๐ฎ๐น Portofino is an Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its picturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is a comune located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century, Portofino has attracted tourism of the European aristocracy and it is now a resort for the world's jet set.
History Pliny the Elder (AD 23 โ AD 79) referred to Portus Delphini (Port of the Dolphin) as on the Ligurian coast between Genoa and the Gulf of Tigullio.
The village is mentioned in a diploma from 986 by Adelaide of Italy, which assigned it to the nearby Abbey of San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte. In 1171, together with the neighbouring Santa Margherita Ligure, it was included in Rapallo's commune jurisdiction. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. The town's natural harbour supported a fleet of fishing boats, but was somewhat too cramped to provide more than a temporary safe haven for the growing merchant marine of the Republic of Genoa.
In 1409, when Charles VI of France was Doge of Genoa, he sold Portofino to the Republic of Florence. When Charles was ousted from Genoa, the Florentines gave it back. In the 15th century it was a fief of families such as the Fieschi, Spinola, Adorno, and Doria.
In 1815, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, of the unified Kingdom of Italy.
In the late 19th century, first British, then other Northern European aristocratic tourists began to visit Portofino, which they reached by horse and cart from Santa Margherita Ligure. Aubrey Herbert and Elizabeth von Arnim were among the more famous English people to make the area fashionable. Eventually, more expatriates built expensive holiday houses, and by 1950, tourism had replaced fishing as the town's chief industry, and the waterfront was a continuous ring of restaurants and cafรฉs.
Tourist Industry โข Statue of Christ of the Abyss, placed underwater on 29 August 1954 in the inlet at a depth of 17 metres (56ย ft). This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, who died in 1947. Sculpted by Guido Galletti, it represents Christ in the act of blessing while looking up towards the sky with open arms in a sign of peace. โข Castello Brown (16th century). โข Church of St. Martin (Divo Martino, 12th century). โข Church of St. George, housing some saints' relics. โข Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta, in Gothic style.
Portofino has a population of over 439 people. Portofino also forms part of the wider Genoa Metropolitan City which has a population of over 1,500,000 people. Portofino is situated 36 km south-east of Genoa.
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Portofino has links with:
๐บ๐ธ Belvedere, USA ๐ซ๐ท Cassis, France ๐ฎ๐ช Kinsale, Ireland ๐ช๐ธ Palma de Mallorca, Spain๐จ๐ฆ Peterborough 44.314
๐ซ๐ท Villefranche-de-Rouergue 44.351
๐บ๐ธ Montpelier 44.259
๐ฉ๐ช Reutlingen 9.215
๐ฉ๐ช Bad Cannstatt 9.215
๐ฎ๐น Cinisello Balsamo 9.217
๐ฎ๐น Sesto San Giovanni 9.231
๐ฉ๐ช Miltenberg 9.25
๐ฉ๐ช Stadthagen 9.2
๐ฉ๐ช Sigmaringen 9.2
๐ฉ๐ช Ludwigsburg 9.183
๐จ๐ญ Kreuzlingen 9.175
๐ฎ๐น Paderno Dugnano 9.167
๐ฉ๐ช Gelnhausen 9.167
Locations Near: Portofino 9.20777,44.3039
๐ฎ๐น Genoa 8.937,44.407 d: 24.4
๐ฎ๐น La Spezia 9.82,44.102 d: 53.7
๐ฎ๐น Voghera 9.01,44.992 d: 78.1
๐ฎ๐น Savona 8.483,44.3 d: 57.7
๐ฎ๐น Alessandria 8.61,44.909 d: 82.3
๐ฎ๐น Pavia 9.152,45.2 d: 99.7
๐ฎ๐น Piacenza 9.702,45.057 d: 92.4
๐ฎ๐น Carrara 10.1,44.067 d: 75.9
Antipodal to: Portofino -170.792,-44.304
๐น๐ด Nuku'alofa -175.216,-21.136 d: 17406.9
๐ฆ๐ธ Pago Pago -170.701,-14.279 d: 16676.5
๐ผ๐ธ Apia -171.76,-13.833 d: 16625.6
๐ต๐ซ Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 16438.9
๐บ๐ธ Hilo -155.089,19.725 d: 12718.4
๐บ๐ธ Maui -156.446,20.72 d: 12638.8
๐บ๐ธ Maui County -156.617,20.868 d: 12626.1
๐บ๐ธ Wailuku -156.505,20.894 d: 12621