Monte Portofino cape
PORTOFINO town, located at the very end of the Monte Portofino cape, it is picturesque and boring at the same time. This tiny summer resort is like a miniature of a wealthy city moved to the seaside. After seeing the expensive restaurants and the coastal lace shops, there's basically nothing left but other people watching. The town, however, has a lot of charm. The slopes surrounding the bay are covered with cypresses and olives, and the trail to San Fruttuoso that begins at the top of the steep stairs (Ok. 2 Hours. 30 Min.) leads over bluffs through vineyards and orchards. Shorter routes lead to the lighthouse and the castle and church of San Giorgio, where, according to legend, the relics of Saint George are buried. Walking three kilometers further along the rock-cut road, you reach the bay of PARAGGI, shining in the sun. Even though it cannot be called untouched by civilization (there are a couple of bars nearby) it is remarkable and not so well known, like Portofino a place to have a bath.
Because accommodation in Portofino is expensive even out of season, better to take the bus to nearby Rapallo or Santa Margherita Ligure.
Mount Portofino
With your height (612 m) Monte Portofino is already interesting, and yet it does not require any special tourist experience from those who climbed at the top. The trails will lead along the irregular coastline of the cape, through the slopes overgrown with thyme, pine and rock oak, and resounding with the singing of cicadas. Monte Portofino is a paradise for architects and builders, and even though there is now a ban on further expansion, is said to be, that the fires that sometimes arise here are deliberately started to cause destruction and resign from recognizing the area as a national park. The coastal paths can be reached on foot from Camogli or Portofino, while to the top you first go by bus to RUTA, from where you can either go further on foot, or change to the bus to the city 20 minutes from Portofino Vetta Peak (See. below). On days with sharp visibility, it is said that you can see Corsica from here, but even when it is not, the view of the number of headlands surrounding the cape is already fantastic. The lower parts of the trails are quite steep and maybe that's why not many tourists come here, but above the ground level becomes even.
All in all, these routes are not very tiring and there are many nice places on them, perfect for relaxing.
PORTOFINO VETTA is not very interesting, because only the RAI transmitter complex is located here 8, quiet hotel, and the most important (according to the curator) museum of frescoes in the world ".
San Fruttuoso
The routes to SAN FRUTTUOSO along the coast are more enjoyable than the hike to the top, which start with Portofma Vetta (1 Hours. 15 Min.), Camogli (3 Hours.) i Portofino (2 Hours. 30 Min.). During summer weekends, ferry-filled ferries leave regularly every half hour to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo one way, and to Camogli on the second. In low season, however, San Fruttuoso is a very quiet place, perfect for a lazy holiday. It is lovely to walk around the recently restored abbey, where it is so quiet, that you can only hear the sound of the sea hitting a nearby beach. There are a couple of kiosks with beer and seafood on the beach, but there is nowhere to stay in the neighborhood.
Abbazia di San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte abbey occupying the entire width of the bay, was erected to commemorate the relics of San Fruttuoso, brought here after the Arab invasion of Spain in the year 711. Then destroyed by Saracen raids, it was rebuilt as a Benedictine abbey in 1982 984. Inside there is, among others. Maria Aregna's tomb, who died trying to save survivors from a warship burning near the bay, which was heading towards Crimea. Members of the Doria family are also buried here, whose name is the defense tower, built on the cape in the 16th century .
Some distance from the shore, at a depth of eight fathoms on the seabed, there is a bronze figure of Christ (Christ of the Abyss), which was placed there in honor of the fallen sea divers. The original figure cannot be viewed, unless you are a diver, but a replica of it can be seen in the aquarium, which is located in the Gothic church adjacent to the abbey.
Santa Margherita Ligure
SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE is small, but a very attractive looking holiday resort. However, despite the palm-lined quay and the illusionist paintings on the walls, after a few hours here, boredom may begin to look into your eyes. Young "modern" Italians rush through the streets in their convertibles or let themselves be driven around the bay on water skis, and the rest of the family basking on a tiny pebble beach and concrete piers or hanging out in a restaurant or gelateria. However, it is convenient to stay here for the night, because Santa Margherita is located on the train route from Genoa to La Spezia and is a good base for visiting Monte Portofino and other coastal towns.
Some hotels here aren't just cheap, but also nice and fun. In Via Costasecca, Albergo Annabella, situated on Piazza Mazzini, (•0185/286531) the rooms cost money 25 000 L, in a little further, on Via L. Bozzo, Hotel Fasce (•0185/286435) pays 40 000 L, and in the seaside Hotel La Piazzetta, Via Gramsci 1 (•0185/286010), Ok. 35000 L.
On Via Lecture, in the shade of the Basilica di Santa Margherita abundant in gilding and Rococo paintings, there is a market on Friday mornings. Nearby, n Via XXV Aprile, the EPT office is located (Mon-Sat. 8.00-11.45 and 15.15-17.45; additionally in summer. water), where you can get free maps of hiking trails in the area.
Further towards Rapallo the road crosses the headland and descends towards the beach in the bay of SAN MICHELE DI PAGANA. For art enthusiasts, the church here features the Crucifixion by Van Dyck, for others, the waterside bars and the clear water in the sea are certainly more attractions.