Italian Culinary Adventure ~ Day Twelve & Thirteen - Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi- Day Thirteen
Thursday, July 4th. 2002

The sounds of birds on our window sill woke us early once again, and after trying to get back to sleep, we both finally gave up and prepared ourselves for a day at the beach. We ate a nice breakfast of fresh fruit and baked goods on the hotel patio, and then stopped at a newspaper stand to buy newspapers and magazines to read on the beach. Once we located our hotel's private beach area, it was obvious that most folks do not arrive as early as us since we were almost the only ones on the entire beach! We were given two lounge chairs, two beach chairs and a large umbrella. The surf was rough, with large waves crashing all along the shore, and the morning was once again overcast with large, black clouds hanging over the snow capped mountain tops behind us.

As the morning progressed, the beach began to fill with people, and the sun finally broke through the clouds. I noticed many vendors walking up and down the beach selling everything from fake designer purses to bathing suit cover-ups, carrying their entire load of goods in large bags on their backs despite the intense heat. Others were selling henna tattoos, hair braiding and there were even folks giving massages to anyone interested enough in paying for one. I watched all this activity under my shady umbrella, and took out my magazines to read. I was surprised to find an article in the first magazine called La Cucina di Casamia that discussed Forte dei Marmi and listed restaurants in the area, including the one we had eaten in the night before. As I turned the pages, I saw photographs of the very dishes I had eaten, including recipes which will be very helpful in the future when I try to duplicate them. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the sea, with miles of white sandy beaches as far as you can see. It seemed strange to be sitting on the hot, white sandy beach, when directly behind us sat the mountains still snow capped. Late afternoon, we headed back to the hotel to shower and change. Click on photo for larger view!

At 6pm, we browsed through the shops once more, but despite the fact that the summer sales had already started, we didn't see anything we couldn't live without. We walked to a couple of restaurants that were recommended, but were unable to make reservations since both were full. Instead, at 8pm, we headed back towards the beach, to explore the restaurants there. D'Orsa della Maggiore was the one we finally chose, which was another restaurant featured in the magazine I had read earlier that day. We were seated at an outdoor table right on the beach, and we enjoyed our last view of the sea before heading back to Milan the next day. The sun soon set, casting glorious colors across the sky, and we were very glad that we had chosen this restaurant that night. My husband ordered one of the dishes featured in the magazine, called Insalata di Baccala. It was a light salad of salted cod served on a bed of pureed chick peas. The flavor was a subtle combination which was both light and tasty. I ordered the seafood ravioli which was served with a sauce of rucola and mussels. Although the flavor was wonderful, I once again found the pasta undercooked. Click on photo for larger view!

Since this was to be our last night by the sea, we had decided to splurge on our second course, and we both ordered the Lobster Catalina, one of our favorite ways to prepare lobster. The presentation was quite stunning, with the whole, cleaned lobsters perched on a bed of small, sweet tomatoes, carrot strips, celery and onions. The lobster was perfectly cooked, both tender and moist, and combined with the vegetables was delicious and light. My only complaint was that I would have liked a few more of the sweet pomodorini (tomatoes) to savor along with my lobster. To complete our meal, we once again ordered a small sampling of cheeses, but were brought a very ordinary combination that could be found at any grocery store. We finished our wine which was a full flavored Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and strolled back to our hotel along the beach, both feeling saddened that this was our last chance to enjoy the sea in Italy. Click on photo for larger view!

Hotel President
Viale Morin, 65
55042 - Forte dei Marmi (LU)
Phone: 0584/787421
Amenities- American style showers, safes in each room, parking, breakfast included, private beach. Note. as with most seaside beaches, you have to pay extra for use of the chairs. Click HERE for more information!

Orsa Maggiore
Via Arenile 29
Forte dei Marmi
Phone: 058 482219

Buon Appetito!
By Deborah Mele 2002
Email
Recipe Request
Newsletter Signup

Choose from these categories: