Portofino was once a sleepy fishing village on the Ligurian coast south of Genoa. The bay is mentioned by Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – AD 79) when he called it the Port of the Dolphin. (Portus Delphini) It has had a rich and colourful history.
The gorgeous little harbour with its pretty houses attracted European aristocracy in the late 19th and early 20th century. Wealthy families built their summer homes there, some of which have since been transformed into hotels.
Visitors would arrive by horse and cart from Santa Margherita Ligure. One of those visitors was Elizabeth von Arnim who arrived in Portofino and fell in love with it. She wrote a novel, The Enchanted April, about her experience in 1922.
It was made into a movie in 1991, starring Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson and Polly Walker. It was filmed in Castello Brown where the author stayed. Enchanted April is one of my favourite movies about Italy and I watch it regularly. The book is excellent as well. It is about 4 women who leave the dreary London rain to spend spring in Italy and how their lives are transformed.
The 1950s saw a boom in Portofino’s popularity. The yachts of the super wealthy began to arrive in the harbour and still do today. It now welcomes all kinds of visitors from all over the world.
It is only a 2 hour drive to Portofino from our apartment and each time I go there I wonder why I don’t visit more often. The harbour is spectacular and the piazzetta surrounding it is one of the prettiest in Italy. The town has lots of restaurants, cafes and pretty shops, making a visit fun, interesting and delicious.
We were there at the end of the season, found a car park easily and walked down to the piazzetta.
A walk on the path up the hill offers beautiful views of the harbour and you can do some shopping along the way.
The church of St Giorgio sits at the top of the path.
Views from the other side are lovely too.
I spotted excellent green doors and some steep steps up to accommodation.
There is a range of shopping from high end to more affordable.
There is a very stylish bank built into the side of the hill.
There are lots of restaurants to choose from.
We chose one beside the path where I had an excellent pasta dish typical of the area. It is simple and delicious, pasta, potatoes, beans and pesto.
There is not a lot of parking in Portofino and the road there is very narrow. If you go in high season it would be a good idea to park in nearby Santa Margherita Ligure and catch a bus or boat. Arriving by boat is wonderful. The whole coastline is sublime.