About Forte dei Marmi
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Forte dei Marmi is a seaside town situated in the province of Lucca, which is in northern Tuscany, Italy. The census of 2001 states that Forte dei Marmi has 8,444 inhabitants, although population nearly quadruples during the summer, because of the summer residents who mainly come from Florence, Milan, Turin and, most recently, Russia. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi's citizens.
In the 16th Century, under instruction from Pope Leone X, Michelangelo created a road to transport marble from the Apuane Alps above the town to the sea, which ended where the current town stands. Forte dei Marmi means the Marble Fort in Italian. In fact, the town takes its name from the fortress that rises in the middle of the main square, built under Grand Duke Peter Leopold, who was to become Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1788. The fortress was built to defend the coast from pirate attacks but in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century it became the place where Carrara marble was stocked before being sent to the pier for shipping. After this fort was built a small village developed with fishermen and marble workers.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, possibly introduced to the area by the composer Puccini at nearby Torre del Lago, the Italian poet D’Annunzio rented a large country house on the seaside near Forte dei Marmi and in turn introduced his friends to the area. Set in a park called La Versiliana, this villa now hosts theatre events, art and antique shows. Among D’Annunzio’s friends were the Agnelli family who subsequently built a large country house nearby and used to arrive from Turin by hydroplane. In 1914 Forte dei Marmi was created an independent municipality and removed from the governance of the nearby medieval town of Pietrasanta. From this period until the Second World War, the town very quickly became the favoured summer resort of aristocrats, manufacturers and intellectuals. With the development of an exclusive suburb called Roma Imperiale in the late twenties, beautiful elegant houses began to rise in spacious grounds, almost all of which remain with the same families and are highly coveted.
After the Second World War, the town again became the much-loved destination from May to September of Northern Italians and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor arrived in 1946 to open the season. In 1947 Christian Dior sent his models with “new look” to be shown in fashion shows at the nightclub, the Capaninna. The two nightclubs, the Capannina di Franceschi and the Bussola in nearby Focette, hosted such notable singers as Maurice Chevalier. Marlene Deitrich, Josephine Baker. Lena Horne and Edith Piaf with jazz evenings starring Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte. Motown and Rock were represented by Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt and Tom Jones, while Juliette Greco, Sasha Distel and Charles Aznavour ushered in the era of ballads. Guests who enjoyed these performances included Omar Sharif, Lauren Bacall, Charlie Chaplin, Diana Dors, Gina Lollobrigida, Gary Cooper, Marcelo Mastroianni and Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Several discreet hotels were built and early rigorous planning legislation ensured that the town kept its character, retaining particularly the large gardens and elegant summer homes. This legislation did allow some development in the centre to encourage open-air restaurants and chic small branches of large Italian shops. Today there are branches of the Armani, Gucci, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, Vilebrequin, Swarovski and Versace. Clothing boutiques dot the town square and surrounding streets with smaller versions of famous Italian shops, such as Principe di Firenze, Luigi di Borelli, Doriani and Santa Maria Novella Angelis. As well as this there are shops that are only in Forte dei Marmi, such an exclusive perfume shop and several shops selling personalised beach towels or handmade beach sandals. There are jewellery shops, modern art galleries and several antique shops with open-air antique fairs taking place regularly. Every Wednesday the market square is filled with stalls – each a chic boutique in the open air - selling china, cashmere and elegant summer clothing. There is an immense choice of superb restaurants or cafes, most specialising in seafood or Tuscan dishes, and one can eat on the beach, under the trees in a garden, on a terrace in the open air or in air conditioned comfort and the choice ranges from simple sandwiches or pizzas to restaurants with Michelin stars.
Although it is small town with a great many wealthy people in the summer, understated elegance is predominant and it is customary to ride bicycles while on holiday rather than take cars. Clothing is simple and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Mothers, nannies and children often stay at the beach during the early and late parts of the summer while the father commutes on the weekend.
As you would expect at a seaside resort there is sailing, swimming and fishing but there are many other things to do apart from the beach, eating out and shopping. The Town Council of Forte dei Marmi has recently bought one of oldest hotels and renovated it into an arts centre that holds exhibitions and cultural events to complement D’Annunzio’s former residence. There is a nearby 18-hole golf course, several tennis clubs and horse riding is available in the large park of Versiliana. Walking or mountain climbing can be arranged in the Alps above the town. Operas by Puccini are held throughout the summer at nearby Torre del Lago. It is possible to cycle to the nearby medieval town of Pietrasanta, the home of the artist Botero, to sit in the elegant piazza or eat in one of the many restaurants in its streets that still follow the Ancient Roman layout. Plus the historic cities of Pisa, Florence and Lucca are easy daytime drives away.
Not well known outside Italy, Forte dei Marmi is a well-kept secret Although it appears daily in the Italian press, particularly the gossip magazines, it has had little non-Italian publicity in the last few years. Tyler Brule in a New York Times article in 2007 described it as a cosy version of Palm Springs and in a June 7 2009 article, Frank Bruni described it as the a sort of Hamptons for the city of Milan, which is slightly more accurate |
National and International Route
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By Air Private transfers can be arranged by prior appointment. International airport Galileo Galilei of Pisa, approximately 25 kilometers. Phone 050 28407/503199/500707 International Airport of Florence, approx. 105 kilometers. Phone 055 316427/318420/30615 Local private airstrip Cinquale, Flying club Cinquale (Aerotaxi) Cinquale di Montignoso (MS) Phone 0585 309786 By Train There are two train stations but both are some distance from the town and a private transfer should be arranged. FFSS Forte dei Marmi - Seravezza FFSS Pietrasanta FFSS Viareggio FFSS Massa Centro For information on timetables and other services Phone 800 863073 Web. www.trenitalia.com By Car FROM GENOA A12 motorway direction SOUTH until Versilia Exit. FROM MILAN A1 motorway direction SOUTH until FIDENZA, then A15 (Autocamionabile Cisa) until La Spezia. Change to A12, direction south to Versilia exit. FROM FLORENCE Motorway Firenze-mare A11 until LUCCA where it joins with the motorway for Viareggio, which you follow until you come to the Versilia exit. FROM ROME A1 motorway until FLORENCE, then as mentioned above. |
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By Sea For overnight, the Port of Viareggio is closest which has more than thousand moorings. Viareggio has a geographic position of 43°51' of latitude North and 10°15' of East longitude. Viareggio Tourist Landings Phone 0584 32033 Harbour Master's Office, Coastguard Viareggio Phone 0584 44444 Port of Cinquale Web www.pagineazzurre.com |
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