Go Feedback: Portofino in Italy has avoided touristy sprawl as it is kept in by hills and sea, writes Conor Power
PERHAPS IT was a direct, if undesirable, by-product of the three decades that she had spent in Italy, but my wife’s aunt’s driving was of a speed, agility and lunacy that belied her advanced years.
As the car went from the breathtakingly scary and beautiful high-altitude bends to the darkness of tunnels in a flash, she continued to talk, describe and gesticulate all at once.
“Guarda! Guarda! Look!” she cried, indicating beautiful scenery with a wave of her hand, searching for forgotten English words and struggling to keep the small Renault on the road.
After a while, I began to concentrate on the sparkling sea, the vines and impossibly beautiful coves far below me. After the brief, pretty drive from Rapallo past Santa Margherita, we arrived at Portofino in the late afternoon.
It is at the southern tip of a squat peninsula that projects just 9km from the Italian Riviera and 35km south of the regional capital of Genoa.
Because the Italian and French rivieras are much-visited and overcrowded parts of the world, many of the coastal towns along this route tend to disappoint. It can be hard to really appreciate paradise when you have to share it with 100,000 others at any given time and the crowding of people into what were often once quiet fishing villages can cause them to lose their charm.
Portofino was different, however. It certainly helps to arrive, as we did, towards the end of the day. It’s a place that you can’t drive through quickly and it is tucked into a crevice in the verdant coastline – protected on almost all sides by the Ligurian landscape.
It feels like a place trapped in time; its lack of development being dictated by the physical impossibility of large-scale sprawl. In fact, the only sprawl is on the water itself and the little cove is fairly crammed with all manner of fancy boats.
Walking from the car park on the Piazza della Libertà, the narrow streets seem to pull you irresistibly down towards the waterfront. En route, designer shops and galleries give you a flavour of the characteristic chic-but-bohemian atmosphere of Portofino; where famous faces mingle unobtrusively with locals and tourists.
The cobbled square of Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta recedes gently into the lapping waters of the harbour. On either side, multicoloured houses line the roads that disappear around bends and among foliage.
The whole scene has an island-like peace about it that makes you feel like you must have visited before, in a dream.
We followed the path to the right and south of the main square. It climbs up the headland but not at a rate that left me panting and exhausted, which is to say that it’s an easy enough walk for the average human being.
After a few minutes, you come across the beautifully situated Church of San Giorgio (said to contain relics of St George, although some of the younger members of the party were impatient to move on, so we didn’t take the time to explore them). The ochre exterior looks back down upon the village casting spectacular views.
Another 10 minutes walking through cypress trees, however, and you reach an even more stunning and rewarding place in the form of the Castello Brown. Originally built as a stronghold in Roman times, the castle takes its name from the British Consul (Montague Yeats Brown) who bought it in 1867 and planted the pair of pine trees that still grow in its courtyard. Today, it belongs to the town council and houses art and photographic exhibitions. When I visited, there was one showcasing the myriad dazzling film stars who have visited Portofino since the heady days of the Dolce Vita era of the 1960s.
From the Castello, the views are breathtaking, looking down upon the curvaceous village and harbour. If you like, you can continue on another kilometre or so to the lighthouse at the tip of the promontory.
For us, though, it was time to make our way back to Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta to languish a while in a port-side gelateria, observing the comings and goings of the other tourists and locals during the hour of that most pleasant of regular Italian rituals – the evening stroll, or passegiata. The six small cones left me with little change out of €30, but the charm of Portofino left me with the thought that for everything there’s a price and this one seemed to a small one to pay for a real live piece of paradise.
Where to stay and eat
Hotel Splendido, Salita Baratta 16, 16034 Portofino, +39 0185 267 801, hotelsplendido.com. Staying in Portofino is expensive. This five-star haven has the whole package: views, pool, wellness centre and so on.
Hotel Europa, Via Trento 5, 16038 Santa Margherita, Ligure, +39 0185 287 187, hoteleuropa-sml.it. With a regular bus service to take you the 5km to Portofino, staying here can be more manageable.
Da U Mariu Di Denaro, Calata Marconi 7, 16034 Portofino, +39 0185 269 257. On the curve of the bay, it's one of the best places to feast your eyes as well as your stomach.
Trattoria Concordia, Via del Fondaco 5, 16034 Portofino, +39 0185 269 207. Up from the port, off the beaten track and where many locals eat, this seafood restaurant has regional fare at more modest prices.