For 2,000 years, Portofino has attracted the great and wealthy from Pliny the Elder (Roman philosopher) to billionaire Elon Musk.
You may have heard of Cinque Terre and Camogli, but have you heard of Portofino? Portofino is another beautiful Italian village, located on a peninsula in Tigullio Golf, Liguria region in northern Italy.
This quaint village is not only famous for its colorful houses lining the picturesque harbor, it is also recognized as a safe retreat for the rich and famous.
In the late 19th century, a number of foreigners began building luxury vacation homes along the harbor. Fishing was eventually replaced by tourism, making it the village’s main source of income by the 1950s.
Today, this fishing village is full of luxury hotels, shops, and cafes. But Portofino has much more to offer than its lavish amenities. You can explore the hilltop castle overlooking the village or enjoy activities such as canoeing, swimming and diving.
Portofino has a very small area, it used to be a former fishing port with a population of about 379 people. But given its reputation and location near Liguria and the beautiful coastal villages of Cinque Terre, this is an extremely ideal place to visit.
In the first century AD, Pliny the Elder, the greatest writer of the era, a famous Roman philosopher, came to this place.
In 1867, Montague Yeats-Brown – a 19th-century British diplomat – bought Castello Brown – a stronghold on the hill above the harbor, now a museum not to be missed when visiting Portofino.
Actor Rex Harrison bought a mansion in Portofino and built it into a place to hold epic parties.
In 2023, many famous people in Hollywood came here to travel, such as Grace Kelly – Princess of Monaco, comedian Charlie Chaplin, Maria Callas and Winston Churchill… More recently, Beyoncé came here to travel.
Elon Musk also came here with his girlfriend Grimes and his children.
The super-rich like to come to Portofino by water, mooring their super yachts in this gentle bay.
The beauty of Portofino is undeniable, most people who come here cannot forget the poetic and peaceful scenery of this place. Every corner here is beautiful, worthy of being one of the top resorts in Italy.
