of Rimini and its beating heart, the historic centre, deserve a chat that will at least make you think. It is difficult to stop at Lucchi’s just to buy a wall lamp, a chandelier or a multiple plug. Mr. Sante’s stories do not look back at all, even though, he says, “I was born here, in a box of light bulbs”.

There were many interesting points of discussion, but the common denominator is always love for the work and for the city.

Ristorante L’Ancora

Ristorante L’Ancora

L’Ancora is a real old-fashioned trattoria, located on the left bank of Rimini harbour. A place steeped in the history of Rimini’s seafaring, close to the historical shipyards and the fishing boats who still take to the sea and bring back every day fresh Adriatic fish, which can be enjoyed, very fresh, in this restaurant.

The L’Ancora Bar Restaurant still offers a simple location, with a homely soul, the same since 1920, when it was built by the Ronci family, who had ran it until the 1960s.

Typical dishes of the Romagna seafood tradition have come down to us thanks to the Urbinati family: Mr. Luigi and his wife Severina rented it in 1979 from Mr. Sauro Morani and then bought it in 1999. Now their daughter Augusta carries on Mr. Luigi and Mrs. Severina Urbinati’s passion for good quality traditional cuisine and typical Rimini hospitality.

This trattoria, whose sign dates back to the 1970s and bears the words “Bar Ristorante L’Ancora”, has always served fish dishes. The furniture, preserved over time, are also typical, such as the entrance and the windows. Both tables and a sideboard are still in use and dated back to the 1950s, as does the bar counter, while the Palladian floor comes from the Second World War period. In the restaurant you can find old photos of the Seventies-Eighties, testifying tabout the beginning of the Urbinati family’s activity and the life habits of those years. Among the memorabilia to be seen absolutely, a 1954 scale and a cash register of the Sixties.

In more recent years, L’Ancora was protagonist of a scene in the famous cult film of the Nineties, “Abbronzatissimi”, while in 2017 his story was described in a nice article written on “Il Resto del Carlino”.

Phone number: +39 0541 28945

Ristorante da Rinaldi

Ristorante Da Rinaldi

Da Rinaldi Restaurant opened in San Paolo, on the foothills of Rimini, back in 1958 and is still run by the same family that has made it famous, together with the traditional dishes of Romagna.

It has been a long time since grandfather Cesare opened his small country shop: groceries, tobacco, milk and products from local farmers and breeders. At Cesare’s you could find everything and above all you could breathe the air of “united family” that still distinguishes the restaurant Da Rinaldi. Together with him, there were his daughters Carla and Guerrina and his son Marcello, who today, with his wife Paola and the four children Roberto, Andrea, Cristina and Lorenzo, runs a traditional restaurant, but always open to new ideas, projects and initiatives. In short, “Da Rinaldi” is everything that the entrepreneurship of the territory can combine: good food, beautiful location, family passion and new boundaries to cross every day.

Da Rinaldi Restaurant, as it is now, is the result of the great commitment of everyone, eventhough it was born almost by chance. One day four strangers, as people from out of town are called in Rimini, came to Grandpa Cesare’s shop and asked him if they could eat something. So grandpa asked his daughters Carla and Guerrina to put four piadas on a cast iron plate (called “testo”) and fill them with local products. The gentlemen were so enthusiastic that Cesare decided to put tables and chairs outside the door the next day. Now, as then, the Rinaldi family works together with the aim of making people feel good at the table, living off this constant gratification.

At present, Ristorante Da Rinaldi has four indoor dining rooms and a lounge, set up following the tradition to let guests relive the atmosphere of Rimini’s countryside, while outside there are large open spaces, a swimming pool, a vineyard, a vegetable garden and a stable. There are also many self-produced products: jams, honey, wine, oil and vegetables “a metro zero” directly from their own garden. The speciality is the cockerel that comes from the 100% organic farm: an activity that began together with the shop activity.

