Forte dei Marmi en route to Genoa
We got up in the morning and began our drive up the coast from Il Pellicano. It is so beautiful driving through the coast of Tuscany. We were headed to Genoa for the evening en route to Lake Como. We stopped at Forte dei Marmi and saw the town. These trees are everywhere. So beautiful.
There are a few areas around Forte dei Marmi. We started in Pietrasanta, a small town in the area of Lucca near the base of the Apuan Alps. The town is a classic Tuscan town with narrow streets and no cars. We strolled around and got a feel for the town. Lots of art galleries here.
Of course there is the piazza that is the center of town. They had this art installation in the square which made me laugh. Strollers for adults. I can think of several times where this would have come in handy.
Afterward we drove to the town of Forte dei Marmi, a high end beach resort. You have all the high end shops there such as Prada, Missoni etc. The Hamptons of Italy. We wandered into this wine, charcuterie, salads and fresh pasta shop. The scents were amazing in there. It was about 90 degrees so we walked around until we just didn’t feel like sweating anymore.
Our next stop was lunch. All signs pointed to Pizzeria Orlando. This shop is located near a tennis club that is located in a residential area. Lots of families walk down the street for pizza. We each had a slice that is made fresh when you order. Not the best pizza I have ever had but it hit the spot.
We then tried with all our might to find Fortini where they have been making biscotti for hundreds of years. I get the feeling that you can buy the biscotti in all the top bakeries but we wanted to go to the actual place where they made it. Google maps sent us up into the hills. It was Sunday and we decided that it was either not where it said it was or it was just closed. Regardless, we took off for Genoa.
The drive up the coast to Genoa from there is a bit of a white knuckle drive. There are two lanes. The right is for the slower drivers and the left is for the faster drivers. I admit I spend the majority of the time on the left and there is certainly protocol in letting cars pass you. People drive fast and of course when in Rome do as the Romans. On the way up you drive through easily over 15 tunnels through mountain terrain. Beautiful but not simple driving. We made it to Genoa and decided to kick back before we heading off for dinner. Not that much to see here as we caught a bit of the city driving through it on the way in. It is a one night stop as we continue the journey.
Comments (Archived):
#enviousI’ve never gone to Italy in the last decade or so and not stumbled onto some out of the way art gallery where local print makers work.There is still a core tradition of printmaking–Itaglio, wood block, french press–that as techie, I simply can’t stay away from as it speaks of the human touch in art like none other.Enjoy!
it is amazing how old school it is here still. europe loves the past and america is all about the future. the middle east is all about thousands of years ago.
I would have liked to hear about these famous biscottis, but it’s fun to have some unexpected adventure, and going up and down the hills and pine trees. Genoa is not the richest part of Italy by any stretch, and the signs that it was an old port town remain. It’s not my favorite city, and going there once was enough.
yes, once is more than plenty
Thoroughly enjoying the travel blogging!
It kind of saddens me that your one meal at Forte was at Orlando. It is good but by no means the best (their cakes great but a lot of their popularity comes from being open late nights). Pizzino’s is a much better choice for Foccaccia/Pizza. As an aside, I am an NYer in Tech and was in Forte at the same time as you.
Alas
If you didn’t get a picture of @fredwilson:disqus in one of those adult strollers it will be the biggest regret of your trip, or just of all your commenters. 😉
Ha. I got one!!
Oh, oh, oh!!!! You have GOT to share that!!
When I lived in Florence for a year in school, Forte dei Marmi was so dressed to the nines Italian girls, making the Hamptons girls look frumpy almost. Was like theater. Do you feel it’s still that way?On the other hand, the men were not overdressed and wore the most scrumptious casual clothes. My ragazzo fortunately enjoyed having an artista Americana and not an Italian barbie.
I did the drive to Genoa, didn’t find it that scary (but I was driving with auto transmission). Big issue was the kids getting annoyed with the radio going in and out as we drove into the tunnels.Listening to the car radio was one of the more hilarious memories of our trip. From Sinatra to something Italian to the Eagles to something Italian to Rick James, all on the same station.
Hilarious.
We had a similar experience once in Perugia, which took me by surprise. I always look for that in the South. The place that I’d always worried about is Palermo.In Palermo, I was ready for trouble. I waited with the kids in a piazza while my wife visited a church. When she was done, we set out for the port. However, we were accompanied by a pair of rangy dogs. They weren’t threatening, but they strangely and doggedly, followed us as we crossed the Via Roma — no easy fear for a dog — and headed North.The streets were mostly empty, which for a New Yorker feels off. Every time I turned around to look, the dogs stopped and sat. It was almost as if they were trying to act inconspicuous and disinterested. However, when the four of us continued on, the dogs followed.When we finally got to the wall by the coast, the dogs hung around in an alley until we were done. They then tailed us to our lunch restaurant. Certainly now we were done with them.Leaving our lunch spot, we again came upon our guardians. Now it felt that they were there, not to ask for scraps or companionship, but to offer an escort through the port, to ease our anxiety.We walked a few more block and then I had an idea. We should split up and see who the dogs followed then.We each walked a bit in different directions. Our guardians considered a moment and the lumbered off behind my 7 year old son. That won him the name “Lordy King Boy”, which we break out from tome to time to this day.Enjoy the rest of your trip!
many lessons learned.