The cove
Pebbles and clear water.
Bramfab — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GiuF80 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Twice25 — CC BY 2.5 · Summering2018 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0
San Fruttuoso is a secluded bay on the Italian Riviera near Genoa, between Camogli and Portofino, home to an old Romanesque abbey, about 21 km east of Genoa in a straight line. It can only be reached by sea or by hiking steep wooded trails, as no road leads there. The abbey was founded by the Benedictines, and most of its buildings date from the 10th and 11th centuries; the sea-facing wing was added in the 13th century, modelled on the aristocratic palaces of Genoa. The site was under the patronage of the Genoese Doria family, who protected it with a watchtower built by the architect Giovanni Ponzello in 1562. The stone buildings, with their arches and octagonal tower, cluster at the edge of a small pebble beach, ringed by steep, densely wooded hills, while the stone watchtower looks out over clear blue water. Small boats and simple restaurants line the cove. Visitors arrive by boat from Camogli or Portofino, or hike the mountain trails of the Portofino park, then explore around the buildings and swim in the bay. The trails are steep and long, so wear good shoes and bring water.
Pebbles and clear water.
Above the buildings.
Through the woods.
San Fruttuoso, Camogli, Liguria, Italy
Only by boat or on foot.
Yes, in the bay.