February 19th
It's not everyday you find yourself surrounded by Italian music stars, but thats what happened in San Remo. I walked right into the Italian Grammys.
The Italian Riviera is dotted with little towns and villages. It stretches from where Italy and France meet on the west all the way over to La Spezia and the 5 towns of Cinque Terra to the east.
The Italian Riviera
The entire drive along the coastline was gorgeous. And San Remo itself was off the charts. I started snapping photos on the exit ramp. It was so gorgeous, I almost drove off the cliff.
It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.
Obviously, the photos are crappy because I'm driving (slowly are carefully) down switchback curves and shooting these photos out the passenger side window.
I drove into town looking for a hotel and dead-stopped when I saw the gorgeous Royal Hotel San Remo.
Oh, you guys! It's like a posh luxury hotel from the 1920s. Nothing has changed. It's glitz and glamour is still there. It's set high above the road on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I feel in love from the road and decided to pul in That's where things got a bit strange.
As I walked into the hotel, I noticed a group of paparazzi huddled around the entrance door. Several of them quickly turned my way, cameras in hand, but then turned back, uninterested. Hmmm...
As soon as I walked in, I could tell something very interesting was going on in the hotel. Groups of people were milling around, whispering to each other and pointing at people checking in. As I stood in line, I saw 2 or 3 different people approach this older man to my left.
Each person nervously spoke to him in hushed Italian, asked for a photo and beamed proudly when he obliged. For all I knew, this was the Italian Robert DiNero or something. Very strange to see people fawning over someone you don't know...
A man in a purple shirt appeared (below), was mobbed by people asking for photos and finally, security asked people to move across the lobby. Okay...what is happening?
I finally got up to the desk and asked for a room. They explained they had just 1 room remaining...a large ocean front room. I took it. As they checked me in, I asked what was going on.
The receptionist explained the San Remo Song Festival was going on (the Italian equivalent of the Grammys) and the hotel was full with Italian celebrities, singers and musicians. Ahhh! I stumbled into a fabulous event! The Italian Grammys!
I have to say, being a celebrity must be very strange. I'd hate it. The paparazzi were respectful but very intense. The fans were completely inappropriate and seemed to lose all common sense. The older man was trying to check into his room, for crying out loud, and 3 or 4 people interrupted him to get a photo. Let the poor guy sign his receipt! Get his key, drop his bag, take a load off. Jeez. And to be surrounded by security and ushered around the way the woman was? She must feel like a prisoner.
Later, in the lobby, an older woman told me she's a pop singer and compared her to Lada Gaga or Miley Cyrus.
Later, in the lobby, an older woman told me she's a pop singer and compared her to Lada Gaga or Miley Cyrus.
Here's a still photo, so you don't get motion sickness:
I actually squealed when I went into the bathroom. FULL SIZE AMENITIES? I've died and gone to hotel heaven!
Then, I realized they give you a box full of various lotions and creams. OMG, you guys.
The hotel had a spa with hot tub, Turkish baths, steam room and sauna, so I decided to go exploring San Remo and buy a bathing suit. San Remo is awesome. There is a casino, which looked gorgeous. I fully intended to go back and do some gambling, but I never got around to it.
As I walked through the streets of San Remo in the shopping district, the sun was setting. Suddenly, I realized that all above me were twinkle lights! Oh, so charming.
I just had to take a photo at breakfast. These are blown glass flowers (probably Murano glass, made in Italy) that line the room up at the ceiling. Considering the price of Murano glass, this art installation was very impressive!
My crappy photos don't do it justice. It really reminded me of those Dale Chiluly exhibits around the country of blown glass flowers.
I tried to get tickets to the Song Festival, but they were sold out. I also asked around to see if there were any cool events going on that I could crash, but thats all kept pretty hush hush.
San Remo was gorgeous and I'd happily visit there again. As I was driving out the gate of the hotel, another group of paparazzi were waiting, with cameras at their eyes, ready for me. They saw my sporty little Alfa Romeo, and seemed to be trying to figure out who i was. I put on my sunglasses, smiled big and waved to the cameras as I sped off.
I'm (A Musing) Jules! My autographs below....
