THE PLACE
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle, the new Oltremarino Italian Restaurant occupies a renovated Goan-Portuguese house in an expansive space in Anjuna.
Surrounded by manicured gardens, the exterior of the house is decked in vibrant colours, which is enhanced with neon lighting at night. Interiors are elegant - chandeliers, paintings, and artefacts against a backdrop of whitewashed walls add to the grandeur of the experience.
Dining areas are spread around the rooms of the house, and al fresco. Seating is on wooden and wrought iron furniture, all in white. At the far end of the property is a dedicated bar counter.
THE RESTAURANT
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The restaurant specialises in Italian cuisine. Specialties include Seafood soup, Antipasto Italiano with Parma ham and Spaghetti alla Marinara amongst others. Pastas, spaghettis and gnocchis are homemade. Torta Barozzi, Pannacotta and Tiramisu are dessert favourites.
Both domestic and imported liquor and a selection of wines from all over the world are served. A chalkboard menu on location features the day's specials.
THE STORY
Marco Rinaldi is an Italian anitique furniture dealer who arrived on the shores of Goa in the 1980's. Attracted by the vibe and calmness here, he, and his wife Vanna Lunardon have been returning to India since. They have witnessed the intermingling of eastern and western cultures over time.
In early 2013, Marco and Vanna decided to venture into the hospitality business and found a property on the cliffs of Ozran. This is the spot where restaurants like Pasqual and Charles once stood, which were famous with the hippies. Marco and family used to mostly hang around those restaurants when their daughter Sita was still young.
Since the season of October 2017, they have moved their restaurant inland, into a renovated Portuguese mansion.
