What is Camogli known for?

The nineteenth-century merchant-sailing fleet that made Camogli Italy's third maritime power in the Mediterranean. Second Sunday of May, thirty thousand portions of fish fried in a single giant pan on the wharf, in honor of San Fortunato. Eleventh-century Benedictine abbey in the next cove, reachable by boat or by foot across the Portofino peninsula.

Camogli is a comune in the province of Genova, Liguria region of Italy, about 27 kilometers from Genova.

Liguria · Genova

Camogli

A fishing village on the Golfo Paradiso whose nineteenth-century fleet of a thousand white sails made it Italy's third maritime power in the Mediterranean.

27 km / 17 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

4,977

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Bandiera Blu

Why come

Camogli sits on the west side of the Portofino peninsula, twenty kilometers from Genova on the Golfo Paradiso. The earliest record dates to the tenth century, when it was already a tuna and shrimp fishing port. By the nineteenth century, the town's fleet of merchant sailing ships ran to several hundred vessels and Camogli was called the city of a thousand white sails. After the naval defeat at Abukir against the British, the camogliesi shipowners reinvested in building merchant sailers under contract to the major European states. The painted façades of the seafront houses, with their false windows and trompe-l'oeil cornices, served the returning sailors as recognition marks from sea. The Castello della Dragonara, built in the thirteenth century, still guards the harbor. Every second Sunday of May, the Sagra del Pesce fries thirty thousand portions of fish in a single giant pan on the wharf, in honor of San Fortunato. San Fruttuoso, the eleventh-century abbey reachable by boat or trail, sits in the next cove.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello della Dragonara
Thirteenth-century fortress guarding the harbor, used as municipal seat and now a venue for exhibitions and cultural events.
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Parish basilica next to the castle on the harbor, baroque interior with marble inlays and seventeenth-century paintings.
Abbazia di San Fruttuoso
Eleventh-century Benedictine abbey in the next cove, reachable by boat or by the coastal trail across the Portofino peninsula.
Punta Chiappa
Rocky promontory on the south side of the peninsula, with deep-water swimming and views back to the painted façades.
Parco naturale regionale di Portofino
Regional park covering the Portofino peninsula, with trails between Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino and Santa Margherita.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the strongest months for the Camogli seafront, with mild evenings and clean water before the Genova weekend traffic peaks. The Sagra del Pesce on the second Sunday of May is the date that fills the wharf. July and August are warm, often 28 to 30 degrees, and the painted-façade harbor fills with day-trippers off the Genova trains. The trail to San Fruttuoso runs year-round but is best in spring and autumn when the Portofino park is dry. November to February is the calmest stretch and the bakeries still keep daily focaccia.