ISSUE NO. 31
At Augustus Hotel & Resort in Forte dei Marmi, the 2025 season continues an ethos of measured refinement rather than radical overhaul. Two initiatives chart this course: the incorporation of Villa Radici into the estate and a collaboration with Gallo to redesign the pool area. Both projects honor the site’s heritage while introducing contemporary materials and spatial language.
This strategy intertwines architecture with responsible land stewardship. Re-using existing buildings lowers environmental impact and preserves a visual identity that belongs to the landscape. Protecting original volumes and mature vegetation is therefore both a conservation choice and a deliberate design gesture.
For 2025, Augustus and Gallo present a coordinated redesign of the swimming-pool terrace. Gallo’s asymmetric stripes reappear in shades of cord, green, and blue, enlivening umbrellas, cushions, and towels. The motif extends across the bar wall, unifying the entire setting.
Decorative excess is avoided; instead, repetition and restraint set the tone. By treating textiles as architectural elements, the design evokes Forte dei Marmi’s leisure culture—domestic yet public, understated yet intentional.
The project grows from a decades-long relationship between the two families. Gallo’s involvement is not a seasonal cameo but an evolving dialogue founded on mutual trust and a common language of form and color. Stripes—a Gallo signature—operate functionally: defining boundaries, framing space, and echoing the poolside geometry.
Rather than import a new identity, the collaboration intensifies what already exists. The pool thus becomes a microcosm of the resort’s ethos: measured, site-specific, and rooted in continuity. The textiles are not mere accessories but atmospheric tools that create visual and material rhythm. “Gallo has always accompanied Augustus Hotel & Resort on a path of refined, personal identity—a vision that fully represents us and that our guests appreciate in every detail.”
Augustus Hotel & Resort traces its origins to 1953, when Countess Augusta Pesenti transformed her private Versilia residence into a hotel: a cluster of villas nestled in a tranquil park. The opening pioneered the concept of a “diffuse hotel.”
Seventy years later, the property has expanded yet remains faithful to its founding spirit of dolce vita and vita lenta. Innovation, however, has been essential. CEO and family member Giacomo Maschietto notes: “Rather than follow a traditional Italian family-business model, I introduced an overarching corporate philosophy.”
Today Augustus operates fifteen properties with 106 rooms and over 200 beds. Revenue has risen in recent years, not through aggressive price hikes—“increases were minimal,” Maschietto says—but through higher occupancy. The surge reflects an eight-year restructuring program. “We now have a clear framework, exceeding 200 employees in high season.”
A solid structure, he adds, is indispensable. Yet beyond metrics, the transformation represents a different mindset: “We function like a large, efficient company.” The entire family has supported the changes.
“My grandfather began as director of the Augustus under Countess Pesenti,” Maschietto recalls. What followed, he calls “a very Italian story.” Piece by piece, his grandfather purchased Pesenti’s holdings, then acquired the adjacent Agelli Villa, merging them into what is now the Resort.
Later came La Nave, a modernist 1970s building behind Villa Pesenti. Existing park villas were opened as private accommodations. Growth persists: in 2024 two new five-star villas—Villa Ala Bianca and Villa Ala Anita, named for Maschietto’s daughter and cousin—join the estate.
“We live in the ‘society of experience,’ where tourism often anticipates the experiences later applied to physical products,” Maschietto observes. On arrival, he found a charming but vulnerable vintage hotel. “Handled poorly, vintage risks becoming old—and vintage and old are not the same.”
True vintage demands meticulous curation. By refining materials and details, the team preserved heritage while crafting a contemporary luxury experience. “The heritage was already there; we built a high-end experience around it.”
In a fast-paced world, luxury lies in savoring small pleasures: privacy, an excellent meal, 24-hour service—yet all within homelike comfort. “We made it a hallmark: time at Augustus unfolds at a slower pace.” Gardens, 1960s bicycles, and gentle rhythms invite guests to rediscover slowness lost in everyday life.
“Our greatest challenge now is finding highly skilled staff willing to work seasonally,” Maschietto admits. Even luxury hospitality feels the labor squeeze. To address it, the resort invests heavily in Human Resources to attract top talent.
By the end of june 2025, Augustus will inagurate the integration of Villa Radici, enhancing its scattered-hospitality model. The villa stands along the historic vialetto rosso, shaded by private pinewoods, joining peers such as Villa Agnelli and Villa Pesenti. Its name honors Barbara Radici, sister of founder Augusta Pesenti.
Discreet Architecture and De.Tales lead the Liberty-style renovation, privileging continuity over nostalgia. Preserved arches and patterned pavements merge with a fresh palette of marine greens and sky blues that mirrors the coast.
Villa Radici’s two floors host seven suites where velvet, braids, and geometric or figurative weaves draw from Italy’s craft tradition. Materials are chosen not for spectacle but for familiarity and comfort, echoing Versilia’s natural context.
Subdued colors and plant-based fibers foster an interior aligned with the outdoors. Historical flooring motifs are re-imagined for contemporary layouts, evoking summers lived rather than staged—a design of memory, not display.
ISSUE NO. 31
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Culture today means sustainability – in its honest meaning.
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