Midway up the Apuo-Versiglia seafron, which stretches from Marina di Carrara to Viareggio, is Forte dei Marmi, an elegant little town that overlooks the fine sand beach. Developed around a landing stage for loading marble extracted from the nearby Apuane after Michelangelo built a road connecting the quarries with the sea, it owes its current name to a fortress erected here in 1788 by Leopold I of Tuscany.

The end of the 1800s witnessed the establishment of the first two seafront resorts, one to the right and the other to the left of the old landing stage, which has become a popular seaside promenade. The mild climate and pleasant environment quickly made it a favourite summer residence for writers and the cultural and artistic elite, who formed a "literary cafè" here.

Province: Lucca. Alt.: 2 m - Inhab.: 8280.