Thursday October 20 was a very warm and sunny day with a high of 24C. Genoa has been warmer than either Torino or Alba, and the nighttime temperatures only go down to around 18C. Great walking weather, though there is some humidity. We still cannot believe it is this warm this late in October.
Our destination for the day was Portofino. It was a perfect day for the day trip. Alonso and I had watched Season 1 of the PBS series, Hotel Portofino, and were enamoured by the location (even though a lot of the series was filmed in Croatia). After we planned our trip, we realized Portofino was only a short train ride away from Genova.
To get there, one takes the train to Santa Margherita Ligure and then a 18 minute shuttle bus to Portofino. Both trains and shuttle busses (every 15 minutes) are plentiful. We caught the 10:39 a.m. train. The train fare is only 7.90 euros (one return ticket).
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| Quiet new regional train - a number of people got off at the Genova station after ours |
Until the beginning of the 20th century, Portofino was an ordinary fishing village. The situation changed significantly when tourism exploded during the first 20 years of the century. It became known for its beautiful harbour and clean water and soon became popular as an exclusive resort for Europe's richest people. Many built summer residences there. These residences still exist today, but a number of been transformed into fashionable boutique hotels. In the late 1950s, Portofino's popularity exploded. For about 30 years between 1960 and the mid-1990s, Portofino was the summertime centre for the world's upper classes.
The name Portofino does not mean "fine/pretty harbour". It comes from the Roman Imperial name for the village 2000 years ago- Portus Delphini (Port of the Dolphins)!
The permanent population of Portofino is 521! One would never know that from the hoards of tourists in the village. The bus from Santa Margherita let us off at the edge of the main street leading to the famous harbour.
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Village sign
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We had heard that food and restaurant prices were outrageous in Portofino, and that one should go to the bakery, Canale, for some focaccia and other treats. It was just a few minutes from the bus stop.
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| The bakery |
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| Folks getting focaccia |
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| We got a few pieces of farinata, the crêpe made from chickpea flour |
The main street was full of very high end stores.
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| A Pucci store-- photo from the street - didn't dare go in |
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| Definitely a tourist magnet-- the main street was very crowded |
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| Getting to the harbour |
We walked around one side of the harbour--peering into a few doorways along the way.
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| Outside the Excelsior |
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Excelsior Hotel entrance
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| One wall of the entrance |
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| Adjacent Excelsior gelato shop - around since 1924 |
We decided to hike up to the famous Castello Brown, which is strategically located on the top of a hill. Castello Brown, formerly known as Fortezza di San Giorgio is an ancient military fortress placed in an elevated position overlooking Portofino. The Castle is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden full of cypress trees and flowers. During some excavations in the area, traces of an ancient Roman watchtower dating back to the 3rd century AD. The first official information on the current structure dates back to 1425, when Tomaso Fregoso, Doge of the Republic of Genoa, occupied the village of Portofino.
In the 16th century, several restoration and expansion works were carried out. The fortress passed to the French in 1797, when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Liguria. After peace came to the region in the early 19th century, the Castello was abandoned. In 1867, the English Consul in Genoa, Sir Montague Yeats Brown bought the Castle and had it remodelled into a comfortable villa. He died in 1905 and his descendants held the property until 1949, then sold it to the Baber family who restored several ruined sections and then in 1961 sold it to the City of Portofino, which now operates the Castle.
Factoid: If people remember the film Enchanted April from 1991 with Miranda Richardson, the Italian castle scenes were filmed at Castello Brown, the same castle where Elizabeth von Arnim stayed in the 1920s while writing the novel of the same name, on which the movie is based.
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| Looking up at Castello Brown |
As we climbed up the hill, we were afforded amazing views of the harbour, the grand residences and hotels. We later read that many of the shots of the harbour in Hotel Portofino were taken from the Castle.
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| It is a beautiful harbour and Marina |
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| Heading up to the castle--- lots of big boats too |
Before we reached the Castle, we stopped at the Church of San Giorgio, located on an elevated position, with a panoramic view of the harbour. The church was initially built in 1154 and restored in 1691 and 1760. During WWII, the church was destroyed by a bomb. In 1950, the church was rebuilt following the plans of 1760.
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| Outside of the Church |
Inside of the church
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| 1966 sculpture near the Church |
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| Building just below the church on our climb |
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| Enjoying the sun (photo taken near the church) |
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| We're getting higher and higher |
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| The Castle |
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| Small building with beautiful flowers just beside the Castle |
There was a five euro fee to explore the Castle and its grounds.
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View looking the other way
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| "Ancient location of defence and attack" |
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| View of a hotel below- we could see deck chairs |
There were a number of small rooms on three floors of the Castle. Many were sparsely furnished, but there were some wonderful photos of Portofino during the 1950s in the "Dolce Vita" room taken by Francesco Leoni (b. Genova, 1925-2000).
