08:00
Forte dei Marmi
- By the sea
- Nearest train: Forte dei Marmi, 3 km
- 6,861 residents
Good for BeachesSwimmingShoppingFamiliesCouplesCulture
Forte dei Marmi takes its name from the small fort in Piazza Garibaldi, completed in 1788 under Grand Duke Peter Leopold to guard the beach where marble from the Apuan Alps was stored and shipped. The town belonged to Pietrasanta until 26 April 1914, when it became a comune of its own.
The centre is flat and compact: Piazza Garibaldi with the Fortino and its old well, the shopping streets around it, and the pontile, the marble-loading pier rebuilt in concrete in 1955, with the Apuan Alps rising behind the town from its far end. On Wednesdays, all year, the market fills the pine-ringed Piazza Marconi, and from Easter to the end of October it comes back on Sundays.
The beach is fine golden sand that stays shallow a long way out, and most of it belongs to the bagni, beach clubs with wooden cabanas; the first, Bagno Onda Marina, opened in 1904. North of the centre lies Vittoria Apuana, with Villa Bertelli and a dune reserve; south lies Roma Imperiale, a district of villas on land sold in lots from the 1920s.
Thomas Mann and Aldous Huxley both spent time here. Forte suits families and couples on a beach holiday, and anyone who comes for the Wednesday market.
Events in Forte dei Marmi16
Filter →Wednesday 28 October1
Friday 30 October1
21:00
Saturday 31 October3
16:45
18:00
21:00
Sunday 1 November4
08:00
14:30
15:30
20:00
Thursday 5 November1
17:00
Saturday 7 November2
17:00
17:00
Saturday 14 November1
17:00
Running all through3
27 Mar
9 Oct
11 Oct
What to see
Fortino (Piazza Garibaldi)
The late-18th-century fort that gave the town its name, built to guard the marble beach; today it holds the tourist office and, upstairs, the Museo della Satira e della Caricatura.
Pontile
The pier began in 1788 as a 325-metre wooden jetty for loading marble; destroyed in the Second World War, it was rebuilt in concrete in 1955 and hosts the fireworks for the patron saint's day on 28 August.
Piazza Marconi
The round, pine-ringed square that hosts Forte's clothing and leather market every Wednesday morning, all year.
Villa Bertelli
A villa in Vittoria Apuana built in 1896 as an explosives company's headquarters and later a hotel; the comune bought it in 2002 and runs it as a cultural centre with exhibitions and open-air summer concerts in the park.
Roma Imperiale
The villa district south of the centre, named after the cooperative that bought the land in the 1920s and sold it in lots; Villa Agnelli and Casa Mann Borgese stand here.
La Mancina
A monument by the pier to the crane installed in 1877 to lower marble blocks into ships; the crane sank in 1943 when the loading pier was demolished during the German occupation.
Beaches
The bagni (beach clubs)
Most of the shore is lined with private beach clubs along Via Arenile, many still with their wooden cabanas; the sand is fine and the sea stays shallow a long way out. Two are run by the comune: Bagno Comunale Levante and Bagno Comunale Ponente.
Le Dune (Vittoria Apuana)
On the northern edge of town, a fenced dune reserve kept by the comune and WWF volunteers, entered at a few regulated points; the official tourism site calls the shore here Forte's free beach (spiaggia libera).
Dogs on the beach
Dogs may go on the shoreline before 8:00 and after 20:00, and into beach clubs that allow them, on a lead; the tourist office in the Fortino keeps the list of dog-friendly clubs.
Getting there and around
- By car
- By car, leave the A12 at the Versilia exit.
- Train and bus
- The nearest station is Forte dei Marmi-Seravezza-Querceta on the Genoa–Pisa line, in Querceta about 4 km away; long-distance trains stop at Viareggio, about 12 km away. Autolinee Toscane buses E1 and E35 serve the town, and Pisa airport is about 35 km away.
- Parking
- The centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL) with electronic gates. Outside summer, Piazza Marconi and the surrounding streets are restricted on Sundays and holidays from 8:00 to 20:00; from 1 June to the third Sunday of September the zone also applies on weekdays from 17:00 to 6:00 and all day on Sundays and holidays. Piazza Garibaldi, Via Montauti and Via Roma are pedestrian. White lines are free, blue lines are paid by app or QR code, and yellow lines are reserved.
Forte dei Marmi climate by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain days (≥1 mm) | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12° | 6° | 13 | 143 mm |
| February | 13° | 7° | 11 | 144 mm |
| March | 14° | 8° | 12 | 135 mm |
| April | 17° | 10° | 12 | 124 mm |
| May | 20° | 14° | 15 | 154 mm |
| June | 25° | 19° | 8 | 73 mm |
| July | 28° | 21° | 6 | 40 mm |
| August | 29° | 22° | 7 | 74 mm |
| September | 25° | 18° | 12 | 158 mm |
| October | 21° | 15° | 13 | 232 mm |
| November | 16° | 10° | 15 | 218 mm |
| December | 13° | 7° | 14 | 179 mm |
Averages 2016–2025 from reanalysis data (Open-Meteo); a single year can differ a lot.
Questions visitors ask
When is the market in Forte dei Marmi?
Every Wednesday, all year, from 8:00 to 13:30 in Piazza Marconi, with a food market in Piazza Donatori di Organi. From Easter to the end of October Piazza Marconi has a Sunday market too, and from June to September there is a Friday market in Via Mazzini, Vittoria Apuana. An antiques market fills the Piazza Dante gardens on the weekend of the second Sunday of the month.
Which train station is closest to Forte dei Marmi?
Forte dei Marmi-Seravezza-Querceta, on Via Aurelia in Querceta, about 4 km from town; despite its name it is in the comune of Seravezza. Long-distance trains stop at Viareggio, about 12 km away.
Is there a free beach in Forte dei Marmi?
Almost the whole shore belongs to beach clubs, two of them run by the comune (Bagno Comunale Levante and Ponente). The official tourism site points to the dunes at Vittoria Apuana, on the northern edge of town, as the free beach.
Can you drive into the centre of Forte dei Marmi?
Only at some times. Electronic gates control a ZTL: out of season it covers the streets around Piazza Marconi on Sundays and holidays from 8:00 to 20:00, and from 1 June to the third Sunday of September also on weekday evenings and nights (17:00–6:00) and all day on Sundays and holidays.
Are dogs allowed on the beach in Forte dei Marmi?
On the shoreline before 8:00 and after 20:00, and in beach clubs that permit them, on a lead. In summer there are off-lead dog areas, open 8:00–20:00, in Via Ferrucci, Via Civitali and Via XX Settembre.
Nearby
Researched from: visitforte.com, visitforte.com, visitforte.com, visitforte.com, visitforte.com, visitforte.com · checked 2026-10-27.