Luxury, high culture, excellent service, and beauty: You can find it all in Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi.
I recently discovered these two locations during a blogging tour of Versilia (organized by Wishversilia), a region in northwestern Tuscany.
Get ready for something truly unique.
Pietrasanta panoramic view
The Idea of Luxury
Luxury can mean many things. In Pietrasanta, it means a combination of elite tourism and a rich artistic tradition. Pietrasanta is known as the 'little Athens' of the Versilia region because of its high concentration of artists and in particular of marble studios and monuments. Walking through town you find marble workshops, art galleries, fashionable boutiques and jewelry shops, and distinguished enotecas. The general atmosphere is peaceful, relaxing, and elegant.
Pitrasanta: the historical central square
We began our tour with a visit to the hotel 'Albergo Pietrasanta', most notable because it houses a impressive private collection of contemporary Italian art. The walls display paintings by Mario Schifano, Luigi Serafini, Carla Accardi, Gino De Dominicis, and others. The art collection is so exclusive that the hotel has in the past lent works to the MOMA in New York!
Hand-made Jewelry
Next, we visited the store and workshop of Marco Balderi, a local artist who designs and crafts exclusive hand-made jewelry. His creations are inspired by personal reflection and emotion, and are thoroughly unique. This shop is a must for someone looking for stylish and thoroughly original Italian jewelry! To see more of Balderi's jewelry collections go to www.marcobalderi.com
Italian Handmade Jewelry
La Bottega: Salami, Wine, Photography
For lunch, we visited a place that is sure to delight visitors. A salumeria opened since 1921, it offers a wide variety of excellent cold meets, cheeses, wines and spirits. The back garden is a lovely place to eat lunch or enjoy an apperitivo, and there is a vegetable patch where the lettuce and vegetables are grown on site. Exhibiting the interweaving of luxury and art that characterizes Pietrasanta, La Bottega also has a small gallery for photography exhibitions, and photography courses are regularly offered. For more information, go to www.labottegalab.com.
La Bottega in Pietrasanta: salami, wine and photography
Forte dei Marmi
What could be a better place to finish our tour than the sea-side? After lunch, we visited one of the most elegant beach-clubs in Tuscany, traditionally visited by the Italian aristocracy and high industrialist class: Bagno Dalmazia. The club offers comfortable cool-screened pavilions on the beach and a select menu with your choice of drinks, amazing gelato, and a lunch dishes catered by a Michelin-starred restaurant. And just a few blocks away there is the luxurious Villa Grey with splendid rooms facing the seaside.
We finished our day here, with a delightful aperitivo.
Forte dei Marmi: Bagno Dalmazia
Have you ever visited these amazing locations? Share your experience!
A special thanks to:
Serenna Giovannoni and Wishversilia
Albergo Pientrasanta (Via Garibaldi 35 - 55045 Pietrasanta, Lucca – Tel. +39.0584.793726)
