48 hours in Portofino, the Ligurian pearl of exclusive beauty

The magic of its small square, closed between the small port and the pastel colors of ancient Ligurian houses, contains a worldly myth. The mountain that dominates and surrounds the town is instead a naturalistic legend. Portofino is one of the most exclusive Italian destinations. Here the Pirellis, the Agnellis, the Falcks, the Armani, the Ferrero, the Agusta and another endless list of names in politics, finance, industry and entertainment are at home. Their villas cost hyperbolic figures. And in the church of San Sebastiano for fifty years the children of the powerful have been married. The great architect of the transformation of Portofino from a fishing village to one of the most elite destinations in the world was the Hollywood actor Rex Harrison who, having discovered the Ligurian harbor in 1951, built a villa there. His home became the crossroads between the world of cinema and the international jet-set, between Hollywood and Cinecittà. If in the past the Duke of Windsor and Marcello Mastroianni, Laurence Olivier and the great billionaires landed there. Today Portofino is frequented by Chiara Ferragni and Fedez, by Lapo Elkan, Piersilvio Berlusconi, Sylvester Stallone, Simona Ventura and Monica Bellucci.

FIRST DAY
Beyond worldliness and gossip, Portofino is one of the most spectacular bays in the world and the wisdom of its old administrators saved it from the building enthusiasm of the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century: it has preserved its aspect of an ancient Ligurian village and the wonderful landscape that surrounds it. We visit the parish of San Martino, in Ligurian Gothic style with the façade in black and white bands, to admire some precious models of sailing ships, ex-votos and works of the eighteenth century. Drawings of caravels and galleons also decorate the cobblestones in front of the church. To enjoy the best view of the bay and the town, go up to the Castle of San Giorgio – also known as Brown. Behind it, an easy path leads to Punta Portofino, dominated by a lighthouse.

Myth within myth is the Hotel Splendido which, perched on the hill, between palm trees and olive trees, is reflected in the scenic bay of Portofino. A hotel repeatedly judged the best on the Riviera, including the Côte d’Azur. The building that houses it was built in the Middle Ages as a Benedictine convent. But after repeated assaults and looting by Saracen pirates, in the sixteenth century, the monks abandoned it. Forgotten for centuries, the building was renovated in the nineteenth century by the Marquis Baratta, who adopted it as a summer residence. It was Ruggero Valentini, a pioneer of the tourism industry in Portofino, who transformed Villa Baratta into the Grand Hotel Splendido in 1901. The hotel immediately became a point of reference for the European aristocracy. And in the 1950s it became the jet-set hotel. In his piano bar there are autographed portraits of Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner, Liz Taylor. With rooms around a thousand euros a night, it is not for everyone, but those who want to find out can enjoy a dinner in its excellent restaurant: including wine, it is difficult to spend less than 300 euros per couple.

SECOND DAY
Behind the village there is the network of 80 km of paths that leads to the Natural Park of Monte di Portofino, a protected area since 1935. Among the wooded mantle that covers it, you can hear the song of the saltimpalo and the goldfinch. Located on the main spring and autumn migratory routes, the Monte is a destination for birdwatchers. There are herons and egrets, gulls and wild ducks, garganeys, kestrels and buzzards. And we stop in the woods, between one panoramic glimpse and the next, to scrutinize the movements of dormice, squirrel and baby octopus. Beyond the richness of fauna, Monte di Portofino is a unique botanical reserve. According to scientists, its territory reproduces, thanks to the microclimate and the absence of human settlements, the plant environment common to much of the Mediterranean a few thousand years ago. In the Cala d’Oro area – at 300 meters above sea level – elder, ornella and alder create the shade and the undergrowth that allows the growth of some very rare varieties of ferns. And the humidity makes the Saxifraga coclearis proliferate – which has become the symbol of the park: a plant that usually grows above a thousand meters. In Portofino, the tropical euphorbia blooms in winter and spring and then loses its leaves in summer. And in Paraggi, the beach on the road to Santa Margherita, you can find old chestnut trees at sea level. Maritime pines, sequoias and cedars have instead been introduced into the promontory by man in different eras.

The paths lead to San Fruttuoso, which can also be reached from Portofino by boat which runs along the promontory towards Camogli. Entering the deep cove, you arrive at the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, a unique example of medieval architecture. The first body of the building – Chapter House and Doria crypt – is the work, in the 10th century, of Greek monks who built an internal dome in Byzantine style. In the 11th century it was occupied by the Benedictines and the cloister (raised to two floors in the 12th century) and the Greek cross church (today it has three naves) are added to it. In the 13th century the four-arched forepart that characterizes the façade was built, the tower was covered with a dome and the Dorias used part of the abbey as a family burial ground. In the sixteenth century, Andrea Doria built the vaults of the cloister and consolidated the complex: the tower erected on the eastern side of the bay is dedicated to him. After several attacks by pirates, the abbey was abandoned to be later transformed into accommodation for fishermen. It was restored by the state in 1933, after a storm in 1915 had damaged it. And in 1983 the Doria Pamphili family donated the complex, together with the 33 hectares of wood that surround it, to the FAI, which restored the abbey and opened it to the public.

PRICE
Portofino, Trattoria Concordia (via Fondaco 5, tel. 0185269207), good sea and land cuisine, family management, among the most accessible but remember that in Portofino the word economic does not exist.

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