Phone number: +39 0541 767032

Ristorante Da Roberto

Da Roberto

It was 1963 when the first public exercise opened its doors in Viale Regina Elena 181. We are talking about the years of the economic boom and “Dolce Vita”, when tourism in Rimini was expanding, becoming the destination for VIPs of the time, as well as for millions of visitors. The demand for good Romagna cuisine was very high so, after only three years, the pastry shop and cafeteria in Viale Regina Elena started by Enzo Bianchi also became a diner. In 1972, under the management of Andrea Arceci, it became a restaurant with the name “Mario’s”. This typical restaurant in the Rimini seaside area has changed its name twice more recently: from 2006 to 2008 it was called “James Brown”, then from that year onwards it became “Da Roberto”, named after the owner Roberto Baldrati. Al present it still bears that sign, with the current manager Stefano Gessaroli together with his wife Bruna. The motto of the restaurant is “Sea, Land and Tradition” and to keep up with the times, it is transforming the traditional cuisine into a more refined one, with old recipes revisited in a more contemporary key. A great attention is paid to local products, from meat to flour, up to the fish of the Adriatic, following the seasonality, with the aim of being a showcase for the products of our territory and hinterland. The restaurant is associated with the consortium “Strada dei vini e dei sapori dei colli di Rimini” and has expanded its wine cellar.

Talking about the location, “Da Roberto” retains the traditional marble floor with Palladian tiles that characterised the rooms in the 1960s. The furnishings and signs have changed over time, but the kitchen windows date back to the golden age of Rimini’s Riviera.

The typical fish restaurant “Da Roberto” had a peak of fame in the 2000s. During the years in which tourism from Eastern European countries was prevalent in our Riviera, “Da Roberto” appeared several times in articles in Russian tourist magazines and on Ukrainian TV. A notoriety that has continued until much more recent years, with the mention in numerous TV programs presenting Italian tourist destinations aired on German and Swiss TV.

Among the regular customers Beppe Grillo, often accompanied by the singer Biagio Antonacci, and Mario Biondi. Several famous Russian and Ukrainian actors and singers have also frequented the restaurant, such that the owners were forced to cordon off the restaurant to “defend” them from fans.

Phone number: +39 0541 381468

Gelateria Nuovo Fiore

Gelateria Nuovo Fiore

It all began in 1957 when the Laghi brothers’ eldest son, Italo, together with his wife Ines, founded the Nuovo Fiore ice-cream shop in Milano Marittima. Italo Laghi was a true pioneer of the “Dolce Vita” in Romagna, founding the Pineta disco at the end of the 1950s, which became the most famous of the Riviera Romagnola. Following the success of Milano Marittima, Italo, together with his brother Oliviero, opened Nuovo Fiore in Riccione in 1960.

In 1962, Cavalier Oliviero Laghi left the management of the Nuovo Fiore in Riccione to his father Attilio and brother Adriano and, together with his wife Anna, opened another Nuovo Fiore in Miramare di Rimini and then, in 1964, in Rimini itself, in the location in Viale Regina Elena where it is still open today.

In the meantime, Cavalier Oliviero’s two sisters, Giulia and Augusta Laghi, opened other stores in Cattolica and Rimini.

Now the Nuovo Fiore ice cream shop in Viale Regina Elena, on the corner with Via Pascoli in Rimini, is run by Gioia Laghi, Cavalier Oliviero’s daughter, together with her children Giacomo, Michael, Selvaggia and her husband Pasquale Traini. Traini is a well-known name in the city, a professional football player who also wore the red and white uniform of Rimini Calcio in Serie B in the early Eighties.

The secret of the Nuovo Fiore ice cream shop’s success is the daily artisan production, without adding colouring agents and preservatives, always choosing top quality ingredients which, together with fresh seasonal fruit, give life to a genuine and natural ice cream.

The Nuovo Fiore has become an authentic brand and reference point for quality ice cream in the area, and has always been a usual destination for tourists and residents who have spent and still spend moments of quiet relaxation close to the sea.

Phone number: +39 0541 381553

Pizzeria La Zucca

Pizzeria La Zucca

La Zucca Restaurant and Pizzeria and is located along the tourist promenade of Miramare di Rimini, and it makes tourists to take a dip in the past, in the years of touristic boom which took place between the Sixties and the Seventies. It is the typical snack bar of that period, when restaurants were totally opened on the street to entice tourists to sit down and have dinner while they were strolling near to the sea.

La Zucca Restaurant and Pizzeria opened its doors in 1970 as a diner, thanks to the intuition of the brothers Cesare and Graziano Benedettini, who in those years bought an old villa to build the commercial location. The activity was born for tourism, but over the years has attracted more and more citizens of Rimini thanks to the quality of food proposed and, while remaining a seasonal activity, it is also frequented during low season.

