The Story of Villa Renata in Riccione
The Villa’s Origins
The story of Villa Renata in Riccione begins with Dr. Renata Bedetti Gabbriellini, an architect. After World War II, she purchased a plot of land from the Mattioli counts for a few lire using her mother’s inheritance. Dr. Renata, one of the first women to graduate in architecture in Italy and to obtain a D license, designed the villa herself.
Initially, the design was quite different from what you see today. After several changes and much deliberation, the final design resulted in the modern villa you can admire today, with its simple lines.
Construction and Early Years
Construction of the villa began in 1973 and was completed in 1977. It cost an incredible 37,000 Italian lire (about 19,000 euros today) to build. The construction was managed by Dr. Renata’s husband, Mr. Gabbriellini.
Today, after almost 40 years, much has changed, but the original design by Dr. Renata remains largely intact. Only minor modifications and improvements have been made since then. The trees, especially the pines and the cedar of Lebanon that towers over the house, have grown considerably.
The Villa’s Purpose
At the beginning of Villa Renata’s history in Riccione, the ground floor apartment was used by the family, while the attic apartments were rented to American military pilots who were based at the large Miramare airport in Rimini, just a kilometer from the house.
Wonderful memories are tied to the villa from that period, when Dr. Renata’s nephew, Mr. Stephen Augustus Kleckner, would climb onto the giant Ford or Dodge cars parked in the driveway or go to the military airport to watch the F16s fly with his grandmother and the pilots from the base.
The American pilots left and were replaced by Italian military personnel, first from the Italian Air Force and then from the Italian Army, who spent years renting the villa.
A Welcoming Home
Throughout its history, Villa Renata has always been a welcoming place. Over the years, countless people have passed through its doors, including friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, and guests of the tenants. In short, it has been a large, happy, and carefree family, always ahead of the curve in terms of both responsibilities and technology.
After a series of events, the villa was no longer regularly lived in by Dr. Renata’s family, but it was always in demand by friends who wanted to spend a few days at the seaside in Riccione or friends of her nephew.
Recent Years and Future
In 2014, the idea came up to make the apartments available to anyone who wanted them. Renting the apartments by the day, week, or short period to families and groups of young people, following the trend of new technologies that allow for the sharing of apartments and their reviews, was a way to keep the villa alive and well-maintained, which would otherwise have fallen into disuse.
The experience has been fascinating from the very beginning, both for the number of people hosted and their fascinating diversity. We have remained in close contact with many of our guests, as we have had the opportunity to go out together in Riccione, have long chats in the garden over a good glass of wine, or go sailing and discuss all aspects of life, including physics!
In the meantime, Mr. Stephen is always on the go, traveling between Genoa and Riccione. He is almost condemned to wander endlessly by land and sea, but he is always reachable by phone and often in Riccione as well.
We hope to have you as our guests in Riccione in one of our apartments.
The SKAAUT S.r.l.s. Team
