Castello Brown (Portofino)

Castello Brown stands on the wooded headland directly above Portofino's harbour, a fortress whose origins as the Castello di San Giorgio go back to the 16th century, when it guarded the approaches to the bay. After Italian unification it was sold and, from the 1860s, transformed into a private residence by Montague Yeats Brown, the British consul in Genoa, who gave it the name it still carries and planted the two large pines that frame the terrace. Opened to the public, it is now reached by a short uphill walk of ten to fifteen minutes from the Piazzetta along a stepped path past the church of San Giorgio. Inside, visitors find a small museum with period rooms, historic photographs and changing exhibitions, but the real draw is the panoramic terrace, which offers the single most famous view over Portofino: straight down onto the crescent harbour, the pastel houses and the yachts, with the Gulf of Tigullio beyond. A visit takes around forty-five minutes to an hour. Tickets are sold only at the door, with a higher summer price, so visitors should bring cash or a card. The castle opens daily with seasonal hours, longer in summer. It is rarely as crowded as the harbour below, and the best light for the view falls in the late afternoon, when the harbour glows. The terraced gardens and the framed harbour view are the photographs to seek out. Set within the Portofino regional park in eastern Liguria, the castle combines naturally with a walk on to the lighthouse on the point.