Looking Around

A Sea-Bound Stage: Inside Da Lucio

Perched at the tip of a pier in the marina of Rimini, Da Lucio is more than a seafood restaurant - it is a sensorial experience where Adriatic waves, architectural vision and refined gastronomy converge. With panoramic sea views, an open-kitchen at the heart of the dining hall and an interior conceived to blur boundaries between inside and outside, the Michelin-starred restaurant Da Lucio makes dining feel like being on a vessel gliding over water.

When chef and founder Jacopo Ticchi relocated Da Lucio in September 2024, he didn’t just change venue - he realized a lifelong dream. The restaurant, which was awarded its first Michelin star in 2025, now sits literally in mezzo al mare, housed on a former pier in the marina of Rimini - a structure that stretches over the water and embraces the Adriatic on three sides.

This striking context gives diners the sensation of floating between sky and sea: glass-fronted walls reflect and frame the horizon, while the gentle creaking of water underfoot becomes part of the ambiance. It is a space designed for immersion, both literal and aesthetic.

Conceived by M M / A – Marco Monticelli / Architettura, the interior of Da Lucio feels like the inside of a contemporary vessel - a space defined by clean lines, natural materials and a fluid relationship with the outside world. At the very center lies an open kitchen — a bold choice that shifts the roles of cook and guest. Here, heat from wood-fired ovens and charcoal grills meets sea air, smoke mingles with salt, and the full theatre of cooking unfolds in plain sight. The result is an inclusive space where the act of cooking becomes part of the experience and every table shares the same horizon.

Light plays a crucial, almost invisible role in this scenography. The lighting design - developed in collaboration with Italian artisan Renzo Serafini - follows a philosophy of subtraction: eliminating the superfluous to highlight what truly matters. Soft, diffused light creates warmth and intimacy, while subtle directional accents reveal textures and shapes without overwhelming the room. The aim is to let light accompany the experience, enhancing the marine horizon and the theatricality of the open kitchen without ever stealing the scene. Renzo Serafini’s luminaires integrate seamlessly with Monticelli’s architectural vision, contributing to an atmosphere that evolves gently throughout the day.

At Da Lucio, the culinary philosophy mirrors the space that contains it: essential, respectful of raw materials and profoundly connected to the Adriatic. The menu celebrates local fish through the innovative technique of dry-aging whole catches, intensifying flavour and texture while embracing a nose-to-tail approach that reduces waste and honors each element of the ingredient.

Yet what truly defines the dining experience is the seamless interplay between cuisine, architecture and place. As guests breathe the salty air, watch the shifting light on the water and feel the gentle vibration of the pier beneath them, the boundary between dining and environment dissolves. The dishes, the horizon, the light and the materiality of the space come together in a single, fluid narrative. Da Lucio is not just a restaurant: it is an immersion - a way of experiencing the sea, design and gastronomy as facets of the same poetic rhythm.

Photography by Angelo Ciccolo