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Splash out on Tuscany's revered riviera - a glorious sweep of golden sand that is loved by Hollywood A-listers
'My God, where have you been? To Florence?’ says Stefano, the general manager of La Serena, a new hotel in the Tuscan resort of Forte dei Marmi (known locally as Forte).
He’s referring to my setting out after breakfast on one of the hotel’s complimentary electric bikes and it’s now past 6pm.
It’s time well-spent. The terrain is flat, the roads quiet and a scenic cycle lane hugs the seafront all the way to neighbouring Viareggio with its liberty-style architecture (Italy’s answer to Art Nouveau). I’ve clocked up 20 miles.
Mention Tuscany and images of medieval hamlets circled by cypress trees spring to mind. Swanky beach clubs less so, yet Forte has a wide stretch of golden sand, lined with more than 80 private bagnos.
A 45-minute drive from Pisa, with the Apuan Alps as the dramatic backdrop, this six-square-mile resort has always been a favourite with wealthy Italians.
Celebrity hotspot: Kate Wickers travels to the Italian resort town of Forte dei Marmi, which is set against the dramatic backdrop of the Apuan Alps above
Kate explores the resort's pier (pictured), which stretches 275m into the Ligurian Sea
Tourism began here in the 1800s, but hit its stride in the 1960s when the likes of Sophia Loren and Luchino Visconti visited.
More recently, faces about town include Giorgio Armani, Paul Smith and Andrea Bocelli, who all have villas. Naomi Campbell, Kate Hudson and Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted holidaying last summer. And Ukraine’s President Zelensky owns a pink villa here, too.
With 28 rooms, La Serena is something of an anomaly among Forte’s swish yet somewhat stuffy hotels. Built in the 1960s, it has undergone an extensive refurbishment. The small centre is full of cafes (the terrace of Prada-owned Caffe Principe is the place to be seen), restaurants and designer shops.
I strike out along The Pontile, a pier built in 1876, which stretches 275 m into the Ligurian Sea, to join the passeggiata — the Italian habit of walking while socialising — then dine on seafood spaghetti at nearby Osteria del Mare.
Kate cycles along the seafront all the way to neighbouring Viareggio, pictured above
Kate checks into La Serena, above, a new hotel in Forte dei Marmi with 28 rooms
Actress Kate Hudson holidayed on the Tuscan coast last year
Next evening, at the family owned Ristorante Gilda, nonna is in the kitchen whipping up desserts for the it-crowd (try the tiramisu ‘our way’), plus the best ravioli with sage butter you’ll ever eat.
Some three miles away, the hill town of Pietrasanta feels like an arty extension of Forte.
‘People go to the beach by day and buy art here in the evening,’ one gallery owner tells me. The town is packed with galleries and has been a Mecca for sculptors for centuries.
Michelangelo worked here from 1515-18, and Moor and Miro had studios, but it is Colombian artist Botero who has left the biggest legacy. His huge bronze warrior sculpture in Piazza Matteotti is hard to miss, and in the church of Sant’Antonio Abate, his frescoes — Porta del Paradiso (Gate of Heaven), and Porta dell’Inferno (hell), painted in 1993 — are a conversation starter. Among Botero’s trademark chubby figures, look for Mother Teresa and Hitler.
Of Forte’s many beach clubs, Alpemare, owned by Bocelli, is the place to strut in your Gucci bikini (though good luck bagging a spot in high season).
During the shoulder seasons of April, May and October, the scene is wonderfully sedate, and I’m invited to stay for as long as I like to drink my Campari and soda. I take up the offer while basking in the sunshine and savouring the glamour of the Tuscan riviera.