w-report #32 How to do Tuscany this Summer without losing your mind and money
Antje's survival tips for the most exclusive destination in Versilia-- the seaside resort of Forte dei Marmi--plus News You Can Use by Gisela.
Every summer I make my annual visit Tuscany, preferably Forte dei Marmi. For me it's the ultimate La Dolce Vita escape, the stringing together of many jewel-like (but affordable) moments that define summer. Over the years I have developed a recipe and learned many tricks from my friend, the artist and designer Sarah Illenberger, who owns an old rustico in Tuscany in the hills above Forte dei Marmi, together with her mother, the jewelry designer Renate Schrems. Don’t expect too much action from the ocean, but do rent a pedal boat with a slide. Bikinis are worn well into old age here and SI CERTO you can-should- wear lipstick and jewelry to the beach. Pay attention to the time because Pranzo is only served until 3pm and dinner doesn’t start before 8.30pm. Tipping is not mandatory, but do flirt! Italians appreciate when you dress up, no matter what time of day. Children and dogs are welcome, always, even when they don’t behave.
For the summer issue of Konfekt magazine, I visited Sarah with photographer Stephanie Füssenich at “Tre Sorelle” - named after the three Italian sisters who once owned the house. It’s Sarah’s very own Il Paradiso where she finds inspiration, sanctuary and the desire to entertain. Which is certainly due to the lush garden (filled with fresh lemons & rosmarino for the evening G&T), but also to the pink kitchen with its stone sink and gas stove. If not staying with friends, the W’s recommend renting a house in the area in July or September, which is much cheaper than the overpriced hotels in Forte dei Marmi (aka Fort made of Marble). We are still mourning the closing of the adorable Pensione Villa Elena. August is always jam-packed as the whole of Italy is OOO. When in Italy, it’s great to have a kitchen because food shopping in Italian supermarkets is so much more fun than at home. The products are so fresh and the deli counter in the most beautiful supermarket of all, the RG in Forte dei Marmi, is really something. Also a great option for more affordable food shopping is the weekly market in Piazza Manzoni in Querceta which takes place every Thursday from 7 am to 2 pm and Saturday mornings. Buon Appetitio!
Most affordable beach: Bagno Communale, Alle Boe. Here, too, you have to rent a sun lounger and parasol (approx. 45 Euro). Laying on the beach with a towel is a no-go and you’ll be chased away. Keep an eye out for the massage therapists who massage you right on the sun lounger. One hour for 40 euros. It might be illegal but it’s divine! The bagnos are groomed, raked and trimmed with the type of love that only comes from family-owned businesses. If you wanna splurge: Bagno Santa Maria (perfectly painted cabanas, attentive life guards, seamless bar service and color coordinated beach furniture). Book a table at the restaurant and sneak onto the beach.
Best ice cream: You won’t be finding it at the Louis Vuitton’s Gelateria (located just across from the Maison’s boutique on Via Giosuè Carducci, open 12-8pm until September) loaded with wealthy Russian tourists. Instead the best ice cream is hidden off the beaten track at Gelateria Imperiale, Via Colombo, 97. Bicycles are the preferred mode of transport, rent one and zip through town.
Most fashionable caffè: The Prada Group reopened the Caffè Principe on Via Carducci in collaboration with Florentine architect Michele Bonan (I just interviewed his wife, the hotelier Christine Hütter-Bonan for SALON’s Our House podcast, who opened the eccentric boutique Hotel Münchner Kindl). Caffé Principe is pure eye candy and you can save some pennies when you have your Espresso standing by the bar. (Seating will cost you extra).
The Aperitivo spot: Bar Michelangelo in Pietrasanta, followed by a passeggiata through the cute town and dinner at Trattoria Il Marzocco. (Make a reservation!) Do stop by at Sarah’s fav boutique Zoe— it’s open until 11pm.
