Welcome to Portofino, Italy, the jewel of the Italian Riviera.
Portofino is located in the region of Liguria, about 40 Km south of the city of Genoa.
The Italian Riviera extends from the border with France and the French Riviera south to Punta Corvo.
The term Riviera means coastline in Italian.
The Italian Riviera includes nearly all of the coastline of the region of Liguria.
The towns of Cinque Terre are part of the southern part of the Italian Riviera.
Piazza Martini dell'Olivetta, aka, La Piazzetta
Portofino is clustered around its small harbor, and is known for the colorfully painted buildings that line the shore.
In 2012, the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli put on a concert here where he sang a cover of the 1959 hit, Love in Portofino.
The song, originally sung by Dalida, was written by Leo Chiosso and composed by Fred Buscaglione.
This small town dates back to Roman times when it was a fishing village known as Portus Delphini, Port of the Dolphin.
looking west
looking north
This path along the east side of the harbor is known as Calata Marconi.
Along the path there are cafes, restaurants and several small shops
Portofino is easily accessible by car but there is only one small parking garage and space is limited.
Most visitors arrive in Portofino by bus or water taxi from the nearby town of Santa Margherita Ligure.
During my visit, I stayed in the town of Rapallo and rode my ebike out to Portofino.
The ride took about 20 minutes.
On top of the hill you can see Castello Brown.
Behind the boats you can see the bell tower of the Church of St. George.
Throughout the centuries, ownership of Portofino has changed hands numerous times.
Its small natural harbor was perfect for a small fleet of fishing boats but too small to support a fleet of merchant vessels.
In 1815, Portofino became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
From 1861 on, it has been part of the unified Kingdom of Italy.
It was around that same time when British aristocrats started visiting Portofino and reporting about its beauty.
Since the late 19th century to now, the main industry of Portofino has been tourism.
Unlike many popular tourist destinations in Italy, Portofino is known more for its beauty and instead of its history.
This path along the Western side of the harbor is called Corso Umberto I.
Umberto I was the king of Italy from 1878 until his assassination in 1900.
Many movie stars and VIPs of the last 100 years have enjoyed their evening meals right here along this harbor.
Inside Delfino are many photographs of the celebrities who have dined there.
This short pier is where the ferry boats arrive when they drop off tourists coming from other nearby towns.
The tour of this sculpture park lasts about ten minutes.
At times it may appear like I walk in front of people or cut them off but the camera does not show everything.
In this case, I was able to walk through these hanging bells with plenty of room but it looks like I will hit them.
Portofino has long been a favorite destination for the rich and famous who often arrive on their yachts.
Portofino has also been the setting for scenes in many popular movies.
One of the more recent Hollywood movies to have been filmed here is the Wolf of Wall Street.
These steps lead up to the Castello Brown.
The tour of Castello Brown begins at time 46:00.
The Castello Brown was built in 1557 as a defensive fort.
The castle was eventually abandoned in 1815 after the Congress of Vienna.
In 1867, the structure was purchased for 7,000 lire by Montague Yeats-Brown, then English consul in Genoa.
He transformed the castle into a comfortable villa.
In 1945, the castle was occupied by the Germans who used it as a prison.
In 1949, the villa was sold to an English couple, Jocelyn Baber and Lieutenant-Colonel John Baber.
After much restoration, the Babers sold the castle back to the City of Portofino in 1961.
The path to the right leads to the Church of St. George while the path to the left leads out to the lighthouse.
The path to the left leads down to a small beach.
The walk out to the lighthouse takes about 7 minutes.
The lighthouse was built in 1917 and is still in use today.
Today, the lighthouse is completely automated and powered by a solar panel.
At the base of the lighthouse is a lounge bar known as Al Faro.
The phrase "Al Faro" means "to the lighthouse."
The next notable landmark on this tour is the Church of St. George which can be seen at time 1:20:50.
Saint George was a Christian soldier in the Roman army.
In 303, he was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
St. George is the patron saint of Portofino and the church holds his relics inside.
During the Second Wold War, a bomb was dropped on the church and it was completely destroyed.
The church as it is today was built in 1950 with the same structure as the original church built in 1760.
During excavations after WWII, the remains of an ancient chapel were found on this site.
Time to change into my swimsuit and get an Instagram pic!
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The Terrace of St.George (Terrazza San Giorgio)
I figured one more walk along the harbor would be worth it.
This church was built in 1548 and is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours.
Whoops..not the right time for a tour.
This walk ends just up ahead with a short walk down to a beautiful swimming hole.
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