It’s one of the most beautiful towns in an Italian region with a roster of villages and hamlets known for their wow factor. Which may be why Camogli on the Italian Riviera has never really stepped out of the long and glamorous shadow of its neighbor Portofino or become a tourist mecca like the Cinque Terre. While the Milanese and Turinese have summered here for years and northern Europeans come for the sun and the splendid hiking trails crisscrossing the Portofino promontory, Camogli remains a cognoscenti favorite–it’s a slice of the Riviera from decades ago, before the designer stores came to line seaside promenades and celebrities to park their yachts in the marinas of better-known Ligurian towns.
Here are 7 reasons to visit if you’re contemplating a seaside jaunt to Italy.
1. Camogli is an exquisite village with a stage-set perfect seafront rimmed with gorgeously colored palazzi and houses. Building facades were painted in tones of apricot, cinnamon, and amber and decorated with trompe l’oeil architectural elements for practical as well as aesthetic reasons–it made the town easy for seamen to identify from the water. Camogli’s pragmatic beauty is an enduring reminder of the village’s longtime maritime power and history as a thriving seaport.
2. The low-key vibe. Camogli is not about the latest designer bikini or sandal, although it’s easy to find plenty of Mercedes, Alfas and Ranger Rovers in the parking lot of the Cenobio dei Dogi, the star property in town, where the King of Sweden once stayed. While the restaurants and wine bars lining the seaside promenade (Via Giuseppe Garibaldi) are hopping on a summer weekend, you don’t come to Camogli expecting to find an over-the-top nightlife, although places like Il Barcollo and the Pub La Cage Aux Folles draw a lively, young crowd.
3. A wide choice of restaurants along the seafront, many very reasonably priced. There are popular classics like La Camogliese and La Rotonda, and the wonderful La Piazzetta, with a terrace that juts out over the beach and positions you perfectly for amazing sunsets at dinner. La Piazzetta’s dynamo owner, Rosanna, makes you feel welcome, no matter how busy the place gets (which is very busy on weekends in season, so reserve). Try the delicious pastas (spaghetti alle vongole, trofie al pesto) and seafood (seared tuna, grilled sea bass, or the fresh catch of the day prepared Ligurian style). Behind Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, you’ll find the Michelin-starred Da Paolo (among the specialties are pastas made with squid like spaghetti ai totanetti and taglierini neri) and Sâ, a cozy spot perched above the marina known for its updated Ligurian classics.
4. Great local cooking. Since fishing is still a livelihood here (in the harbor you’ll see more fishing boats than yachts), the catch of the day served at many restaurants comes from Camogli’s surrounding waters. And there’s the divine local pesto with its sweet taste made from basil grown in the Ligurian hills. Try the trenette col pesto at La Primula (the traditional version comes with string beans and slices of potatoes) and lasagnette (large noodles) with pesto at La Rotonda. In the hills above Camogli in San Rocco, there’s La Cucina di Nonna Nina which offers dishes based on Ligurian and family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Try the Zembi au pesto, a ravioli-like pasta filled with pesto and served with fresh tomatoes, the local summer fish Leccia and the amaretto pudding.
5. Focaccia like you’ve never tasted it before. Focaaccia is to Liguria what bruschetta is to Umbria–an essential bread treat that turns up from breakfast to aperitivo. At local institution, the Focacceria Revello, you can have it numerous ways, among them the Camogli version with onion and sage, with cheese, or San Fruttuoso style with anchovies, fresh tomatoes and olives. The sweet offerings at Revello include the internationally known Camogliesi, pastries with cream fillings flavored with rum, Amaretto, or Gianduia. There are plenty of other temptations, too, including the savory pies (made with artichokes, zucchini, onion and other fillings) and Genoa’s famous sweet bread, pandolce.
6.Hiking trails. There are numerous, memorable trails affording spectacular views, for example, from Camogli to San Fruttuoso (a little over four miles), or Camogli to Portofino (7 miles).
7. Great boating excursions. Rent a boat and tour famous nearby towns like Portofino, Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure fronting the Golfo del Tigullio, and farther south the Cinque Terre and Portovenere. From Mussini Giorgio, a mainstay in Portofino for nearly 40 years, you can rent boats for a half or full day. (Rates: For excursions in and around the Portofino peninsula, 150 euros per hour; 700 euros per day for an 8-meter boat that accommodates one to seven people. For an all-day excursion to the Cinque Terre with an 11-meter boat, good for one to 9 people, the cost is 2000 euros per day.)
Ferries and excursions run by Golfo Paradiso head regularly to various spots along the Ligurian coast from Camogli’s harbor. The Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio connects the towns of Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino and San Fruttuoso, and offers excursions to Cinque Terre and Portovenere.
Where to Stay: The four-star hotel Cenobio dei Dogi has an incomparable location overlooking the coast and the town’s seaside promenade. Independently owned, the property, which had been a retreat for Genoa aristocrats from the 16th century, became a hotel in the 1950s, Designed to have the feel of a private home by the sea, it offers a saltwater pool, private beach and three restaurants providing blissful views from morning to night.
