What to do in Genoa in one day. A sea route from Genoa to San Fruttuoso and Portofino
- immobiliarepep
- Jun 23
- 8 min read
An authentic itinerary along the Riviera di Levante
There are summer days when the sea in Genoa doesn't ask for permission.
It just calls you.
It happens in June, when the light lingers on building facades and the air already carries that faint saltiness that signals the full season ahead. On days like these, the idea of hopping on a ferry and heading east along the coast feels like the only sensible thing to do.
I've known this route my whole life. At seventeen, my first romantic date was a trip to San Fruttuoso — one of those places that choose you, not the other way around. Then I lived two years in Ruta di Camogli, and whenever I could I'd walk down to Porto Pidocchio, where at Spadin you eat with the sea right below your feet and no one's in a rush.
That Liguria is still out there. And it's worth going to find it.
This route from Genoa to San Fruttuoso and Portofino is one of the most beautiful in Liguria: a full day by sea along the Riviera di Levante.
The starting point: Porto Antico and the Lanterna that never leaves you
The day begins at Porto Antico di Genova, the point where all the city's threads tie together before the sea. Those staying at Acquario House, right in the heart of the old city, reach it almost naturally: a few minutes on foot and you're already on the pier, coffee in hand, with the city starting to fall behind you.
And while you're on the ferry, take a moment.
The Lanterna di Genova is right there, tall above the harbor, white and silent. It's been the symbol of the city for nearly nine hundred years, and it has one quality that few people truly notice: it never stops watching you. As the ferry pulls away from the dock and Genoa shrinks to a line on the horizon, the Lanterna stays in the background — a gaze that follows you even when you're no longer looking for it.
Nervi: the first breath outside the city
The tall colorful houses, the narrow harbor, the boats pulled up onto the shore. It's one of those places that photography never quite captures, because what makes it beautiful is the sound: the engines, the voices, the water slapping against the hulls.
The coast starts scrolling by almost immediately, and Nervi arrives quietly. No announcements, no signs shouting for attention. Just the Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi opening onto the rocks, the nineteenth-century villas tucked into the green, the sea changing color depending on where the light falls. That's the moment you stop thinking about the city. And you realize the day has actually begun.
Camogli: the village that looks painted, but lives by the sea
Then comes Camogli.
The tall colorful houses, the narrow harbor, the boats pulled up onto the shore. It's one of those places that photography never quite captures, because what makes it beautiful is the sound: the engines, the voices, the water slapping against the hulls.
When I lived in Ruta, I'd come down here often. The warm focaccia from Revello on the pier, the creuze — the narrow stone lanes that climb toward the hills — the feeling of a village that never stopped being itself, despite everything.
You don't visit Camogli. You pass through it.
For those who love hiking
If you love walking, you can start from the Camogli train station. From there, you climb a long staircase up to the hamlet of San Rocco di Camogli. Past the church of San Rocco, follow the signs toward San Nicolò di Capodimonte and descend through a steep but scenic stairway through Mediterranean scrub. The walk takes about 45–60 minutes and involves significant elevation changes.
It leads down to Porto Pidocchio, where you'll find Spadin: tables practically on the water, real Ligurian cooking, and no hurry. For the more seasoned hikers, the headland trails continue all the way to Portofino. It's the wildest part of Liguria — the kind you can't reach by boat.
Porto Pidocchio: the Liguria that doesn't dress up
Past Camogli, the coast turns rougher. Porto Pidocchio is a tongue of rock pushing firmly into the sea. This tiny maritime stop sits tucked against the famous rocky spit of Punta Chiappa, deep inside the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino.
The water is deep, the silence almost unsettling after the noise of Camogli. It's not a place for everyone — and maybe that's exactly the point.
San Fruttuoso: where time actually stops
The bay of San Fruttuoso opens up suddenly, after the coast seemed unwilling to give way.
Reachable only by sea or through the headland trails, it's a place that asks for respect from the moment you arrive. The medieval abbey mirrors itself in the water, the boats rock lazily, the beach is small and almost intimate. Underwater, a few meters from the shore, the Cristo degli Abissi keeps its silent watch — since 1954, one of the most powerful symbols of maritime Liguria.
The first time I went there I was seventeen. I still knew almost nothing about the Ligurian sea.
And yet I understood immediately that this place was different.
Some things don't change.
The legend of the angel and the dragon
The bay of San Fruttuoso is not just beautiful. It's a place that carries the weight of a very long history, with a legend worth telling.
It was 716 AD. Bishop Prospero of Tarragona was fleeing Spain, then under Muslim occupation, carrying with him the relics of three martyrs: Fructuosus, Augurius and Eulogius. He sailed north without knowing where to stop. A storm caught them off the headland of Portofino. Then an angel appeared in a dream, promising to lead them to safety in a crevice of the mountain — on the condition that they drive out a plague-carrying dragon that lived there, and build a church where, beneath the rock, a spring flowed.
The spring still exists. The church was built. And the dragon, apparently, was never seen again.
Monks, Doria and fishermen: a thousand years in one bay
The first settlements probably date back to the sixth century: Benedictine monks who lived by the rule, copied books, farmed the land, and owned nothing of their own. The abbey as we see it today — with the cloister, the arches and the loggia facing the sea — took shape between the 10th and 13th centuries.
