Many Russians first heard about the Italian city of Portofino thanks to Zhanna Friske’s song. Meanwhile, several generations of Italians have associated this place with Hollywood stars, beautiful life and huge yachts.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, Portofino, hidden among the rocks of the Italian Riviera, was nothing more than a picturesque fishing village that fills the Liguria region.
But the 20th century, which brought popularity to the Riviera among the rich and famous, completely changed the life of Portofino. Foreigners were so delighted by the local bay and colorful houses that within a hundred years the residents of Portofino became the richest citizens of Italy. Thanks to its incredible popularity among tourists, Portofino, with a population of only about 500 people, has achieved city status.
Portofino is an ideal place for filming films about the beautiful life. In 1991, scenes were filmed here for Mike Newell’s The Witching April, which won two Golden Globes. In 2011, an imaginary Italian city was copied from Portofino for the cartoon “Cars 2”, and two years later the authors of “The Wolf of Wall Street” came here for the surroundings. In the US state of Florida they even made an almost exact copy of Portofino. Songs are sung in honor of Portofino – and not only Zhanna Friske: in 2012, Andrea Bocelli performed in the main square of the city with the concert “Love in Portofino”, where he sang the song of the same name.
To really feel the atmosphere of the celebration of life, it is better to go to the Riviera between May and September. At this time, yachts form traffic jams in Portofino Bay, and restaurants are open day and night – especially if there is a party of an Italian or Hollywood celebrity at night. There is not much space in Portofino, and actors have to celebrate their birthdays right on the terraces of restaurants on the square. Time in the city is spent drinking coffee in a restaurant overlooking the bay, comparing whose yacht is bigger, and seeing if the next celebrity has arrived. And if you ignore the yachts and stars, you can see dolphins in the sea: during the Roman Empire, the city received the name Portus Delfini – due to the large population of dolphins in the bay.
You can get to Portofino by car, train or boat. The train only goes to the city of Santa Margherita Ligure, and then you either need to take a bus for two euros or walk five kilometers. The option with a motor ship looks much more attractive: boats go from the Old Port of Genoa (20 euros round trip),
from Santa Margherita Ligure (15 euros) and from Rapallo (17 euros).
Regular airliners are also good because they allow you to stop in Portofino, walk around the city, and then go on the next flight to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso – without buying a new ticket. You can only get there by sea or on foot – there is no road here.
Despite its proximity to Portofino, San Fruttuoso offers tourists a completely different holiday. The abbey was built on the shore of a quiet bay, away from the noise of Portofino.
For those who have already had their fill of restaurants and boutiques, in San Fruttuoso there are museums in the abbey buildings, a church, a national reserve with waterfalls and a clean beach with blue water, which appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century after a severe flood .
Even though both Portofino and San Fruttuoso can be walked around in 40 minutes, it is worth spending a whole day here. In the morning, go for a walk around the reserve and swim in the abbey bay, in the evening, when the heat subsides, go to the shops and restaurants of Portofino, and at night – jump from a rented boat into the warm sea.
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Text author: Victoria Vladimirova
