Portofino

In Portofino, the clear sea reflects the pastel colors of the facades, the sky and the nature surrounding the village. The many visitors go to discover every corner, the boats, ferries, and yachts arrive and depart. All in perfect harmony.

Welcome to Portofino.

Portofino is one of the most iconic places of the Italian Riviera.

All over the world, in fact, they know the image of this magnificent seaside village, nestled in the green headland, with its tall colorful houses arranged in a semi-circle around the famous Piazzetta.

This pearl of the Mediterranean is today one of the most renowned tourist resorts in the world and every year attracts thousands of travelers including artists, politicians and celebrities of international level.

Booking.com

Portofino is a village of very ancient origins, documented in the imperial age with the name of Portus Delphini; the central part of the town still retains the Roman road system, with orthogonal meshes.

In the 12th century, after a long period under the abbey of S. Fruttuoso, Portofino came under the jurisdiction of Genoa, which would keep it in its possession ever since.

Via Rome guides visitors to the sea.

On the right, the fourteenth-century oratory of Nostra Signora Assunta, with a beautiful portal carved in slate (1555), serves as a container for art exhibitions.

The street ends in Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta, better known as the small square: under its arcades there are shops and boutiques, restaurants and ice cream parlors, which also surround the marina.

Behind the square, on the left, stands the church of S. Martino, built in the 11th century in Lombard Romanesque style; owes its present appearance to an intervention from the 1800s.

The church of St. George is a very small temple built on the cliff of the picturesque promontory.

During its history this church has been destroyed several times since it was built in 1154.

Today inside you can admire several valuable paintings, although so many works historically housed inside the church have been destroyed.

Inside this church are kept the relics of St. George in a shrine excavated under the high altar of the church.

The fortress of Manarola was built in the twelfth century to defend the village from the raids of Saracen pirates. Later it represented the real nucleus of the ancient country.
Today some parts are still well preserved and visible, others have been incorporated by the houses perched on the sea.
There are no visible parts, however, of the ancient castle, which was built together with the bastion.

The last stop of the walk is faro di punta del capo: a view that leaves you breathless.

Portofino hotels are very luxurious, exclusive and offer exceptional service. These wonderful structures inside elegant period buildings are ideal for an elite clientele or to celebrate special moments.

If your budget is over € 200 per night you can find some solution to spend the night in this wonderful pearl of the Mediterranean.

Otherwise, the nearby towns of Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure offer much more choice with accommodations of all types and for all budgets: hotels in all price ranges, apartments, and B&Bs.

You can leave your car in the covered pay parking in Piazza Martiri della Libertà, open 24 hours a day, or in the free parking area along the road to Santa Margherita Ligure; from here it is possible to reach the town center on foot with a beautiful panoramic walk.

Since there is still a risk of turning empty in the vain search for a parking space, it is better to choose the train, going down to the station of Santa Margherita Ligure from which, in the summer months, a bus departs every 20 minutes (until 8 p.m.), whose tickets are available for purchase at the vending machine; Portofino can also be reached by sea, taking advantage of the ferry ferries that provide a constant connection from Genoa, the Paradise Gulf and the Gulf of Tigullio.

The nearest airport is Genoa ( http://www.aeroportodigenova.it/ )

Sea lovers have two options to lie down at the beach and take a swim from Portofino.

The first is to reachSan Fruttuoso Abbey by boat or through the paths of the Portofino mountain.

If you want to spend more time on the beach in a less remote area you have to go back to Santa Margherita Ligure and stop at Paraggi. Here is the only real beach close to the village that is much loved by VIPs and is known as “Portofino beach”.