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Aristotle Onassis together with the elderly Churchill while coming back to
Yacht Christina in Portofino Bay |
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| Genova: June 27, 1950, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy at Hotel Miramare |
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| Portofino, 1950s: Hedy Lamar waves to the crowd from a yacht |
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| Portofino, July 16, 1961: Maria Callas on a cruise with Aristotle Onassis and Winston Churchill |
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| Alonso up high |
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| Looking down |
There was a small exhibit about Alfons von Mumm (1859-1924) and his wife Jeannie von Mumm (née Watt). Alfons was a German diplomat who restored a nearby villa in Portofino in 1911. In 1914, he was made an Honorary citizen of Portofino. The von Mumms moved into their villa permanently in 1920, following Alfons' retirement. Jeannie was born in Glasgow to a wealthy family in 1866. Her family had moved to Germany by the 1900s, where Jeannie published a book on women's fashion. She remained in the country following the outbreak of WWI and married renowned diplomat Alfons von Mumm in 1918.
Jeannie von Mumm became a folk hero for her actions in 1945, saving Portofino from destruction during the dying days of WWII. The local commander had received an order to destroy the village. Jeannie, who was fluent in German, had a conversation with Commander Ernst Reimers. According to her adopted daughter who witnessed the conversation, Jeannie told him that "he would violate the laws of humanity, and that this atrocity would return like a boomerang to his own head." Reimers did not destroy the village and later wrote to her on October 28, 1945 stating that he was glad he had followed her advice. Jeannie was made an honorary citizen of Portofino in 1949, in recognition of her role in saving the city. She died in 1953.
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| The Von Mumms |
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| Family photos |
There was a small exhibit by Julian Schabel entitled "Pini" (Pines). They were pictures of the very tall pines in Portofino painted on maps of the area.
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Inside the Castle--- I really wish I had a sun dress for this trip
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The Soldiers' Room
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| The money shot--- Portofino in the background |
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| Beautiful views- very quiet at the Castle |
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| Looks just like the Hotel Portofino shots! |
We walked down from the Castle and walked around the entire harbour.
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| Castle at the top left |
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| Photo from the other side of the harbour |
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| Another bar in the Harbour |
We walked around the side of the harbour we had not explored before our hike to the Castle. We passed by La Gritta, which opened in 1954 as American-Bar. In the 60s and 70s it was the meeting place for the international jet set that docked in Portofino. It was renovated in 2001.
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| In front of the famous La Gritta restaurant |
There were small fishing boats as well as large boats in the harbour.
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| Boats in the Portofino harbour |
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| Another view |
We walked up a few streets from the main street, and found a quieter residential area.
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A quiet street in Portofino
We stopped back at Canale to get a walnut tart, another Genovese specialty. It was much quieter at the bakery then when we first got to Portofino. |
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| Canale bakery- lots of choices |
We caught the 3:00 p.m. bus from Portofino. As we were heading to Santa Margherita Ligure, I managed to get a quick photo of the wonderful beach at Baia di Paraggi, where there is actually sand!
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| Sun bathers in October!! |
We decided to stop in the town of Santa Margherita Ligure, which has a permanent population of around 9600. The main part of the town is only a five minute walk from the train station. It was very quiet compared to Portofino. We wandered a bit and then went to the harbour. Many people stay in Santa Margherita which has more reasonably priced food and accommodations and take day trips to Portofino.
The proprietor was very friendly and brought his phone with Google translate to chat with us. He told us that there has been a restaurant at this location for 50 years. He and his wife have had the restaurant for the past 12 years. The owner does the serving and the wife is the cook. Small menu and everything home- made. The prices are very reasonable and the menu has typical Genovese dishes. Highly reviewed.
The owner had some family pictures behind one of the cases. He told us that his grandfather's brother had been killed in WWI fighting against Austria-Hungary. A very interesting evening at the restaurant. As we were leaving, his daughter came in and went to the kitchen to see her mom.
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| Relaxin' before the meal |
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| Alonso with the delicious trofie pasta, pesto, potatoes and green beans |
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| I had a plate of delicious breaded anchovies |
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| Cheers from Au Café |
As we walked back to the apartment, we passed the small square with the lit up murals.
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| Night vision... |
There were also some reflected light signs on the pavement. This one read "community". Definitely adds some light to a very narrow street.
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Community
We enjoyed our visit to Portofino- well worth a day trip. It still really captures an earlier era of the "Dolce Vita" when Portofino was the playground of the rich and famous. However, we would not recommend staying there. Way too expensive (5 euro coffees, instead of 1.40 euros and 27 euro drinks, instead of 7 euros) and crowded. The hike to the Castle was a real treat and the views were spectacular. If one does want to stay on the Italian Riviera, Santa Margherita Ligure would be a better choice. Very pretty town, a short bus ride from Portofino, and the prices are much more in line with reality. |
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