Best Workout: Book a court and a coach at Tennis Roma. Beautiful setting and very good coffee at the bar. And Yoga Versilia offers Yoga by the beach.
Although I love rituals, every summer I try something new. Unfortunately I'm missing the La Prima Estate Festival in Luca! Grace Jones is performing on the 28th of June — there are still tickets available. On the 17th of July Nick Cave will be performing at the Luca Summer Festival. Instead this summer I’ll be exploring the Maremma and trying to visit Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Capalbio. I’ll be finally checking out Monteverro, a boutique winery nestled between the old village of Capalbio and the Tyrrhenian Sea and we’ll be staying at Terre di Sacra as I’ve heard so much about this magical place in the heart of Maremma’s countryside. We booked a tent lodge by the ocean (starting from 172 Euro per tent). Also on my list: the new kid on the Porto Ercole Block La Roqqa Hotel with Scirocco Restaurant on the roof top and the Isolotto Beach Club on the stunning Silver Coast. I will report back on whether it is a real competitor to the iconic Il Pellicano.
NEWS YOU CAN USE by GW
AMERICAN GOTHIC. Things are looking shaky in the US these days—so join the creative resistance at the SKY HIGH FARM BIENNIAL 2025. The Sky High Farm is a special place—a farm where activism grows alongside kale and tomatoes. The exhibition is called TREES NEVER END AND HOUSES NEVER END. Exploring the relationship between local ecology, history, and industry in the Hudson River Valley and its connection to New York City, it is on view from June 28 through Fall 2025 in a historic apple cold storage warehouse along the Hudson River in Germantown, NY. It brings together more than 50 artists from around the world, including Anne Imhof, Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
BERLIN BEATS The museum garden in front of the Hamburger Bahnhof is transformed into an open-air stage for “Berlin Beats” until the 28th of August - free open-air DJ Sessions.
GLAMPING NEWS Gisela recently did a story for Harpers Bazaar US with her friend the founder of Naum flower studio in London, Hikari Yokoyama, which listed all of Hikari’s favorite regenerative/cultural gardens around the globe. More recently Hikari was inspired by a stay at the Elmley Nature Reserve where you can stay in tents as well as the main farmhouse.
THE ART OF ARLES The best time to visit Arles is during the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival which opens July 7th. While there make sure to check out the Wael Shawky exhibit at the Luma. Also try to book a room at Les Bains Gardians, a new, much talked about hotel in the beautiful Camargue opened by Jean-Pierre Marois, the hotelier who turned the legendary 80s nightclub Les Bains Douches into Les Bains Paris, a boutique property in the Marais.
HATS OFF We always think of our friend the artist and milliner Maryam Keyhani as a star, but now her hats are actually starting in the latest episode And Just Like That. Gisela wrote about Maryam’s Head in the Cloud hat for the T List.
MALLORCA GETS EVEN COOLER The cultish boutique Hotel Corazon got his terrace redesigned by our friend Tatiana von Stein.
RUNAROUND CHICKENS ARE THE NEW LUXURY. We love hotels with farms —the latest one opened in England, in South Devon: Fowlescombe Farm
TIME MACHINE. Gisela loves a living museum (her favorite is Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts). She recently checked out a lovely one in Franschhoek that is part of the iconic Babylonstoren: Soetmelksvlei, an interactive farmstead set in the late 1800s.
DESIGN PILGRIMAGE A person that Gisela met recently that inspired a story for HTSI is Renée Neblett, founder of the Kokrobitey Institute located in a fishing village outside Accra, Ghana. “Auntie Renée” and her institute are both role models for us all. She will be coming to Berlin at the end of this month — hosting an exhibition on July 1st. More information to come.
LAST LOOK: ITALY We loved this weekend’s read in the Financial Times written by our friend Maria Shollenbarger about the upcoming Giorgio Pace Foundation designed by Kengo Kuma, an unlikely cultural project in the unknown Italian region of Molise.
