MILAN – There’s no Forte dei Marmi without “La Capannina di Franceschi” and Giorgio Armani knows it well. 

The historic night club, which has helped contribute to the rise and growing fame of the Tuscan seaside town as a go-to resort destination, has been acquired by the designer, said the fashion house on Wednesday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 1929 by Achille Franceschi and controlled by Gherardo and Carla Guidi since 1977, La Capannina will start its course under the new ownership from summer 2026.

Armani addressed the move as a gesture of affection, pointing to its personal significance since the club is where he first met his late companion and business partner Sergio Galeotti during a holiday in 1966. The designer and Galeotti went on to found the Giorgio Armani company in 1975. Galeotti died in 1985.

The acquisition of the lifestyle landmark is seen as another full-circle moment for the designer, who is celebrating his namesake brand’s 50th anniversary this year. As reported, on Saturday the label will host a dinner at Venice’s Arsenale during the city’s film festival to coincide with the launch of Armani/Archivio, a new platform dedicated to all Giorgio Armani collections to date. The digital project — which will have a physical outpost outside of Milan in the near future — will be followed by an exhibition opening at the Pinacoteca di Brera Museum in Milan Sept. 24 and the Giorgio Armani spring 2026 runway show scheduled for Sept. 28.

Earlier this year the fashion house also unveiled the “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025, Twenty Years of Haute Couture” exhibit at its Armani/Silos space in Milan to mark the milestone for the designer’s Privé line and celebrated the 25 years of Armani Casa during Milan Design Week.

As for La Capannina, it was originally launched by Franceschi with the idea of revamping an old beach cabin to offer pastries and drinks to vacationers, replete with tables for playing cards and music. It quickly attracted an audience of locals and tourists, ranging from aristocrats to poets and intellectuals on vacation, and rising as the place to be — and be seen at — in the 1930s while basking in the sunset with an aperitivo in hand.

After a restyle following a fire in 1939, the location maintained its current low-key look but evolved its offering with a combination of disco music and live show entertainment that was enhanced under the Guidis’ ownership. Through the years its successful formula has attracted personalities from the worlds of politics, business and cinema and the location served as a set for local movie productions, adding to its appeal.

Armani’s acquisition is the latest in a streak of similar moves in the Tuscan resort destination. For one, last year Italian entrepreneur and Formula 1 legend Flavio Briatore sold his Twiga-branded beach club to LMDV Capital, the family office of EssilorLuxottica’s chief strategy officer and Ray-Ban president Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio.

At the end of 2022, Prada Group acquired the town’s historic Caffè Principe, which also traces back to the 1930s, and reopened it in summer 2023 with revamped interiors and a Marchesi 1824-curated menu.

This year, the local culinary offering was further enriched by the opening of Giacomo Milano’s first outpost in town, bowing inside the Bagno Marechiaro beach resort.

Through the years fashion brands have looked to Forte dei Marmi and its high-spending audience with ever-increasing interest. While established names and retailers opened permanent stores, smaller brands saw opportunities to connect with consumers via seasonal activations. This year Longchamp took over Bagno Felice 1 with branded cabanas, furniture, linens and textiles, as well as accessories, down to backgammon boards and cabin keychains; Gallo’s signature stripes decked the pool area of the storied Augustus Hotel & Resort, while Milanese brand Doriani customized the Bagno Cesare beach club, to cite a few.