Twenty-five years after his death, the city of Rimini celebrates Federico Fellini, one of the greatest Italian directors of all times, who in this seaside Emilia-Romagna town was born and always maintained a close relationship with it. Guided visits, film screenings, the restoration of the cinema Fulgor are some of the events planned for the summer.
The old Fulgor cinema was one of Fellini’s favorite places, where he saw his first movies, and where he fell in love with cinema. The Fulgor has reopened to the public after five years of renovation work. Redesigned in the style of 1930s Hollywood by architect Annio Matteini with the Hollywood designer Dante Ferretti, the Fulgor is no longer just a cinema, but also a tribute to his most famous patron, and a cultural center, which will be hosting conferences, concerts, Fellini film screenings, and Fellini-style aperitifs.
During the summer, there will also be several guided tours of the places in Rimini where Fellini spent time and which Fellini loved. A tour in the footsteps of the director should begin in the Borgo San Giuliano, the fishermen’s district, with its pastel-colored houses, murals painted on the facades by local artists, depicting characters and scenes from some of the director's most acclaimed films, such as Marcello Mastroianni kissing Anita Ekberg; there is also a portrait of Fellini directing a movie.
The home where Fellini was born on January 20, 1920 is on via Dardanelli; the Rimini’s train station also features in some of his movies; but probably the most famous Fellini place is the Grand Hotel, near the beach, where the director used to stay when in town, after moving to Rome, and which also featured in many of his films. The Grand Hotel to him was not merely a hotel, but rather a world of parties and dreams, and a source of inspiration, as Fellini himself. The Liberty-style restaurant of the hotel is called ‘La dolce vita’, and a menu features the dishes Fellini used to order. He always stayed in suite 316. Just outside the hotel is a huge camera, called Fellinia, which was once used as a photo shop and is now a monument to the director.
