Press archive · Luxury Immobiliare
From Odesa to Forte dei Marmi
Sergey Bashkyrtsev reflects on his home city, its ties with Italy and an open vision of the future.
FROM ODESSA TO FORTE DEI MARMI
THE SPLENDID UKRAINIAN CITY TO VISIT WHEN EVERYTHING IS FINALLY OVER
A CONVERSATION WITH SERGEY BASHKYRTSEV, WHO IS IN DAILY CONTACT WITH AFFLUENT UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN CLIENTS AT HIS FORTE DEI MARMI REAL-ESTATE AGENCY
We met Sergey Bashkyrtsev at his exceptionally elegant Real Estate Advisor real-estate agency in Forte dei Marmi. This time, however, alongside discussing the varied world of property affairs, we also met to talk about his native city. Bashkyrtsev, a Ukrainian who has lived in Italy since 2013, is accustomed to welcoming numerous Russian and Ukrainian clients to his desk every day—temporary or regular visitors to luxury Forte dei Marmi. With a warm smile, inviting us to sit in the refined armchairs of the agency’s precious rooms, he wanted to tell us, with both emotion and enthusiasm, about his homeland. In particular, he wanted to speak about Odesa because, as he was keen to stress, once all the horror of the war is over, perhaps we will be able to visit it and discover a true pearl.
In the hope that this terrible and painful conflict may end as soon as possible, let us hear from Sergey Bashkyrtsev and get to know his Odesa a little better, discovering the strong bond between this city and Forte dei Marmi. To our great surprise, Sergey tells us that many of his international clients who have bought luxury villas in Forte dei Marmi come from there.
Sergey, you were born in Odesa: what year?
In 1991, precisely the year the Soviet Union dissolved. I fully represent—he says with a smile—that generation born free. I grew up studying both Russian and Ukrainian and graduated from the University of Odesa. Today I also hold Italian citizenship.
Do you miss your homeland?
It is natural that I miss my homeland, because I was born and raised there, even though my life is now here in Italy. In reality, I feel like a citizen of the world and travel a great deal, including for work.
What can you tell us about Odesa?
Odesa is, in fact, a multicultural metropolis like London. In the past, many Italian architects helped define the city’s architectural style. Few people know that the city’s main avenue is paved with cobblestones from the Vesuvian quarries of Naples.
It is a city with a strongly Italian architectural style and a seaside city, with beaches, a port and many tourists. You breathe an atmosphere similar to what you call “dolce vita” in Italy, in a setting that is a blend of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Liberty and Belle Époque and that also carries the fragrance of Paris, with which it has had a strong connection.
In Odesa you find Ukrainians, Russians, Bulgarians, Greeks and a very important Jewish community that was present in the city for many years. In short, many cultures have come into contact there and, over the years, each has made its own contribution. Odesa cannot literally be defined as a Ukrainian city, but rather as a city in its own right, with its own cultural character, art, cuisine and way in which its inhabitants see things from another perspective.
You also have the sea, the Black Sea. How do its inhabitants experience it?
From May until the beginning of October, people go to the seaside, exactly as they do here in Versilia. But there is no concept of the Forte dei Marmi beach club. Odesa has many free beaches dotted with venues, nightclubs and restaurants, many of them Italian. There is a great deal of nightlife for young people. There is a lot of activity. Odesa, home to several universities, is also home to one of Europe’s largest markets.
What is it called?
Seventh Kilometre. An immense seven-hectare wholesale and retail market; its name comes from the fact that it is located at the seventh kilometre of the Ovidiopol motorway.
If someone wanted to go to Odesa, could you quickly recommend three or four unmissable places to visit?
The great Potemkin Stairs, the city’s gateway from the sea, made famous mainly by the silent film Battleship Potemkin, which told the story of the Odesa uprising during the 1905 Russian Revolution.
The beautiful Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. And then the port, which is very large: it is Ukraine’s largest seaport and one of the most important in the Black Sea basin. I must not forget another very distinctive market.
Which one?
It is called Privoz. You can find everything there, absolutely anything, especially food products, like in a vast bazaar. It began two centuries ago in a square where the villagers brought their goods to sell.
You have spoken of a strong connection between Odesa and Italy. In what sense?
Almost two centuries ago, an Italian colony was established in Odesa; in 1850 it numbered thousands of residents. This community made a significant contribution to the foundation, development and economy of what had previously been the Russian Empire. Italian remained the official language of the city’s commercial activity. Street signs, passports and price lists were written in Italian, and the Italian community made a major contribution to the culture of this city on the shores of the Black Sea.
The famous song “’O sole mio” was written and composed in Odesa by Giovanni Capurro and Eduardo Di Capua. The music was inspired by a beautiful sunrise over the Black Sea. The song that everyone knows today has become part of the heritage of world music.
