Free Walking Tour Portofino: Harbour, Castle, Lighthouse

Five Stops of Your Portofino Walking Tour

1. 1

   Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta)

   

   On the map this square is Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta. Everyone in Portofino calls it the Piazzetta, and that is exactly what it is: the small square at the head of the harbour, where the quay begins and the whole village seems to gather itself into one place. It is public and free, and there is no door here that can be closed on you.

   Use it to set up your day. The museum just along the quay keeps a seasonal calendar and Castello Brown charges entry, so decide now which of the two you want to see inside and how much time you want to give them. The whole route runs 2.1 km from here to the lighthouse, and this square is its starting point.

   To go on, look for Molo Umberto I, the pier that leads you out of the square. The Museo del Parco is 160 metres along it, two minutes on foot.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta) on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Museo del Parco

   

   Two minutes along the quay, on the right, stands the only museum on the route. The Museo del Parco opens only during part of the year, so more scheduling hangs on this doorway than on any other stop of the walk.

   If the door is shut, walk on without regret: you have spent two minutes, and the church is just two minutes further. If it is open and you have time, go in, but keep the visit in proportion. It is a small museum on a quay, not the reason you came to Portofino, and the walk works just as well without it.

   From here it is 130 metres, two minutes, to the Chiesa di San Giorgio.

   Hours

   Jun–Sep: Wed–Mon 10:00–13:00, 15:00–19:00, Tue closed (closed in winter / Oct–May)

   Website

   museodiportofino.it ↗

   Location

   Museo del Parco on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Chiesa di San Giorgio

   

   You reach the Chiesa di San Giorgio along Salita San Giorgio, the street that leads up to it from the village's main square. That street was widened in 1691, at the same time as the church itself was reworked, so even the way you arrive is part of its story.

   A plaque inside dates the Romanesque church to 1154. Something older turned up when it was rebuilt after the Second World War: excavations uncovered an ancient chapel with a square plan. After the changes of 1691, a further restoration and enlargement followed in 1760.

   Then the war reached Portofino. A bomb dropped by a diving fighter-bomber destroyed the church entirely. What you see today is the rebuilding finished in 1950, carried out by the villagers themselves and paid for with their own money. They gave it new altars and furnishings but kept to the layout of 1760, so the shape is eighteenth century while almost everything in it is postwar.

   Go inside if you can. Kept here are the relics of St George, Portofino's patron saint, brought home by local sailors returning from the Crusades, and here too hangs the plaque with the date 1154. A quarter of an hour is enough for most visitors.

   Castello Brown is 520 metres further, about seven minutes on foot, and it shares the saint: as a Genoese fort it was once called the Castello di San Giorgio.

   Location

   Chiesa di San Giorgio on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Castello Brown

   

   Castello Brown stands above the harbour, and once you are here you see why: the spot is made for guarding the port, and it seems to have been used that way since Roman times. Fortifications from the fourth century AD have been found beneath the present building, and the records mention a castrum and a turris. Richard the Lionheart stayed here for several days on his way to the Third Crusade.

   For centuries this was one of the two key coastal fortresses of the Republic of Genoa, together with Ventimiglia, held by a garrison under a patrician castellano. Because Portofino was an important harbour, the castle was drawn into naval battles between the 13th and the 19th century. It held out against the Genoese admiral Aitone D'Oria in 1330, a Venetian fleet in 1431 and the British Navy in 1814, and in 1575 it helped beat off an attack on the town by Giovanni Andrea Doria. In 1442 it housed two bombards firing stone balls; cannon batteries followed in the early 16th century, and around 1554 the military engineer Giovanni Maria Olgiati drew plans for a full fortress. The enlargement of 1622 and 1624 gave it the form it kept for roughly 150 years.

   Its military role ended around 1600 and it slowly became more of a residence. When the coast grew peaceful in the early 19th century, the castle was abandoned. Some decades later the English consul bought it and remodelled it into a villa; his descendants kept it until 1949, when it was sold to an English couple who restored several ruined parts. In 1961 the City of Portofino bought it and has opened it to the public ever since.

   Readers may feel they know it already: Elizabeth von Arnim set her 1922 novel The Enchanted April here, and scenes of the 1991 film were shot on site. The castle charges entry. It is worth it if you like military history, love The Enchanted April or want to see how a fortress became an English villa; allow about 45 minutes. If not, the walls from outside still tell much of the story.

   The longest leg comes next: 1280 metres, about 17 minutes, out to the Portofino Lighthouse.

   Hours

   Daily: Apr–May 10:00–19:00, Jun–Aug 10:00–21:00, Sep 10:00–19:00, Oct 10:00–18:00, Nov–Mar 10:00–16:00 (Jan only Sat–Sun 10:30–17:30); last entry 30 min before closing

   Price

   10 EUR full, children under 12 free

   Website

   castellobrown.com ↗

   Location

   Castello Brown on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Portofino Lighthouse

   

   The walk ends at the western tip of the peninsula, where the Portofino Lighthouse, the Faro di Portofino, looks out over the Gulf of Tigullio. Visiting is free.

   Don't expect a tall tower. Built in 1917, it is a white square tower only 3.7 metres high, with a balcony and lantern, attached to a two-storey white keeper's house. The height comes from the site: the grey metal lantern sits 40 metres above the sea.

   It is still in service. Every five seconds it sends out one white flash, visible up to 16 nautical miles, about 30 km, away. No keeper lives here any more: the light is fully automated, runs on solar power and is operated by the Italian Navy, the Marina Militare, under the code number 1675 E.F.

   This is the end of the route. It does not loop back to the Piazzetta, so take a moment here before you head back to the village.

   Local name

   Faro di Portofino

   Hours

   Mon–Tue: 10:30–16:30 | Wed: Closed | Thu–Sun: 10:30–16:30

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Portofino Lighthouse on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways Through Portofino

The route is short, but you can still shape it around your time and your budget.

Harbour and church

Stops: 1, 2, 3

For a quick look between other plans: the Piazzetta, the Museo del Parco if it is open, and the Chiesa di San Giorgio. Only 4 minutes of walking, no ticket needed apart from the museum. About half an hour, an hour with the museum.

The castle story

Stops: 1, 3, 4

For history readers: from the Piazzetta past the museum to the church and on to Castello Brown, 11 minutes of walking. Castello Brown is the only ticket. About an hour and a half with an unhurried castle visit.

The whole walk without tickets

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 5

For a free day: walk the full 2.1 km, 29 minutes on foot, see Castello Brown from outside and carry on to the lighthouse, which is free. About an hour and a half.

How Long Does the Portofino Tour Take with the Castle?

The first three stops sit within four minutes of each other; then the route stretches out, with 7 minutes to Castello Brown and 17 more to the lighthouse.

With time at the square, a quarter of an hour in the church, about 45 minutes inside the castle and a pause at the lighthouse, the full walk takes about two hours. Going into the museum as well brings it to about two and a half.

Before You Set Off from the Piazzetta

• Start and finish: The recommended start is the Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta), but you can join at any stop. The route ends at the Portofino Lighthouse, not back at the harbour, so keep time and energy for the way back.
• Time of day: Go in the daytime, ideally starting in the morning, so a castle visit and the lighthouse fit in without hurry.
• Tickets: Castello Brown charges entry; the Piazzetta and the lighthouse are free. For the Museo del Parco you learn the entry at the door.
• Navigation: Open the free GPS route in your browser; it leads you from stop to stop.

Portofino Questions Before You Go