The Borgo del Forte residential-hotel complex will consist of a five-star hotel with 70 rooms and 60 high-end apartments overlooking Ventimiglia’s marina.
Natural blending
Italian real estate firm Marina Development Corporation (MDC) is the driving force behind the 57,000 sq m mixed use development on the Mediterranean coast near Italy’s western border with France.
Borgo del Forte within Marina di Ventimiglia has been designed to be a hotel with residential services. Each architectural element, built according to the highest technological and sustainability standards, will be immersed in greenery and harmoniously designed in typical Ligurian style, characterised by terraces.
Triple build
The accommodation complex will comprise three buildings constructed in the area above a road leading to the port. Situated near the waterfront, the hotel will offer high quality services, a gym, a wellness centre and a restaurant.
The Borgo del Forte project is intended to contribute to the city’s revitalisation plan, which aims to return abandoned areas to uses such as tourism, sport and education.
Broader programme
MDC entrusted the site masterplan to Milan-headquartered architecture and engineering company One Works, with the design focusing on the quality of public spaces, as well as providing spatial and functional connections between the waterfront, the new marina and the old city, situated atop a hill behind the development.
The broader regeneration programme includes the construction of the new La Rocca restaurant located west of the residential-hotel complex; Club Italia, which involves transforming the former ACI building into a food and beverage centre of excellence in Piazza Costituente; and Borgo del Forte Campus, a large international educational-sports and leisure campus encompassing six tennis courts, an Olympic swimming pool, gym, an international school with attached accommodation for teachers, students and athletes, and event spaces.
Project partners
Marina di Ventimiglia envisages a total investment of €200 million by the BDF fund, managed by Namira SGR and of which MDC is advisor.
Specialised project partners include Callison RTKL (Arcadis group) for masterplan drafting; CBRE for letting; CITEC to study urban mobility; Deloitte as financial advisor; Horwath for hospitality consultancy; Legance, Chiomenti and L&BP as legal advisors; NewConsult as environmental consultant; Nomisma, analysing the Ventimiglia area and estimation of the socio-economic impact of the initiative; and Savills, to study the local market, targeting customers’ needs and expectations.
Green aims
The project complies with the general objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the minimum requirements for nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Buildings).
These aims will be implemented by improving the buildings’ environmental performance, adhering to energy and environmental certifications, and maximum efficiency in the management of energy, water, materials and waste.
Development timeframe
The project was first announced in summer 2021, with the hotel provisionally slated to arrive in Q2 2025.
Construction work on the onsite La Rocca restaurant began in October 2022, while currently the hotel is still in the planning phase, with delivery now scheduled for Q1 2026.
