Hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi became one of our favorite hotels in Italy on a summer road trip through Emilia Romana and the Tuscan coast. This small, sleek luxury hotel is located in the heart of Forte dei Marmi, a town with some of the best shopping and wide, sandy beaches in all of Italy.
Forte dei Marmi is the coastal town at the base of the mountain range that is the home of Carrara marble and was historically the port from which Carrara marble was exported. Today, it is home to an expansive strip of beach clubs so wide and perfectly laid out that you can instantly recognize it from 30,000 feet on a flight up the Italian coast. It resembles a combination of Palm Springs and Rodeo Drive in many respects.
Hotel Principe is two blocks from the ocean in a quiet part of town. It is notably different from the neighboring properties that show obvious signs of age and is easily identified by the Ferraris and Lamborghinis parked out front. It reminds us more of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan than a beachfront resort, and as soon as you enter the beautifully appointed lobby, you know you are in for a memorable stay.
Principe Forte dei Marmi is exquisitely appointed with Flexform furniture throughout (if you don’t know the brand, Flexform is the premier Italian sofa manufacturer, renowned for its design and comfort). The rooms are sleek and modern without feeling cold, and the views over the mountains are stunning.
The rooftop restaurant and bar offer awe-inspiring sunset views over the beach, and the luxurious pool behind the hotels has views of the coastal mountain range (the white streaks you notice are Carrara marble). Be sure to spend at least one sunset cocktail hour at their bar and try the pisco sours. Their head barman is a pisco expert, and his cocktails are perfection. We would also recommend booking one dinner at Lux Lucis, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, run by Chef Valentino Cassanelli. The raw langoustine is exquisite and the wine pairings include small production wines.
Principe Forte dei Marmi has its own beach club, Dalmazia, which is one of the most luxurious beach clubs on the coast. After a day in the sun, we suggest booking a treatment at the hotel’s Natura Bisse spa. For dinner outside the hotel, you can walk or take a bike (provided by the hotel) to any number of local restaurants serving the freshest seafood possible. We recommend Bagno Bruno, Il Pozzo Di Bugia, and Trattoria Tre Stelle. If you need a few hours out of the sun, the hotel is a ten-minute drive to Pietrasanta, a small town known for its art and sculpture galleries.
Forte dei Marmi is only 90 minutes from Florence by car, and if you’re planning summer travels in Tuscany, it is the perfect place for a beachfront escape. While Florence is beautiful, we prefer the Tuscan coast for its gorgeous landscape and delicious seafood!
Hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi, Viale Ammiraglio Morin, 67, 55042 Forte dei Marmi LU, Italy
Note: Hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi provided support for the reporting of this story.