You have told us so many truly surprising things about your native city and its connection with our country. Now tell us about the links between Odesa and Forte dei Marmi.
It was surprising for me as well to discover that Forte dei Marmi is home to so many citizens of Odesa. I have met many of them over the years, and some have become my exclusive clients.
Some of them come from Odesa, while others, born in Moscow or other Russian cities, have roots in Odesa because that is where their families come from. Generally, this type of client is made up of citizens of the world who hold more than one citizenship.
Starting from Odesa, they now spend part of their lives in London, Dubai, Cyprus, Tel Aviv and also Forte dei Marmi.
Here they rent or buy highly private villas, almost always off-market, surrounded by extensive grounds to protect their privacy. One of the main features of their requests is the size of the parks surrounding the villas. For these clients, it is very important to buy a villa that maintains a substantial distance from the others, sheltered from prying eyes.
Are there still many villas in Forte dei Marmi with grounds that extensive?
This type of client primarily looks for villas in the prestigious Roma Imperiale area, but not exclusively. For some of them I have found beautiful alternatives around Roma Imperiale, and even in the Ronchi and Poveromo areas.
In the latter area, the Bocelli family has also bought a splendid villa that in the 1960s was known as Oliviero, a prestigious venue where Mina and Celentano also performed, attracting a very high-end clientele.
Just a few days ago, the Bocelli family organised an exclusive party with a fashion show for designer Paul Marciano. It is called Villa “Alpebella”, and all the events of summer 2023 will be held there.
Furthermore, within this 2 km² area there are splendid pinewoods, extensive green spaces and many important, historic and unknown villas, including large building plots. Urban planning regulations require a minimum plot of 3,000 m² to build a single-family villa, and soon more than 100 may be built. This area will certainly represent a major opportunity for many clients in the coming years.
Let us return to Forte dei Marmi: what kind of property transactions are you handling with your clients originally from Odesa?
It all starts with rentals. Before buying a villa, clients begin visiting Forte in an exploratory way. After the first season, they start looking for villas to buy, and I then begin the extensive task of selecting or personally searching for properties that could become their future villas.
The pool is generally indispensable, and their choice depends greatly on the location. Whether the villa is new, needs renovation, or is to be demolished and completely rebuilt is less important. They are often very courageous clients who want to make a dream come true. They have the patience to wait for it to happen, devoting much of their time to the new project and all the resulting customisation.
For us, they are certainly the best clients because we can share an experience with them that often also leads to friendship.
Of course, designing and building a home must be very complex, so you need architects and construction companies…
We have been designers and builders since 1963. Do not forget that I am also a partner in an important construction company that has already built more than 30 villas in Forte dei Marmi, and that our organisation has numerous partnerships with the most important architectural firms.
In the centre of Forte dei Marmi, we are building 1,000 m² villas with swimming pools for an extremely high-end clientele, equipped with the latest technologies and every comfort needed to satisfy the wishes of the most demanding clients.
A spa, gym, cinema room, vault and wine cellar are always essential. Increasingly, clients also request an area for meditation: a very important aspect of relaxation and of the contemporary need to reconnect with ourselves.
I would remind you that six languages are spoken in our company and that my partner, Fabrizio Zanetti, has been involved in building for 30 years.
Sergey Bashkyrtsev
Sergey Bashkyrtsev, property sales and rentals in Forte dei Marmi Via G. Mazzini 115 +39 391 330 1873
What leads your clients to take on the building-site experience?
The building-site experience is certainly more demanding than buying an existing home, but it has enormous advantages without any doubt. The first advantage is the opportunity to have a completely customised villa at a cost below the market price—in other words, at construction cost.
But the greatest advantage lies in the appreciation of the invested capital. Property investments in Forte dei Marmi are the most important aspect of this community: over the years, some clients have bought and renovated, or demolished and rebuilt, villas with capital gains of 100 or 200%.
Many people have bought more than one villa and then resold it for twice or three times the money invested. For this reason, the building-site experience is more advantageous and interesting than buying a villa that is already finished, often not entirely suited to one’s own needs and requirements.
So is the season going well?
This is an extraordinary season, beyond our best expectations, at least as far as our companies and our construction and property business are concerned. More generally, our offices in Massa Carrara have also seen a significant increase in transactions. Here in Forte dei Marmi we are recording a growing number of enquiries.
Our clients are international and come from all over the world, while the area has a defined and limited surface. We are a small Dubai, whose market is currently dominated by sellers, who are few in comparison with the multitude of buyers.
It is an area with important growth prospects for the coming years: an important Dior maison has just opened, Marchesi has just refurbished the Caffè Principe, Baglioni is beginning construction of a new five-star hotel, and Hermès will open shortly.
Just a few days ago I was even contacted by the prestigious Financial Times for an interview about the Forte dei Marmi property market, and recently by Sky and Mediaset as well. Together with the area, we are experiencing extraordinary growth.