Tuscany · Lucca
Forte dei Marmi
The Versilia luxury beach built around an eighteenth-century marble-loading fort, with 99 bagni concessions and a Wednesday market that draws Milan.
By Peter Benei
Written about. No. 5.
We’ve tried
What we got up to
Restaurants, walks, swims: the things we actually did in and around Forte dei Marmi, each with the piece we wrote about it.
The tordello, the meat-stuffed pasta that is Versilia telling you it isn't Lucca.
The letter
Forte dei Marmi got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 38 min from Pisa
- Population
- 6,666
- J12°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 12°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Forte dei Marmi sits at sea level on the Versilia coast, 8.9 square kilometers of flat ground between the Apuan Alps and the Ligurian Sea. The town takes its name from a small fort built in 1788 under Grand Duke Leopold to defend the coast and used through the nineteenth century to stockpile marble shipped down from the Carrara and Seravezza quarries before loading onto ships at the wooden pier. The Pontile, built between 1867 and 1877, carried tracks and a steam crane for the marble trade and is now the central promenade landmark.
The town became a Belle Époque resort in the early twentieth century, then a luxury destination from the 1960s. Russian buyers arrived in the 1990s, the press named the seafront Piccola Russia, and by 2023 around 99 bagni concessions operate along the beach, the most prestigious cabins renting at over 20,000 euros per season.
How to get there
From Pisa (PSA), about 47 min by car.
Genoa (GOA) is about 1 h 46 min away.
By car from the center of Pisa 38 min or Florence 1 h 24 min.
Coming by train into Livorno Centrale? Forte dei Marmi is about 39 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Pisa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Fortino di Leopoldo
The 1788 marble-loading fortress that gave the town its name, on the central piazza, now housing the Museo della Satira e della Caricatura.
Pontile
Wooden marble-loading pier built between 1867 and 1877, with tracks and a steam crane, now the central seafront promenade.
Spiaggia di Forte dei Marmi
Wide Versilia Bandiera Blu beach with around 99 bagni concessions running back to the Belle Époque, fine golden sand and the Apuan Alps as backdrop.
Mercato del Mercoledì
Wednesday market on Piazza Marconi running since the 1930s, with clothing, leather and cashmere stalls that draw shoppers from Milan and Bologna.
Museo della Satira e della Caricatura
Civic museum inside the Fortino, with 35,000 satirical drawings and political cartoons, founded 1992 from the Mauro Bambi bequest.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
LorenzoRistorante
Lorenzo carries one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (89/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300, among other nods.
Lux Lucis - Hotel Principe Forte dei MarmiRistorante
One Michelin star for Lux Lucis - Hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi, along with two Gambero Rosso forks (88/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300, among other nods.
BistrotRistorante
Bistrot carries one Michelin star, plus two Gambero Rosso forks (86/100).
8 more places the guides name in Forte dei Marmi
La MagnoliaRistorante
La Magnolia carries one Michelin star, plus two Gambero Rosso forks (87/100).
SciabolaRistorante
One Michelin star for Sciabola, and two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100).
Osteria del MareRistorante
Osteria del Mare carries one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).
Pesce BaraccaBistrot
Pesce Baracca carries two Gambero Rosso tables.
Pensione AmericaHotel
One Michelin Key for Pensione America, along with a Leading Hotels of the World listing and a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Principe Forte dei MarmiHotel
One Michelin Key for Principe Forte dei Marmi, and a Leading Hotels of the World listing.
Grand Hotel ImperialeHotel
Grand Hotel Imperiale has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
The Magic Forte dei MarmiHotel
The Magic Forte dei Marmi has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Forte dei Marmi meets our one rule for a small town.
- 6,666 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Massa, a city of 65,814, is 23 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,666, down 11.5% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Massa, 23 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Massa, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €5,100 to €11,100 per m² to buy, €13.90 to €29.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Fibre to the street cabinet; no full fibre mapped yet
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Pisa airport (PSA), 47 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Florence, 1 h 24 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Russia, Romania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. 43 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. There are 424 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 61% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Lucca province ranks 58th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Camaiore, 12 km as the crow flies. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest major one is in Pisa, 36 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Modena, 90 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Bilingual School Lucca, 30 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Working from here
Poste Italiane has finished a coworking room in the comune, on its register of 30 September 2026. Check that it is open on Poste's booking site before you count on it.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.5% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €20,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Tuscany spends about €2,410 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €770 a year for water, on the Tuscany average. In Lucca, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.30 and a meal in a pizzeria €10.85.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 4% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 7% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BEACH CLUBS
Around 99 bagni concessions along the Bandiera Blu coastline, the most exclusive renting cabanas for over 20,000 euros per season.
THE PONTILE
Wooden marble-loading pier built 1867-1877 with tracks and a steam crane, now the central seafront promenade and viewpoint.
WEDNESDAY MARKET
Piazza Marconi market running since the 1930s, with leather and cashmere stalls that pull weekday shoppers from Milan and Bologna.
Common questions
- What is Forte dei Marmi known for?
- Forte dei Marmi is the Versilia luxury beach built around an eighteenth-century marble-loading fort, with 99 bagni concessions and a Wednesday market that draws Milan.
- Where is Forte dei Marmi?
- Forte dei Marmi is a comune in the province of Lucca, in Tuscany, at 2 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Forte dei Marmi?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pisa (PSA), about 47 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Forte dei Marmi?
- About 38 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Forte dei Marmi?
- Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Forte dei Marmi?
- Castiglione della Pescaia, Vietri sul Mare and Pizzo.
- How many people live in Forte dei Marmi?
- 6,666 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Forte dei Marmi a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Forte dei Marmi is a small town that meets our one rule. The nearest city, Massa, is 23 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Massa, 10 km as the crow flies. Fibre reaches the street cabinets; no full fibre is mapped yet.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 2 m
- Population: 6,666
- Surface area: 8.88 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Forte dei Marmi appears in
- The 6 best hidden coastal towns within 90 minutes of PisaNear Pisacoastalwithin 90 minhidden6 towns · smallest 3,201 residents · closest 38 min away
- The 6 best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of LuccaLucca provinceserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 4,402 residents
- The best beach towns within 90 minutes of PisaNear Pisaclean beachwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 6,666 residents · closest 29 min away
- The best coastal towns within 90 minutes of FlorenceNear Florencecoastalwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 6,666 residents · closest 78 min away
- The best coastal towns worth staying overnight in TuscanyTuscanycoastalworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 3,710 residents
- The best hidden coastal towns that eat well in TuscanyTuscanycoastaleats wellhidden9 towns · smallest 2,192 residents
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 3.
Pietrasanta
Province: Lucca
The marble-processing town under the Apuan Alps, worked by Michelangelo, Henry Moore, Joan Miró and Fernando Botero.
10 min by car
- Written about. No. 70.
Seravezza
Province: Lucca
The Versilia town where Michelangelo opened the Pope's marble quarries and Cosimo I built his summer palace.
10 min by car
- Written about. No. 71.
Stazzema
Province: Lucca
A mountain commune of seventeen hamlets in the Apuan Alps, site of the August 1944 Sant'Anna massacre and Italy's National Park of Peace.
11 km away
The letter
Forte dei Marmi got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.