A writer and many photographs to tell the story of Forte dei Marmi

One of the latest issues of Assouline, a refined publishing house specialising in the publication of photographic books and «coffee table» books, is dedicated to Forte dei Marmi: a true homage to the town, narrated by writer Edoardo Nesi and many photos, both current and vintage.

Nesi narrates Forte dei Marmi, but also its history, that of a generation that, from Milan, Florence and Prato waited for the end of school to leave for the sea, where they would stay until the end of their holidays.

Children and young people who in the 1960s and 1970s spent a good part of the year here, certainly the most beautiful and carefree.

“Forte dei Marmi has changed, this is true. These days, visitors come from all over the world. The present day has finally caught up with Forte dei Marmi, and the proud little town of the 1970s has opened up, becoming international, indeed global. Richer, much richer, than before and perhaps even luxurious.

The center of town now boasts boutiques of the most prestigious fashion designers. They’re all here now— not one would miss the chance.

Still, Forte hasn’t lost its nature. It never will”.

The book, a ‘coffee table book’, but also a ‘travel book’, also offers advice on what to do, where to go. But above all, the writer is keen to describe the mood, the atmosphere of Forte dei Marmi. Like when he narrates the succession of seasons that follow and precede the summer.

“The autumn is lovely here and lures you into venturing back out onto the beach to take long walks on that immense emptiness that finally gives you all the space you need to think your thoughts. Winter at Forte isn’t harsh enough to frighten even the little birds, and all you need to stay warm is a sweatshirt,
a pair of jeans, and a light windbreaker, because the chill is softened by the warmth gifted from the Apuan Alps; moreover, winter is short-lived, lasting only for a few weeks in January and February.
Then comes spring, sweet-scented, silent, and thrilling—inebriating—as it bursts forth without warning and transforms into summer before you realize it”.

Or when he sketches the magic of sunset on the beach. “Forte dei Marmi is an enchantment that takes you in its arms and refuses to let go. At sunset, especially, amid the sabering shafts of light that sweep the beach and the pine groves and the Apuan Alps, past and present swirl together and Forte dei Marmi starts toying with your recollections. Blandishing you and deceiving you. Presenting itself as an unchanging, never-aging paradise, identical over the years even as you grow older”.

In the 280 pages of the book, more than 200 pictures offer a vivid and faithful portrait
of the city. From the beach, which appears in black and white in the postcards of the 1930s,
and is gradually transformed with bathing establishments, restaurants, parties
and sports, to the city centre. From the nightlife, with the Capannina, the Bussola and other clubs and haunts, to the shops, the Wednesday market and the personalities who, by their mere presence,
have made Forte’s history: Gabriele D’Annunzio, Marino Marini, Henry Moore, but also the Agnelli family, Patty Pravo, Stefania Sandrelli.

Images that, together with Nesi’s words, compose an affectionate and faithful portrait of a Forte dei Marmi where “time seems to stretch out, losing its importance, until the moment when you realize that you’re free, at long last, free.
Free to indulge in the extreme luxury of spending days on end thinking about nothing, in the shade of the pine trees, with a glass of chilled wine, in silence—enveloped in the quiet and dignity of all that surrounds you.