About Genoa, Portofino & Rapallo

Genoa

Genoa (Italian, Genova), with its dizzying mix of the old and new, of sophistication and squalor, is as multi-layered as the hills it clings to! It was and is, first and foremost, a maritime trading port: originally as an important maritime centre for the Roman Empire, boyhood home of Christopher Columbus (whose much-restored house still stands near a section of the medieval walls) and, fuelled by seafaring commerce that stretched all the way to the Middle East, one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Renaissance Europe. 

Now the City Port Authority control the port area which has high security but contains within its fences a wealth of service businesses offering every maritime skill any yacht would require. The port is a maze – just like the road system which is like spaghetti running above, below and around the city!

Portofino / Rapallo

Portofino sits on a peninsula in the Tigullio Golf east of Genoa, in Liguria – a small region in size, but has the highest density of yacht berths in Italy! The resort of Portofino with that Riviera touch, has long been fashionable with what we once called 'the jet set'! 

Portofino thus became a favourite with Hollywood stars - Princess Grace, Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. Set within an area of stunning natural beauty, is the protected Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino; the town today is a chic berth for yachts of the rich and famous.

There is much to see here…A picturesque, half-moon shaped seaside village with pastel houses lining the shore of the harbour, Portofino has shops, restaurants, cafes, and luxury hotels. The crystalline green waters reveal a myriad display of aquatic life. A castle sits atop the hill overlooking the village. 

The town of Rapallo - an attractive but more industrial area for this region is where many of the services listed are based.

The sea region is a national park / Riserva Marina Portofino and there are many areas where anchoring is not permitted. The area is zoned according to allowed activities and large yachts will require an agency to deal with this.