While the calendar might be telling us that we're very close to spring, the weather begs to differ. That's probably why our minds wander beyond the equinox, towards Tuscany's favourite season, summer. Every family has their preference when it comes to where you spend your holidays but for most Tuscans, summer means sun and sea in the Versilia region. The funny thing is that possibly the poshest resort in the area didn't actually exist until a couple centuries ago. What is now one of the most exclusive and expensive places where you can unwind in peace in the entire Mediterranean was no more than a couple of fishermen's huts. To change its destiny forever was the intervention of someone you might have heard about, a certain Tuscan that knew a thing or two about painting and sculpture named Michelangelo Buonarroti. In order to celebrate properly his 548th birthday, What's Up Tuscany will bring you to the town that owes the most to this extraordinary artist, Forte dei Marmi. If you listen to the entire episode you will learn how this very swanky seaside town was a non starter, surrounded by disease, treacherous swamps, pirates and brigands until Michelangelo built a road to bring his favourite marble to the sea, where it could be shipped everywhere in the world. The real changing moment was when the house of Lorraine decided to build a small fortress to protect from pirate attacks and protect the merchants that operated from there. Then, right when it was about to go bust due to the competition of bigger harbours like Genoa or Leghorn, Forte dei Marmi reinvented itself as an exclusive resort, catering to VIP, heads of industry, artists and intellectuals. The long march that brought this unassuming village from absolute obscurity to the heights of luxury and sophistication is absolutely amazing and not very well know. If you stay with us until the end, you will also learn what to do and see in this very charming, albeit a bit expensive, seaside town. If you love Italy, you can't really miss this episode! Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY) https://www.welcome2lucca.com/le-origini-di-forte-dei-marmi-e-il-suo-legame-con-pietrasanta/ https://www.visitforte.com/it/vivi-il-forte/storia-cultura-e-arte/storia/ https://www.fortedeimarmi.it/guide-forte-dei-marmi-articolo-la-storia-di-forte-dei-marmi.aspx https://www.versilia.org/it/territorio-versilia/cultura/storia-ed-origini-di-forte-dei-marmi https://www.versiliamo.com/forte-dei-marmi/fortino-forte-dei-marmi/ BACKGROUND MUSIC Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - Hot Soup on Cold Days The Passion Hi-Fi - Buried Pipe Choir - Fortress (Instrumental) Wayne John Bradley - Waiting Mike Chino - Calm and Harmony Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-hot-soup-on-cold-days-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/freehiphopbeatsforyou/free-the-passion-hifi-buried https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pc-one-fortress-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/waiting-original-uplifting-indie-pop-style-instrumentalcreative-commons https://soundcloud.com/argofox/mike-chino-calm-and-harmony https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons http://www.pipechoir.com/