Italian resort of Forte dei Marmi revolts against rich tourists

[Observer] After years of welcoming well-heeled tourists from around the world with open arms, one of Tuscany's smartest, most discreet beach resorts is in revolt against outsiders, wealthy or not.

Forte dei Marmi – the traditional summer retreat for Italian captains of industry, writers and film stars – is changing the law to try to stop locals fleeing because of house prices driven out of control by incoming Russian millionaires. The town's combative mayor, Umberto Buratti, is reserving space next to luxury villas with sea views for new homes that will only be sold to locally-born buyers or long-term residents. Other Italian resorts with similar problems will monitor the experiment with interest.

"We want to safeguard the character of the town instead of seeing it turn into a place with no ties, as anonymous as a motorway service station," Buratti said.

It is all a far cry from Forte dei Marmi's 16th-century origins, when Michelangelo built a road from quarries inland to load marble on to waiting ships. The artistic tradition continued into the 20th century with the arrival of Thomas Mann, Aldous Huxley, Giacomo Puccini and Henry Moore, followed by industrial dynasties such as the Agnellis and the Morattis.

Mr. Buratti's intent with his hardline stance is to attempt to achieve some level of parity with economic factors that will allow locals to return to his town to live and reopen family-run shops. The first people to get booted from resort towns are typically the artisans. 

We wish Mr. Buratti luck.  A town's "economic reality" is as closely tied to it's true character as the ground it's built on. It's a terrible thing to bulldoze culture simply to provide a place for indifferent wealthy hooligans to buy their €6 lattes and €8 pastries.