Casa delle Conchiglie (House of Shells)Alfonso Rinaldi (1901-1983)

Rinaldi, a taxi-driver by profession, began to ornament the exterior of his home with some 12,000 shells of various shapes and colors in the 1960s. Shells from mussels, scallops, and clams, all apparently given to him by local fishermen and restaurant owners, turned his home into a large-scale architectural souvenir of the resort town of Rimini itself. Using a specially-colored concrete, he covered not only the external façades of his house, but also the flowerpots, surrounding fence, and veranda.

After his death the house was inherited by his daughter who, in agreement with the local authorities, has maintained the exterior as designed and created by her father. All of the external work is visible from outside the house.

~Giada Carraro

www.costruttoridibabele.net

40 Via del Fante
Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, 47921 it
Latitude/Longitude: 44.0717419 / 12.5654755

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