The Transformation of Motel Beach: From Mafia Hideaway to Luxury Hotel

 Just a few days ago, news broke that the Motel Beach in Alcamo Marina, constructed and owned by the infamous Rimi mafia family, has been sold after over fifty years of abandonment. The property is set to be replaced by a five-star hotel by a new entrepreneur. Let's delve into the history of this location and what the Motel Beach once represented.

We find ourselves in Contrada Canalotto in Alcamo Marina, where in 1962, during the height of Cosa Nostra's criminal success, the Rimi family inaugurated the Motel Beach—a tourist facility located near one of Sicily's most beautiful beaches. Within a few short years, it became a vacation hotspot in the Trapani province, a modern concept of tourism coming to life.

Equipped with 18 rooms accommodating 36 guests, the Motel Beach featured a restaurant, bar, discotheque, two swimming pools, a "private" beach area with wooden cabins and 60 umbrellas, and a spacious parking lot. In essence, it was a concrete testament to an era when the assault on Sicilian and Trapanese landscapes and coasts was evident.

From its opening in 1962—attended by professionals, politicians, and administrative leaders of the Municipality—until 1970, the Motel Beach experienced growth and prominence. It became a coveted destination for vacations, a venue for newlyweds to entertain relatives and friends, and a popular place for locals and nearby residents to enjoy dance nights and good music during the summer.

Though the Motel Beach was the first lodging establishment in Alcamo Marina, it was conceived and funded through mafia-related activities. The mafia saw tourism as a means of developing the area, albeit through illicit means. However, this intention did not materialize. Less than a decade after its opening, the Motel was closed following a proposal by the Questura (Police Department) because it had been constructed with funds of mafia origin. Although it was subsequently seized, it was eventually returned to the Rimi heirs. After years of abandonment, they have now sold it for 500,000 euros.

Today, the ruins of the Motel Beach stand as a "calling card" on one of the most beautiful beaches in Trapani and Sicily. Unfortunately, this stretch of coastline, spanning 7 kilometers, has fallen victim to real estate speculation, characterized by an overwhelming concrete presence.

The owners of the Motel Beach, the Rimi family, were linked to organized crime. The structure was owned by Vincenzo Rimi and his son Filippo, who held prominent positions within the Alcamo mafia. The Motel Beach also hosted significant mafia summits, presided over by Vincenzo Rimi and his son Filippo, attended by key figures from the mafia in Trapani and Palermo. Another of Vincenzo's sons, Natale Rimi, fled to Palma di Mallorca in Spain, where he remains to this day, during the mafia war of the 1980s when the Rimi family's supremacy was challenged by emerging boss Vincenzo Milazzo and the faction led by Ignazio Melodia (later affiliated with fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro). These factions were aligned with Totò Riina's Corleonesi. Vincenzo Milazzo was eventually assassinated by the Corleonesi on July 14, 1992, for refusing to partake in their massacres.

The Motel in Contrada Canalotto stands as a symbol of the era when the city was controlled by a mafia family connected to the Badalamenti clan of Cinisi. Filippo Rimi, in fact, married Giovanna Vitale, the sister-in-law of Cinisi boss Gaetano Badalamenti and the sister of his wife Teresa. Another sister, Antonina Rimi, married Antonino Buccellato, the boss of Castellammare del Golfo. These familial mafia connections facilitated the creation of the Cinisi-Alcamo-Castellammare del Golfo axis, where heroin refineries thrived—among them, the largest in Alcamo, capable of producing drugs worth billions annually.

Five-Star Hotel Transformation – After years of negotiations, the property has been sold to an entrepreneur who intends to build a five-star hotel on the site. Marca srl, a company based in Alcamo, has entrusted a specialized hotel design studio with the project. In the place once associated with mafia activities and abandoned for years, a modern luxury hotel will now rise in Alcamo Marina.