Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
without having to worry about bus or ferry schedules. Portofino isn't cheap, but
this is your chance to overnight in one of the prettiest places on earth, along with
the privileged few bobbing in the bay. Either book yourself into
Hotel Eden
(
%
0185-269091; www.hoteledenportofino.com),
which has doubles for
€
140 to
€
160, and which is a few strides from the harbor. Or—if the occasion warrants
it (and surely you can find a reason?!)—extend the mortgage and book into the
Splendido (see “A Splurge in the World's Most Romantic Hotel,” above).
€
Bizarrely enough, I recently had one of my cheapest meals (a most delicious
Stracchino cheese pizza for
7) in Portofino.
El Portico
is a few steps down Via
Roma (the lane that runs up from the harbor to the bus stop;
%
0185-269239),
and right opposite the Pucci shop, so you can watch (as I did) middle-aged
socialites parade in Pucci cat-suits for their bored husbands while the butler waits
outside.
WHY YOU'RE HERE: THE TOP SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
The
Abbey of San Fruttuoso
(
%
0185-772703;
€
4, children
€
2.50; May-Sept
daily 10am-6pm, Mar-Apr and Oct Tues-Sun 10am-4pm, Dec-Feb only for holidays,
closed Nov)
is the oldest remnant of the Benedictine empire that flourished along
this coast between the 13th and 18th centuries. Tucked away in a beautiful cove
between Portofino and Camogli, this modest complex—built with money from the
once-powerful Doria clan—was the heart of the Order, with jurisdiction over some
10 churches, a few as far afield as Sardinia. Today San Fruttuoso is still only acces-
sible by boat or on foot; sadly that does not mean it isn't crowded with day-trippers
who come in by the boatload. For the most atmospheric visit, try to get here early;
alternatively, settle into one of the seven rooms on offer at
Da Giovanni
(
%
0185-770047;
€
180 double, steep given that rooms share bathrooms)
and
you can have it all to yourself in the evenings when the day-trippers finally leave.
But the real treasure lies in San Fruttuoso's bay. Seventeen meters (56 ft.)
below the surface of the translucent water is
Il Cristo degli Abissi (Christ of the
Abyss)
€
555
, his arms outstretched and eyes ever-imploring since being sub-
merged here in 1954. On the last Saturday in July, garlands of flowers float down
in memory of all those who have lost their lives at sea. You'd have to be made of
stone not to be moved. You can either swim or dive out to the statue
(
B&B Diving
Centre;
%
0185-772751; www.bbdiving.it),
or hire the services of a water taxi.
Less visited but equally worthwhile is the
Abbey of La Cervara
(Via Cervara,
10;
%
0185-293139; www.cervara.it),
situated high up on a headland east of
Portofino village. It has beautiful sea views from the Belvedere Terrace, but the
gardens are the real delight here, particularly the immaculately maintained
Renaissance-style
Monumental Garden,
with box hedges pruned in rigid geomet-
rical shapes. It's open only on the first and third Sunday of the month
(
%
800-652110; visite@cervara.it),
but if gardens are your thing, head for
Santa's
Villa Durazzo
(
%
0185-293135; free admission; summer Tues-Sun
9:30am-6:30pm, winter closes 4:30pm),
clearly visible on the hill around which
the town spreads. While it's not essential that you enter the 17th-century villa
(worthwhile only if you're not planning to see the
palazzi
in Genoa), the elevated
and shady gardens, with their classical statues and pruned hedges, are a great place
to enjoy a little peace and quiet, and an ideal spot for a picnic. (On the staircase
