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Grand Hotel Riccione

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Coordinates: 44°0′5.78″N 12°39′42.67″E / 44.0016056°N 12.6618528°E / 44.0016056; 12.6618528
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Grand Hotel Riccione
The façade of the Grand Hotel Riccione, c. 1932
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHotel
Architectural style
AddressViale Antonio Gramsci 23
Town or cityRiccione
CountryItaly
Coordinates44°0′5.78″N 12°39′42.67″E / 44.0016056°N 12.6618528°E / 44.0016056; 12.6618528
Construction started28 September 1928 (1928-09-28)
Opened
  • 15 August 1929; 95 years ago (1929-08-15) (main building)
  • 1934; 90 years ago (1934) (Torre 900)
CostLit. 4 million (main building)
OwnerMarebello SpA
Technical details
Floor count10 (3 in the main building, 7 in the Torre 900)
Design and construction
Architect(s)
EngineerGaleazzo Pullè
Other information
FacilitiesSwimming pool
Website
www.grandhotelriccione.it (in Italian)

The Grand Hotel Riccione is a luxury hotel in Riccione, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy.[1]

Inaugurated in 1929, the hotel was founded by Milanese entrepreneur Gaetano Ceschina [de],[1] and designed by architect Rutilio Ceccolini.[2] In 1934, it was expanded with the Torre 900, a tower annexe designed by Renato Camus.[3] The hotel was used by foreign dignatories visiting Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator, during his stays in Riccione,[4] while the tower annexe was used as an operational control and security centre by his private secretariat.[2][3] After the Second World War, the hotel symbolised Riccione's growth as an upmarket seaside resort, hosting extravagant parties.[5][6] The hotel closed in 2010 following an inheritance dispute.[7] It partially reopened in July 2023,[8] but its management company was declared bankrupt two months later.[9][10]

The original building's architecture is the Liberty style variant of Art Nouveau,[9][10] inspired by Gino Coppedè,[2][11] with sober and elegant lines that subdue Coppedè's eccentricism. It is constructed of predominantly white materials.[11] The hotel's rooms are decorated with crystal chandeliers of Bohemia and Murano.[1] It numbers 300 beds.[12] Previous guests at the hotel include Francesco Cossiga, President of Italy, Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan, and Emmanuel Milingo, excommunicated Archbishop of Lusaka.[8]

History

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Construction

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The Grand Hotel Riccione was built on the site of the former Martinelli-Amati hospice,[13][14] the second seaside resort in Romagna for the treatment of scrofulous children after the Matteucci hospice in Rimini.[15] Opened in 1877 by Count Giacinto Martinelli, a local landowner, and Emilio Amati,[16][17] it was destroyed by the 1916 Rimini earthquakes;[18][19] only the caretaker's house remains extant in the hotel's garden.[2] Next to the hotel was the Villa Martinelli Soleri,[11] built between 1878 and 1879 and demolished after the Second World War,[15][11] whose upper-floor terracotta balustrade and Moorish pointed openings are extant.[11][20]

The Grand Hotel Riccione was the dream of Milanese entrepreneur Gaetano Ceschina [de], who had inaugurated Cesenatico's Grand Hotel a year earlier,[1][2] and had previously bought the Kursaal, Riccione's theatre, which he renamed to the Teatro Dante after his late son.[21] Ceschina's investment was likely solicited by Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator,[1] whose family had begun to take annual summer holidays in Riccione from 1926.[22][23] The hotel was designed by architect Rutilio Ceccolini and constructed by engineer Galeazzo Pullè.[2][24] In 1927, Ceccolini had designed a pier for Riccione, though it was never constructed.[25]

Inauguration and expansion

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Works began on the hotel on 23 September 1928.[1] The hotel was constructed in 100 days,[2] at a cost of Lit. 4 million.[1] It was originally surrounded by a large garden and three tennis courts,[2] and numbered 130 rooms with 250 beds and 40 bathrooms.[1] It was inaugurated on 15 August 1929.[1] Five days later, it hosted an inaugural ball for the press, with Edda Mussolini as a guest.[2][1]

