A quarter of a century ago, after a life of incessant work and entrepreneurial success in Rome, Remo Lenzi decided to invent a parallel African life in which to start afresh from the roots, buying a virgin piece of land on one of Kenya's most fascinating and uncontaminated beaches, pitching a tent and building a shack (nowadays in the 'global trendy' and 'social' world we would call them 'chiringuitos') in Watamu.
Who knows if even a passionate visionary like him could have imagined that he would still be there, celebrating his 95th birthday, talking as he did then to the local kids who called him 'Papa Remo', after the very famous place that his children Roberto and Laura managed and launched to international fame in the field of hospitality, entertainment and catering.


This is just one of the aspects of Remo's very long and praiseworthy life story, which combines the far-sightedness of a Roman self-made man with the frankness and simplicity that brought him closer than many others to the "sweet people" from whom Watamu takes its name. On this land he has seen the birth and growth of two resorts (first Crystal Bay, then 7 Islands), two residential complexes (first Crystal Bay, then Paparemo Village) and as many restaurants (Tamu and Paparemo Beach). In a nutshell, he is one of those successful Italians who have 'made' Watamu and helped the explosion of tourism not only of fellow countrymen on the Kenyan coast, without plundering or even disfiguring the environment, on the contrary creating hundreds of jobs in more than two decades.


And here he is, in February 2024, celebrating being still splendidly on the scene, with the same enthusiasm and humanity as before. On the golf course that is part of the family estate, with his new friends, who could easily be the children of the children who called him from the beach 25 years ago and to whom he gave his affection and lightness.
Best wishes Papa Remo, long live 'Papa Remo'!