Fashionable Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is a place for playing with the rich. If you’re not, then just pretend. Treat it as an entertaining game. Guessing who’s pretending is part of the fun. You either get Forte de Marmi or you don’t. This is the resort of choice for holidaying industrialists from Turin and fashion magnates from Milan. This is a resort once favoured by the great Gianni Agnelli and now patronised by the likes of Giorgio Armani, Andrea Bocelli and billionaires from the Balkans. You will certainly find a number of pricey sports cars seen cruising the streets in the early evening! Not that you need a fortune to enjoy the resort, it’s enough to indulge in window-shopping rather than real shopping and to choose your pleasures with care. The shops and cafés around Piazza Marconi somehow still manage to retain something of a small-town atmosphere, even if they do sell some of the most expensive items money can buy.

Cycle along the seafront promenade or walk along the pier, originally created to ship Michelangelo’s marble from the surrounding mountains. Wander the backstreets to sense the peace and quiet that artists and writers found here in the late 19th century. While window-shopping in the early evening, watch the millionaires picking out pieces of designer jewellery. Save your real shopping for the Saturday market on Piazza Marconi. Indulge in some beach-lounging where swimming is optional, but making yourself presentable is essential, especially at a beach club. As the sun sets, make sure that you’re sitting at an outdoor café, in time to preen and pose over cocktails and nibbles. After dinner, stroll along the seafront or find the closest gelateria for an ice cream. After you’ve got the measure of Forte dei Marmi, simply head off on one of the excursions we suggest below - and check our precise shopping and dining tips in this guide.