In the 13th century, the powerful Genoese Doria family took over the patronage of the complex, converting part of the abbey into their family necropolis. The noble tombs — seven Doria members who died between 1275 and 1305 — are in alternating white marble and grey stone, in the classic Ligurian two-tone style. There is also a Roman sarcophagus whose contents no one knows for certain.
Then the monks left. The complex was taken over by fishermen, who adapted the spaces to their needs. A community formed that lived by working erba lisca — a plant from the Portofino headland, softened by soaking and hand-spun to make nets and ropes for ships.
In 1916 a devastating flood struck the abbey. In 1983 the Doria Pamphilj family donated the entire complex to FAI (the Italian National Trust), which restored it and opened it to visitors.
A place that has welcomed saints, admirals, fishermen and tourists. In that order.
The Cristo degli Abissi: a story of friendship, sea and cast bronze
Underwater, a few meters from the shore, the Cristo degli Abissi keeps its silent watch. Since 1954, one of the most powerful symbols of maritime Liguria.
The story behind it is human, beautiful and bittersweet all at once. It was born from an idea by Duilio Marcante, after the death of his friend Dario Gonzatti during a dive in 1947. Gonzatti was one of Italy's first scuba divers. Marcante wanted something permanent on the seabed of that sea: a sign of peace, not of mourning.
To cast the statue, donations were collected from around the world: ship propellers, Olympic medals and valor awards, even the small bronze coins offered as ex-votos by a mother whose son had disappeared at sea. On August 29, 1954, the statue — 2.50 meters tall and weighing 800 kilograms — was lowered to the seabed at 17 meters depth by the Italian Navy. Pope Pius XII sent his blessing and a medallion, which is still present at the foot of the statue.
It has been there ever since, in silence. In summer the tourists pass by, in winter the dolphins of the Cetacean Sanctuary. Between its open arms, anchovies school in tight balls. Algae dot its face like freckles.
A copy of the statue has been placed in the church of San Fruttuoso, for those who cannot dive. Another copy stands in Key Largo, Florida.
How to see it: bring a mask and fins. It sits about 300 meters from the beach, reachable by swimming, kayak, or SUP. Watch out for heavy boat traffic in summer.
The Cristo degli Abissi Procession at the end of August
If you find yourself in Liguria on August 29th, don't miss this evening.
From every small harbor around, from Pegli all the way to Sestri Levante, boats set off toward San Fruttuoso. As soon as it gets dark, a procession of faithful carrying lit torches descends from the abbey down to the beach. Then volunteer divers, suited up in their wetsuits, swim at the surface of the water toward Capo Croce, directly above the Cristo statue.
A particular silence falls over the village. It's one of those moments you never forget.
Portofino: beauty that resists itself
Continuing on, the ferry skirts the headland and arrives at Portofino.
Seen from the mainland it risks looking like nothing more than an elegant showcase. Seen from the sea it's a different thing entirely: a village clinging to the rock, pastel-colored houses wedged between the scrubland and the water, steep paths climbing toward the lighthouse.
It's worth landing. Climbing toward Castello Brown and the church of San Giorgio with the view over the gulf, or simply sitting in the piazzetta and watching the world go by. Portofino's beauty is not the kind you see in advertisements. It's the kind that endures, in spite of everything.
The return: the most beautiful light of the day
The late afternoon return has something magical about it. The coast turns golden, the sea grows calmer, everything slows down.
The Lanterna di Genova comes back into view from far off, before the city itself is even visible.
As if it had been waiting for you.
An intense day. A way of understanding that Liguria is not just something to see — it's something to move through slowly, following the sea. And perhaps that's exactly why, in the end, you always want to come back.
How to plan your day: By ferry with Golfo Paradiso Regular departures from Genoa to Nervi, Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino during the summer season. Perfect for a scenic, stress-free day. Check schedules and tickets at golfoparadiso.it By private boat/tender with Diva Charter: For our guests, an exclusive partnership: departure from the Waterfront di Levante, flexible times, stops wherever you want, coves reachable only by sea. With a 10% discount reserved for guests staying in our homes. Those departing from Waterfront Porto Antico House or Waterfront Acquario House have the advantage of already being there, just steps from the dock. |
Our homes All P&P House homes are designed to experience Genoa from the inside, not as a tourist. Acquario House: historic center, Salita San Siro. A few minutes' walk from Porto Antico. Waterfront Porto Antico House and Waterfront Acquario House are located in the brand-new Waterfront di Levante, a masterplan donated by architect Renzo Piano, and the ideal starting point for Diva Charter. Arena Albaro House: Albaro neighborhood, inside Arena Albaro Village. |
Photo credits
Cover photo: Erin Doering via Unsplash
Porto Antico / Lanterna section: Øystein Jaeger Paulsen via Pexels
Nervi section: Corbett Campbell via Unsplash
Camogli section: Domenico Adornato via Unsplash
San Fruttuoso section (pines / trees): Sara Monari
Nervi section (sea with headland): Manuela Scarcella
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