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AREA:
10 sq km.
POPULATION:
5,827 HEIGHT
FROM SEA LEVEL (m): 32 WEB
SITE:
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Lying
in the Golfo Paradiso to the west of Portofino promontory, this is one of
the best known seaside towns on the Eastern Riviera. Above all, visitors
are struck by the lively colours and decorations on the façades of the
buildings lining the old wharf, which was built under the Republic of
Genoa in the eighteenth century. The imposing style of the buildings bears
witness to a prosperity that is much more ancient than the prosperity that
now owes itself to the modern-day tourist trade: until last century,
Camogli was not only a fishing village but also the home of shipbuilders
who were famous worldwide. The handicraft production of model ships is a
curious leftover of this glorious past. There are still many fishermen
even today: you can see them at work, for example, if you follow them by
boat to the tunney-fishing area off Punta Chiappa. On the second Sunday in
May you can see the largest fry-up in the world: fish is fried in enormous
frying-pans for the feast of San Fortunato, who is joint patron saint of
the town together with San Prospero. This is also a good time to taste the
local rum and cream pastries called "camogliesi". The mortal
remains of San Fortunato and some relics of San Prospero are kept in the
parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the twelfth century on a
small promontory that is also the original town centre. Next to this
stands the castle of Dragona, which dates from the same period and has
been destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions. Portofino Nature Park has
flora of rare natural beauty, as you will see if you take the road to the
Abbey of San Fruttuoso. This can be reached either by means of a path that
takes you past the church of San Rocco or by boat, which rounds the
promontory of Punta Chiappa and goes through the Cala dell'Oro. According
to tradition, this eight-century abbey was built to house the remains of
the martyr San Fruttuoso. The fishing village, however, is much older,
going back to at least the second or third century AD. The abbey was built
in the thirteenth century at the behest of the Doria family, many of whom
were buried here. If you go diving, you will be able to admire the
celebrated "Cristo degli Abissi", a statue by Guido Galletti,
which was let down into the sea in 1954 for the protection of sailors.
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