Luca Zaccheroni e Omar Casali

Luca Zaccheroni and Omar Casali know their luck. They were born in Romagna and decided to stay here, in the land where holidays last all year round. Here, they have brought a new idea of restaurant and hospitality.

Zaccheroni was born in Forlì. His family worked in the hospitality industry and he soon followed that road, but in his own terms, focusing on the nightlife of Romagna and opening a large successful place called Battija. In 2008 he bought beach resort Solaire, next to Porto Canale in Cesenatico, and two years later he transformed it into Maré, “cucina, caffè spiaggia, bottega” [restaurant, coffee, beach, shop] a name that indicates all you can find in this place open from morning till late at night. His view is immediately clear, but he needs an interpreter, whom he meets in 2013, namely Omar Casali.

Born in Cesenatico, Casali started his career in Romagna and then worked in some of the most prestigious international brigades – including Locanda Solarola (which then had two Michelin stars with Bruno Barbieri), Noma, Martín Berasategui and Quique Dacosta – and then he spent ten years Le Giare in Montiano. At Maré he left the chiselling and perfectionism of fine dining and created an offer suitable for large numbers (they seat 200 people each day, only in the restaurant) and the varied clientele of the Riviera. From breakfast with pan y tomate to dinner with Cappelletti and formaggio di fossa, pumpkin, hazelnuts and liquorice, Casali offers a round and tasty cuisine, fun and with different influences and never idle.

In 2016 they also opened Quinto Quarto, where Romagna’s traditional piadina meets raw materials of the highest quality under all sorts of influences, including foraging.