Forte dei Marmi is an Italian town of 7 133 inhabitants in the province of Lucca in Tuscany.
Seaside resort overlooking the Ligurian Sea, it takes its name from the fort of the same name that stands in the center of the city, commissioned by the Grand Duke Leopold to defend the landing place, and from the marbles that from the nearby Apuan Alps were transported to the wharf for then take the sea route.
Territory
The municipality of Forte dei Marmi is located on the northern coast of the Province of Lucca on the border with that of Massa Carrara. It is part of the historical-geographical region of Versilia together with the Municipalities of Seravezza, Stazzema and Pietrasanta.
The name Versilia derives from the homonymous river which partly marks the border of the territory of Forte dei Marmi from that of Seravezza and Pietrasanta before reaching its mouth entirely in the Province of Massa Carrara. The area of Forte dei Marmi, once marshy, is completely flat. Furthermore, the particular layout of the neighboring road system prevents the development of the city in size.
Aerial view of Forte dei Marmi and the beaches of Versilia
The town is characterized by a strong presence of greenery, especially pine forests and some surviving patches of holm oak, an ancient plant typical of this area. In fact, although there aren’t many public parks, the city is embellished with tree-lined avenues and villas with large gardens. In the last few years municipal planning has tightened the rules governing the construction of buildings, therefore the preservation of natural areas is almost guaranteed.
The beach of Forte dei Marmi is entirely made up of very fine golden sand. The sea in certain periods of the year, and in any case with the help of favorable sea currents, is relatively clear and transparent even out to sea, not finding bathymetrics beyond 4-5 meters of depth up to over 500 meters from the shore. The hydrography of the territory is practically nil: the Versilia river is now reduced to a small stream and the reclamation has covered ponds and ditches that once extended for most of the municipality. A small ditch remains visible, the Fiumetto, which flows towards the area of Imperial Rome before reaching the Municipality of Pietrasanta.
Monuments and places of interest
Symbol of the village, in the center of the city, is the Forte Lorenese (better known as Fortino), the grand ducal fortress built at the end of the 18th century, today immersed in a modern urban context consisting of a grid of tree-lined streets. The building underwent a renovation in 2004. On the upper floor is the Museum of Satire and Caricature. On the side, in Piazza Garibaldi, there is a well that dates back to the 18th century and a monumental fountain that releases water continuously.
On the sea there is the loading pier, 300 meters from the coast, which was used to embark the large blocks of marble leaving for the whole world and today used as a tourist destination and as a momentary docking point for a local ferry which travels towards the nearby Cinque Terre.
In the Roma Imperiale district, there are numerous villas designed by well-known architects such as Giovanni Michelucci, Giò Ponti and Giuseppe Pagano. There are also the Villa Agnelli, now a hotel, with the underpass that leads directly to the seashore, and the Capannina di Franceschi disco, inaugurated in 1929 and still in operation.
In Vittoria Apuana is located Villa Bertelli recently acquired by the Municipality and restructured, venue for exhibitions and concert performances. Not very far from the Villa is the memorial house of the sculptor Ugo Guidi, home to a museum in his honor, where a large part of his production is kept and where temporary exhibitions are held.
The religious architectures are: the church of Sant’Ermete and the more recent churches of San Francesco d’Assisi in Vittoria Apuana, of the Resurrection in Imperial Rome. In the hamlet of Vaiana there is the new church of Santa Teresa which belongs to the parish of Querceta, a hamlet in the municipality of Seravezza. Very venerated are the “marginette” (small aedicules that preserve an icon of the Madonna typical of Versilia) located in various parts of the town, in Via Versilia between the center and Vittoria Apuana there is a particular “marginetta” where it is traditional to place bows colored on the occasion of the birth of children.
In the municipal area there are two convents of Canossian Sisters, the one in the center located in the former Palazzo Giorgini houses a private elementary school. The parish of Vittoria Apuana is run by the Capuchin friars who live in the convent adjacent to the church.
Other religious institutes, open mainly in summer, are the Casa Maria Ausiliatrice, the Sisters of Reparation and the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Rose. In the latter Institutes there are small churches.
Traditions and folklore
Carnival
During the carnival period, the Carneval Fortebambino takes place, a small masked course dedicated to the little ones where small allegorical floats parade. For some years these floats, together with those of the nearby Municipalities, took part in the Versilia Carnival, a traveling event hosted every three years also in Forte dei Marmi.
The Palio dei Micci
The city participates in the Palio dei Micci di Querceta di Seravezza with the contrada del Ponte, created in 1956 on the occasion of the first edition. The Contrada extends in the hamlet of Vaiana and, to a small extent, also in the territory of the Municipality of Seravezza. Almost all the families of the Contrada are involved in the event. The name of the city is inscribed in the coat of arms of the district and the colors are red and blue with yellow-gold decorations. In addition to numerous extras, the district has a group of flag-wavers and musicians of about 60 elements, dressed in Renaissance-style clothes. The Group of flag-wavers and musicians takes part in numerous events in Italy and abroad and every year in the National Championship of Ancient Games and Flag Sports.
The district takes its name from the Ponte di Tavole represented on the coat of arms next to two smaller bridges that once flanked it: one to the north, called the Vaiana walkway, and the other to the south, called da Michè.
The Palio dei Bagni
During the last week of August the Palio dei Bagno is held, a skating regatta contested by the lifeguards of the respective bathing establishments. The palio was born in 1951 and was held every year with a break from 1955 to 1959. After 1961 it was run over the years: 1964, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1993. After a long break it was restored in 2007.
Sant’Ermete and San Francesco
On the evening of August 27, on the occasion of the feast of the Patron Saint, Sant’Ermete, it is tradition to light a propitiatory fire in the central Piazza Garibaldi. On August 28, a large fair takes place and a fireworks display on the pier in the late evening. In 2015 the evening show will be curated by the winner of the 2015 Pyro Designer World Championship which will be held in Forte dei Marmi in the months of May and June.
A small fair is also held in Vittoria Apuana on the occasion of the celebrations of San Francesco d’Assisi in early October.
Tourism
Tourism in Forte dei Marmi has ancient roots. It was born at the end of the 19th century when wealthy families from the Versilia hinterland descended towards the “Marina” to breathe in the beneficial sea air and sandblast. At the beginning of the twentieth century many aristocratic families from Tuscany and northern Italy chose this location for their summer holidays, followed by important European families. These inflows gave rise to the first bathing establishment in 1904: the Onda Marina of the Giannotti family, still present.
So more and more prominent personalities arrived who chose the town as their summer meeting place, giving rise to its tourist vocation. The first villas began to rise in the pine forest by the sea.
Thus was born that group of intellectuals and artists who met daily to discuss culture and art which took the name of Quarto Platano. The Grand Hotel in Forte became a point of reference for European high society and was also regularly frequented by the Belgian royal family. The tourism boom occurred after the war and in particular in the sixties when more and more families loved to spend the summer here, giving life to numerous beach houses and hotels. In 1991 there were 101 hotels in operation, almost all of them open only in the summer and many of which were small family-run pensions. Today the vocation of elite tourism remains alive as the area is frequented by wealthy entrepreneurs, freelancers, industrialists, politicians, celebrities, sports and finance.
