The harbour
Colourful houses.
Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Quintin Soloviev — CC BY 4.0 · Parma1983 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Parma1983 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Portofino is a small fishing village on the Italian Riviera in the metropolitan city of Genoa, northwest Italy, about 24 km southeast of Genoa in a straight line. It is clustered around a small harbour and known for the colourful houses lining its shore. Pliny the Elder mentioned it in the 1st century as Portus Delphini, the «Port of the Dolphin», on the Ligurian coast. It appears in a document of 986 that assigned it to the nearby abbey of San Fruttuoso. From the late 19th century it drew Europe's aristocracy, and later became a resort for the world's rich and famous. Tall houses painted yellow, pink, red and green, with green shutters, line the narrow harbour and are mirrored in green water full of yachts and fishing boats. Hills covered in pine and olive trees rise above the village, topped by Castello Brown and the church of San Giorgio. Visitors stroll around the harbour and sit in its cafés, and climb a short path to Castello Brown and the lighthouse for a view over the bay. Most arrive by bus or boat from Santa Margherita Ligure, as the road is narrow and parking scarce. Trails into the Portofino Nature Park start here.
Colourful houses.
A bay view.
Coastal trails.
Portofino, Genoa, Italian Riviera
By bus or boat from Santa Margherita Ligure.
Yes in summer; spring is quieter.