Sunday,
August 19, 2007
The Russians are Coming ...to Forte dei Marmi
The
ANNOTICO Report
Forte
dei Marmi, around 20
minutes away from
In
the 16th century, the town's long pier was used by Michelangelo to ship marble
from the Apuan mountains
behind Forte dei Marmi to
But
Forte dei Marmi only became
popular after some Russian opera singers visited the nearby Lago
di Torre where Giacomo Puccini lived. Word soon
spread among
The
Mayor stated: "The Russians have to respect
our way of life, and the way we live. We will not turn ourselves into the sort
of resort they might want,"
However, Mr Buratti
said the character of the town had been changed profoundly by the new wealth.
"Once upon a time, the Moratti family, the
owners of Inter football club, would come here and stay in a simple cottage and
ride around on bicycles. Now everyone wants to drive their Ferraris through the
town centre."
Telegraph.co.uk
-
By Malcolm Moore
August
15, 2007
A small Tuscan town once frequented by artists and writers has become this summer's most fashionable destination for wealthy Russians, prompting the locals to flee for the surrounding hills. Forte dei
Marmi, around 20 minutes away from In the 16th century, the
town's long pier was used by Michelangelo to ship marble from the Apuan mountains behind Forte dei
Marmi to Now, however, the pier is a favourite promenade spot for Russians, who have pushed up prices in the town to astronomical levels. "The Russians are paying huge sums to rent summer houses," said Marchesa Bona Frescobaldi, a Florentine aristocrat. "Some of my friends are renting their villas for #70,000 a month, and all the shops are selling furs," she added. Margarita Bakina, an employee of Lukoil, said she had come to the town because "it is fashionable". She said: "I saw Andrea Bocelli [the singer] here today. He has a house here. We like to know we are going to the right places." Forte dei
Marmi became popular after some Russian opera
singers visited the nearby Lago di Torre where Giacomo Puccini lived. Word soon spread among A recent survey of Italian property showed that prices in Forte dei Marmi are the highest in the country and most of the residents have sold up and bought new homes in the mountains nearby. "It is a real problem for us," said Umberto Buratti, the mayor, elected in June after promising to return the town to its traditional way of life. "We have in some cases been able to intervene and put a ban on a house being sold for 30 years," he said. Some locals accused the Russians of using the property market to launder money, but Mr Buratti said that no investigation had uncovered any dirty money. "Of course it is impossible for us to know where the money comes from, and it places us in a difficult position," he said. "However, we Italians
know what it is like to be tarred by the same brush. Any Italian who goes to "Of course we welcome the Russians, but they have to respect our way of life, and the way we live. We will not turn ourselves into the sort of resort they might want," he said. Nevertheless, Gucci, Prada and Burberry stores have sprung up in Forte's town centre. The local magazine is in both Russian and Italian. "Our Russian guests come back with bags and bags of shopping," said Biagio Duca, the manager of the newly-opened Grande Imperiale hotel. "They like to have mementos of their trip, even though they can buy all of this back home." The hotel, which features columns of translucent marble, solid gold fittings, and crystal chandeliers, was fiercely opposed by the residents of the town, said Mr Duca. Rooms cost between #500 and #1,400 a night. "They said we were the hotel for the Russians, and we do have lots of Russian guests," he said. Mr Buratti said the character of the town had been changed profoundly by the new wealth. "Once upon a time, the Moratti family, the owners of Inter football club, would come here and stay in a simple cottage and ride around on bicycles. Now everyone wants to drive their Ferraris through the town centre." Courcheval, in |
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