Camogli

Camogli is a handsome former seafaring town of around 4,900 people on the Golfo Paradiso, on the western, quieter side of the Portofino peninsula. Its name is said to derive from casa delle mogli, the houses of the wives who kept the town running while their husbands were at sea, and its waterfront is famous for tall, narrow houses painted in warm ochres and pinks, many decorated with trompe-l'oeil windows, balconies and shutters that look real until you draw close. Set against them are the harbour with its fishing boats, the medieval Castello della Dragonara on its rocky point, and the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta beside the water. Visitors come to walk the seafront and harbour, swim from the pebble beach, eat the local focaccia and freshly fried fish, and catch boats around the peninsula to San Fruttuoso Abbey. A visit takes a half day. Every other May the town stages the celebrated Sagra del Pesce, when fish is fried in an enormous communal pan on the seafront and shared with the crowds. The painted waterfront, especially the row of tall houses reflected in the harbour, is the classic photograph, best in morning or late-afternoon light. Camogli sits on the main Genoa to La Spezia railway line, which makes it an easy and far cheaper base than Portofino for exploring the peninsula. It is busiest on summer weekends and during the Sagra; spring and early autumn are calmer. This authentic corner of eastern Liguria rewards travellers seeking atmosphere over glamour.