Italy Advisor

Portofino is an Italian town of about 530 inhabitants in the province of Genoa in Liguria. The municipality is the smallest in the province of Genoa.

Portofino is one of the jewels that the world envies to Italy. Set in the green Promontorio there is the beautiful bay of Portofino. The typical houses, the blue of the sea and the green of the vegetation create a corner of incomparable beauty and romance.

It is a typical Ligurian fishing village, with its tall painted buildings arranged in a semicircle around the famous “Piazzetta”. An exclusive destination for world-renowned personalities, where it is still possible to dive in an ancient atmosphere, made up of maritime traditions and crafts, where the colours and smells of Liguria are at their most.

There are many restaurants in particular serving fish, famous boutiques and hotels (2 of which are five stars hotels). The origins of the village are very old and its foundation dates back to the period of Roman domination. Portofino’s economy mainly depends on elite tourism.

In addition to the historic centre, Portofino offers: the Church of St. George, preserving the sacred relics of the patron saint of Portofino; the Oratorio di Santa Maria Assunta, built in Gothic style, which preserves valuable works of art; the Brown Castle, built in the sixteenth century on a natural promontory.

The countless natural beauties are protected in the Regional Park and in the Marina Area. A few hundred meters form the Piazzetta, the atmosphere is completely different: there is the Park of Portofino, a regional nature reserve located on a wooded promontory overlooking the sea, which includes the towns of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure, but which also extends into the areas of Recco, Rapallo, Chiavari and Zoagli. The territory of the park offers great environmental treasures and historic landscape of the ancient civilization, till the extraordinary architecture of the former Benedictine San Fruttuoso. A dense network of trails through wilderness areas, rural settlements and villages rich in art and history, offer views that have now entered in the Mediterranean legend.