Portofino, Famous for Love Songs
Portofino (Portofin) is a small Italian fishing village and tourist resort located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town crowded round its small harbour is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports. It is a popular yachting destination.
Some say Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf. After changing of possession among several small states in the gulf region such as Republic of Genoa, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815 and finally joined the unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The town is known to be among the most popular tourism resorts in the world, today. It was in the late 19th century however that tourism began to flourish in this fishing town at the time. In fact, after several northern European aristocratic tourists began to visit Portofino, more and more holiday resort houses were built by expatriates very rapidly. In a short time Portofino was known for its tourism which surpassed fishing, the main revenue source for the town until that time, and one could see a ring of restaurants and cafés along the beautiful the waterfront
In such a small town walking around would be a good idea to explore the place. In fact, many hotels and beaches are within a walking distance from the harbour. Some prefer to explore the area on a boat which are available for rent in the harbour. Another alternative would be to visit regional towns like Paraggi on a moped
There are sites and buildings worth seeing in this small town. However the most impressive thing about Portofino is the lifestyle which could be your number one priority really, when you plan your trip
Among the historical sites worth seeing are; Castello Brown (16th century), Church of St. Martin (Divo Martino, 12th century). Church of St. George, housing some saints’ relics, Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta, in Gothic style.
If there is one sight you should not miss seeing it is the view from the harbour. The beaches in the region are also worth spending the entire day
Editor