comparison with elephants in the street

The well-known and sought-after tourist resort of Tuscany, according to the Financial Times, is a kind of Russian “colony”.

Published: 13-08-2023 16:01

“Half the people in the Fort are tourists, half are in exile.” This is the title of an article that appeared in Financial Times in which the journalist Marianna Giusti recounted her adventure in marble fortone of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.

Another Forte dei Marmi, Russian.

According to the report, the Tuscan city is teeming with Russian tourists and other dark characters of the same nationality. Reading an article in the FT, it seems that you find yourself in a parallel reality, where, “unlike Monaco and Porto Cervo”, “the spirit of mystery” reigns. Cautious, but for spectacular people, with private security cars patrolling the empty city at night, or guards in dark suits at the gates of villas.

Giusti has been visiting Forte since childhood. In his story, he mentions an incident that happened many years ago, when a 19-year-old boy was found unconscious on the seashore before he regained consciousness. In his pocket he had bundles of banknotes of 500 and 200 euros. “Maybe this is one of them,” says a friend of the author. By “them” in Forte dei Marmi, “everyone knew he meant the Russians. Everyone in Fort knows at least one story about the Russians.”

It’s no secret that in recent years this place has been one of the favorite haunts of the very wealthy, many of whom are Russians, such as the banker Oleg Tinkov, who rebelled against the war in Ukraine unleashed by Vladimir Putin.

However, his incredible mansion is “rented for 100,000 euros a week or a million for the entire season. Many clients are from Russia or Eastern Europe.”

Does Yevgeny Prigozhin have a house in Forte for 3.5 million euros?

Ever since the war began, many reports have suggested that the Russian president has a villa in Forte dei Marmi. Vladimir Putin both Ukrainian Vladimir Zelensky. The Kremlin denies this, but Moscow’s denials are known to be treated with a grain of salt.

Photo source: ANSA

Last month the foundation of the enemy Alexey Navalny claimed that Evgeny Prigozhin, the coup leader of the Wagner militia, has a €3.5 million home in Fort, “and according to the same organization, Russian citizens own between 2,500 and 7,000 properties in Fort. With the start of the war in Ukraine, many of them moved here,” despite the sanctions of Italy and the West.

“The modesty of Forte dei Marmi attracts Russians”

“There are so many Russian speakers in Fort,” said the Russian business coach and socialite. Davsar According to the Financial Times, “More than 300 Russian families have moved here since the beginning of the war. Forte’s privacy is a factor that attracts a certain type of people…look at the highly successful entrepreneurs around the world. It’s like being in an exclusive club. However, the Russians do not show off: they prefer private parties on the beach or in their palaces.

The real estate agent further explained that the villa complex Rose of Wind all belong to the Russians. When they started coming in recent decades, “they just rang the doorbell of Italian pensioners who had been vacationing here for 50 years and offered them 3 million euros. Faced with such offers, everything was sold.

“For this reason,” the FT continues, “many real estate agents claim that the Russians in Forte dei Marmi behave like “colonialists who want to buy everything.” “Here the Russians are like an elephant on the street. No one can resist this,” said the hotel owner, who requested anonymity.

Photo source: ANSA