Mrs Agostina took over the place in 1981 and still runs it together with her husband and son. Now you can taste pizzas that made it famous, but also typical Rimini piadina and meat and fish dishes. On the sidewalk at the edge of the restaurant, you can still see the old railings and the wrought iron gate belonging to the original villa.

The original sign, “Bar Pizzeria La Zucca Tavola calda”, dates back to 1970, as does the illuminated sign of Caffè Giovannini (famous Rimini’s coffee roaster), the bar counter and the shelving behind it, built by the then very fashionable company, F.lli Rossi of Pesaro, dating back to the 1960s. Behind the cashier’s unit there is still a wall covered in stone made at the time of opening, where you can see various antique tools: the scale for weighing salt, the brass scale for weighing clams (called “poveracce” in Rimini slang) and some copper pots.

Even sitting at the tables you can step back in time: some are rare pieces dating back to the late 19th century, others to the 1960s.

Phone number: +39 0541 375388

Rose and Crown

Rose and Crown

It is the first pub in Italy, an old-British corner in the heart of Marina Centro, an essential part of the made in Rimini fun since 1964. The pub was born on the initiative of the Anglophile Count Perticari, who managed it for some years together with a couple from Liverpool. Since 1975 it has been run by the current company, which has been able to guarantee consistency and continuity of the project thanks to Richard Di Angelo, who has been running it for some years now together with his son Roberto.

After a few years, the main veranda was added to the restaurant, allowing patrons to take advantage of the outdoor areas as well. Always maintained with care, the renovations and improvements at the Rose & Crown have been scrupulously carried out with respect for the historical image of the place: patrons always have the impression that nothing has ever changed, even if they now benefit from up-to-date comforts and services and the latest audio system. The historic signs, wall lamps and wooden balustrades come from an old London pub.

The place, known throughout Italy, is famous for the quality of its cuisine, which serves meat specialties of the highest quality, for live music every night and especially the wide selection of excellent beers. The owners are always looking for new products with the expertise they have acquired in decades of activity and always offer the best beers in the Italian and foreign markets, served by cutting-edge and constantly cared for pinting facilities. There is also space for darts challenges: a peculiarity of the place, that also organizes international tournaments.

The Rose & Crown was the first pub in Italy to find space on the virtual encyclopaedia Wikipedia. From the United Kingdom come every year coaches of British tourists who, during sporting events and shows that bring them to Italy, book all the evenings to evoid missing the opportunity to eat and drink at the Rose & Crown.

In 2004, a huge party-event took place for the 50th anniversary of the opening, publicized internationally, attended by thousands of people. In September 2020 it was the first Bottega Storica enrolled in the “new course” of the Rimini Municipal Register, created by the municipal administration to give new life to this important recognition.

Phone number: +39 0541 391398

Bounty

Bounty

The “Bounty Rimini Adventure Club” was founded in Marina Centro in 1990 inspired by the homonymous ship which was the scene of the most famous mutiny in history. The club was built following its extraordinary structure, completely in naval style, becoming unique in its kind, so much so that it was included among the 50 best clubs in the world.

Entering Bounty gives guests the sensation of getting on board an ancient XVIII-century sailing ship, surrounded by masts, barrels, sails and creels, under a magnificent sky full of stars and served by a crew dressed up as a real ships’ crews: a fascinating scenario that gives visitors the possibility to enjoy an enchanting, almost magic atmosphere.

Smiling, some people have said that Bounty is more famous than Rimini’s historical monuments such as Ponte di Tiberio and Arco d’Augusto, because on TripAdvisor the restaurant has more than 8,000 reviews, more than the city’s historic landmarks.

Bounty is one of the most appreciated venues of the Riviera Romagnola, the ideal place to spend unforgettable evenings together with friends in a cheerful and funny atmosphere. Over the course of the years, this historic brewery has become one of the best night clubs in Rimini. Famous for its pizza and first courses, the “Ship of Fun” also inaugurated in 2019 the outdoor sea view space, also in style, which reproduces the bow of a ship.

Giuliano Lanzetti manages it in the name of a family tradition that has always been active in tourism: his grandfather built the hotel above the club, his father created the disco and now Giuliano and his family manage Bounty, always trying to add something more to the city’s entertainment offer.

Phone number: +39 0541 391900