Forte Dei Marmi: Coast, Culture and Dunes

Forte Dei Marmi combines the maritime history of the town with art, architecture and a protected area of dunes and wetlands. If you are looking for a hotel in Forte Dei Marmi, these themes can help guide your choice of destination and the planning of your interests. The cultural sites in Vittoria Apuana, the history of the pier and the landscape at Dune di Forte Dei Marmi represent different sides of the town.

Fortino and pier: maritime history

Forte Lorenese, known as Il Fortino, was built as a fortification in 1788 at the behest of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and gave Forte Dei Marmi its name. The original pier was also designed in 1788, by Giovanni Costantini. It was five metres wide and 325 metres long. The year therefore marks two distinct milestones in the town’s history: the construction of the Fortino and the design of the original pier.

Today, the pier serves as a meeting place for fishermen, artists, residents and visitors. The celebrations in honour of the patron saint, Sant’Ermete, also make use of the site: they include market stalls and fireworks at the pier. Fortino Leopoldo I hosts exhibitions and cultural activities throughout the year. The town’s history thus brings together a former defensive structure, cultural use and today’s meeting place by the water.

Architecture and art in Vittoria Apuana

The church in Vittoria Apuana was built between 1926 and 1933 and dedicated to Saint Francis. Marble from the nearby Apuan Alps was used for the window frames, floors, columns and altar. The origin of the material is therefore as much a part of the description of the building as its individual architectural elements.

A sculpture by Arturo Dazzi stands in front of the Church of San Francesco. It was unveiled in 1962 in the artist’s presence. Dazzi carved it from a single block of marble; it depicts Saint Francis speaking with the wolf. The church and sculpture thus lead from the building’s marble elements to a figurative work whose subject also features the saint.

Museums and cultural attractions

The Ugo Guidi Museum in Vittoria Apuana is located in the artist’s former home, where he lived until his death on 10 July 1977. Its collection comprises more than 500 sculptures and drawings and documents his artistic development from the 1940s through to the final years of his work. The collection’s scope therefore stretches from early works to pieces from the later years of his career. Visits to the Ugo Guidi Museum are by appointment only.

The 19th-century Villa Bertelli in Vittoria Apuana houses the Quarto Platano Museum of Modern Art. Its year-round programme includes music series, talk shows, book presentations and exhibitions. An entry updated in 2021 by the Italian Ministry of Culture also describes the Museo della satira e della caricatura in Forte Dei Marmi as a centre for preserving, collecting and studying material on the worldwide history of satire and caricature. It mentions an extensive collection of contemporary and historical satirical drawings, as well as temporary exhibitions scheduled according to an annual calendar.

Dunes, wetlands and a named itinerary

The Dune di Forte Dei Marmi area combines natural dunes with a dune woodland. It is the only flat wetland area in northern Tuscany and the only stretch along the entire Tuscan coast with this combination. The WWF Dune di Forte Dei Marmi Oasis is a remaining habitat for sand plants typical of the northern Tuscan coast, where such plants have almost disappeared.

The itinerary “Vittoria Apuana, le dune e il lago di Porta” starts at the pier and can be travelled by bicycle or car. A section described in the itinerary near Forte Dei Marmi has been part of the protected Dune di Forte Dei Marmi natural area since 2008. The protected Lago di Porta wetland borders the itinerary area directly.

A festive dish from Versilia

Tordelli are fresh, crescent-shaped filled pasta served with plenty of meat sauce. In Forte Dei Marmi, they are traditionally eaten on festive occasions; the same tradition is also recorded in Seravezza, Camaiore, Pietrasanta, Viareggio and Massarosa. The festive association and the places named give the dish a regional context that goes beyond a simple description of its shape and filling.

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