The painted harbour
Portofino & the Ligurian coast
A harbour the size of a courtyard, houses in six shades of ochre, and a national park of pine and cliff behind it. Best by boat, best before July.
Liguria, Italy
Portofino has perhaps eight hotel rooms worth having, so the question is not where to stay but how to arrive. The answer is by water: a yacht anchored off the harbour, a tender to the piazzetta for dinner, and the rest of the Tigullio gulf, Camogli, San Fruttuoso and the Cinque Terre, within a day’s cruising.
Houses here are few and old, on terraces above the harbour or along the road to Santa Margherita. When we find one with a private landing stage we hold it for members for years.
The food is the region’s: pesto made where basil grows best, focaccia from Recco, anchovies from Monterosso. A good lunch here is simple and long and involves a boat waiting below the terrace.
Best months
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air °C | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 |
| Sea °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
Worth knowing
What we arrange
Portofino, day by day
The experiences the desk actually books here, tagged by what they are for. The itinerary builder turns them into a plan.
Tender to San Fruttuoso
The abbey in its cove, reachable only by sea or on foot, with lunch at the beach trattoria.
seaWalk to the lighthouse
Twenty minutes through gardens to the point, an aperitivo at the bar above the rocks.
activePesto lesson in a family kitchen
Two hours with a mortar, then lunch of what you made, in a house above Santa Margherita.
diningCinque Terre by boat
The five villages from the water, a swim off Vernazza, back before the afternoon ferries.
seaDinner on the piazzetta
A table at the harbour edge at nine, when the boats swing on their moorings and the lights come on.
diningCamogli fish market morning
The port at seven, the boats unloading, breakfast of focaccia on the sea wall.
cultureHiking the Monte di Portofino
Three hours of paths through the park with a guide, ending at a hidden cove for a swim.
activeLigurian wine tasting in the hills
Vermentino and Pigato at two estates behind Chiavari, a driver, and a case to the boat.
diningKayak the bay with children
Double kayaks from Paraggi round to the harbour with a guide, calm water, an hour.
familyThe calendar
By the numbers
From the collection
Houses in Portofino
Portofino
A week in Portofino, planned to the hour.
A first answer within the hour, a full proposal within 48 hours.
The Sunday note
One short letter a week, on a Sunday
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