Did you know that during a summer in Forte dei Marmi, Thomas Mann and his family were involved in a peculiar incident that led to a fifty-liras fine for offending public morality? This event, along with a mesmerizing magic show, sparked the great German novelist’s reflections on the persuasive power of rhetoric and the ambition of every dictatorship to confuse and subdue the minds of the people. Mann immortalized these experiences in his 1929 autobiographical novella “Mario and the Magician”, where a unique Forte dei Marmi, transformed into “Torre di Venere” for the story, comes to life. Intrigued? Then it’s time to delve into this captivating book!

Ph: Federico Neri