Torre 900 of the Grand Hotel Riccione, August 2014

In 1934, the complex was expanded with a tower annexe, known as the Torre 900 and nicknamed "the skyscraper" (Italian: il grattacielo).[3] The seven-floor tower was created from a dismantled proto-prefabricated building with a different design showcased by Renato Camus, Franco Albini, and Mario Palanti at the Milan Triennial V in Milan's Parco Sempione. The original design was a steel structure to which reinforced concrete panels were bolted.[2][3][26] After the fair, the structure was purchased by Ceschina, redesigned by Camus, and assembled in Riccione.[3] The panels were used to extend the main building with an eastern wing,[27][28] whose façade faces the sea.[2]

Benito Mussolini in front of the Grand Hotel Riccione, 1935

During Mussolini's stays in Riccione, the hotel was used by visiting dignatories, including Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria.[4] Torre 900 was used as an operational control and security centre by Mussolini's private secretariat.[2][3] Deliveries for Villa Mussolini were inspected in the tower.[3]

Post-war history

[edit]

After the Second World War, the Grand Hotel Riccione became the operational headquarters of Allied troops. An Olympic-size swimming pool was added.[1][2] On New Year's Eve 1956, the Winter Rose (Rosa d'Inverno), an annual socialite party by invitation only, was hosted at the Grand Hotel Riccione. The party had previously been hosted in the Teatro Dante, and was thereafter hosted in the Grand Hotel Riccione until the party's abolition in 1967. The party included beauty pageants, and was followed by a public party for residents, known as the Rosetta.[5] Organised by the municipal government and the Moto Club Celeste Berardi, guests included Sophia Loren, Fred Buscaglione, and Mina.[6]

In 2010, the hotel closed following an inheritance dispute.[7] Despite its closure, the hotel hosted parties, events, and cultural festivals.[8][29] The hotel's pool remained open to the public with an entrance fee.[30] In 2014, the Torre 900's 14 apartments were refurbished.[26] In November 2019, Il Resto del Carlino reported that a new building was planned for the complex at the site of the current beachside car park, including streetside shops, a fitness centre, a spa, and a swimming pool.[31]

On 14 July 2022, after taking cocaine,[32] a 21-year-old Riccionese resident drowned in the pool.[30] The hotel's owner was given an 8-month prison sentence, commuted to a fine of €24,000.[32] In July 2023, the hotel management reopened some suites on the first floor, and announced the hotel was undergoing a full renovation, with its third floor to be rented as student accommodation.[8]

In September 2023, the Court of Rimini declared Marebello SpA, the owner of the Grand Hotel Riccione, as bankrupt, with estimated debts of €20 million.[9][10] It was reported that the complex would likely attain an auction price between €25 and 30 million.[33] In December 2023, the company's liquidation process was suspended by the Court of Appeal of Bologna.[9][34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "1929 inaugurato il Grand Hotel, Riccione cambia passo" [1929: The Grand Hotel is inaugurated. Riccione changes pace.]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Storia del Grand Hotel Riccione" [History of the Grand Hotel Riccione]. Grand Hotel Riccione. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Torre 900, la dipendenza residenziale di lusso del Grand Hotel e del Duce" [Torre 900, the luxury residential annex of the Grand Hotel and the Duce]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939. H.M. Stationery Office. 1946. p. 529.
  5. ^ a b "Riccione 1954 Sophia Loren alla Rosa d'Inverno" [Riccione 1954: Sophia Loren at the Rosa d'Inverno]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 4 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b Tosi, Maria Grazia (15 February 2021). "La "Rosa d'Inverno" il grande evento mondano di Riccione" [The "Winter Rose" is the great social event in Riccione]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Fallito il Grand Hotel di Riccione, rischia di finire all'asta" [The Grand Hotel in Riccione has failed and risks ending up at auction]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 15 September 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Il Grand Hotel riapre alcune suite Andreatta: "E' il primo passo"" [The Grand Hotel reopens some suites. Andreatta: "It's the first step"]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 16 July 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Fallimento del Grand Hotel di Riccione, l'Appello sospende la liquidazione della società proprietaria dell'immobile" [Bankruptcy of the Grand Hotel in Riccione: The Appeal suspends the liquidation of the company that owns the property]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 2 December 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Riccione, fallito il Grand Hotel: il gioiello liberty amato da divi e re rischia di andare all'asta" [Riccione, the Grand Hotel has failed: The Art Nouveau jewel loved by stars and kings risks going up for auction]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 14 September 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Rigoni, Francesco (25 August 2016). "C'era una volta Riccione: viaggio nelle ville liberty" [Once upon a time in Riccione: Journey through the Liberty villas]. everydaylife.it (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  12. ^ Belli, Gemma; Capano, Francesca; Pascariello, Maria Ines (6 November 2018). La città, il viaggio, il turismo: Percezione, produzione e trasformazione [The city, the journey, the tourism: Perception, production, and transformation] (in Italian). FedOA - Federico II University Press. pp. 2228–9. ISBN 978-88-99930-02-8.
  13. ^ Cesarini, Francesco (16 August 2021). "Il tremendo terremoto del 16 agosto 1916 a Riccione" [The terrible earthquake of 16 August 1916 in Riccione]. FamijaArciunesa (in Italian). Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Ospizi marini: a Riccione in 10 anni ne sorsero ben quattro" [Marine hospices: Four were built in Riccione in 10 years]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 21 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Il Conte Giacinto Martinelli" [Count Giacinto Martinelli]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 6 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. ^ "La storia di Riccione, verso i 100 anni dalla sua nascita come Comune autonomo" [The history of Riccione: Towards the 100th anniversary of its birth as an autonomous municipality]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 18 February 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Il Conte Giacinto Martinelli" [Count Giacinto Martinelli]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 6 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  18. ^ Cesarini, Francesco (16 August 2021). "Il tremendo terremoto del 16 agosto 1916 a Riccione" [The terrible earthquake of 16 August 1916 in Riccione]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  19. ^ Masini, Manlio (24 May 2022). "La guerra, le incursioni nemiche, la crisi economica e il terremoto" [The war, enemy incursions, the economic crisis, and the earthquake]. Corriere Romagna (in Italian). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  20. ^ "The Liberty style in Riccione". www.hoteldiamond.it. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Teatro Sghedoni, poi Kursaal e per finire Teatro Dante" [Sghedoni Theatre, then Kursaal and finally Dante Theatre]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 5 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  22. ^ Zaghini, Paolo (28 August 2022). "Quando i Mussolini venivano a Riccione" [When the Mussolinis came to Riccione]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Riccione, Villa Mussolini in vendita" [Riccione: Villa Mussolini for sale]. la Repubblica (in Italian). 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  24. ^ "The Liberty style in Riccione". www.hoteldiamond.it. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Dalla piattaforma al pontile, il progetto futuristico di Rutilio Ceccolini del 1927" [From the platform to the pier: Rutilio Ceccolini's futuristic project from 1927]. Famija Arciunesa (in Italian). 12 May 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Torre Novecento". Residenza Grand Hotel (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Torre 900". Grand Hotel Riccione (in Italian). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. ^ "The Grand Hotel and the Skyscraper". Catalogo dei Beni Culturali (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Grand Circus Hotel: a Riccione la rassegna di circo contemporaneo e musica" [Grand Circus Hotel: The contemporary circus and music review in Riccione]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 3 June 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  30. ^ a b Torri, Tommaso (14 July 2022). "Tragedia nella piscina del Grand Hotel di Riccione: 21enne muore annegato" [Tragedy in the swimming pool of the Grand Hotel in Riccione: 21-year-old drowns]. RiminiToday (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  31. ^ Oliva, Andrea (14 November 2019). "Grand hotel Riccione si rinnova, cosa cambia" [The Grand Hotel Riccione renovates itself: what changes?]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Annegamento al Grand Hotel di Riccione, Andreatta patteggia: 8 mesi commutati in 24.000 euro di multa" [Drowning at the Grand Hotel in Riccione, Andreatta plea bargains: 8 months commuted to a 24,000 euro fine]. Alta Rimini (in Italian). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  33. ^ Muccioli, Lorenzo (16 September 2023). "Grand Hotel di Riccione, il tesoro di Andreatta vale 30 milioni: all'asta anche case e negozi" [Grand Hotel in Riccione, Andreatta's treasure is worth 30 million: Houses and shops are also up for auction]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  34. ^ Muccioli, Lorenzo (2 December 2023). "Grand Hotel di Riccione: la Corte d'Appello sospende la liquidazione" [Riccione's Grand Hotel: The Court of Appeal suspends the liquidation]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
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