Rent a luxury car in Portofino
A PICTURESQUE HARBOR KNOWN WORLDWIDE
In the past, Portofino was a simple Italian fishing village, located on the Italian Riviera, not far away from Liguria’s capital city, Genoa.
Today it is one of the most-visited tourist attractions of the peninsula.
The secret of this transformation lies in the amazing, unique beauties of both the village and its natural surroundings.
A FEAST FOR THE EYES
Beautiful colorfully painted buildings constitute the heart of Portofino. Yellow, rose, light orange… were the most used shades chosen to cover the village houses’ walls. The overall result is a feast for all visitors’ eyes. It is, in fact, impossible to find around the world a place similar to Portofino.
The little village’s name is a poem in itself. Portus Delphini was the way Portofino was called in the past, meaning “Port of the Dolphin”.
A LONG LOVE STORY WITH VISITORS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD
It is in the late part of the 19th century that Portofino starts to be discovered and cherished by visitors coming from all around the world. At first, it attracts British travelers, poets, and aristocratic families seeking the attractiveness of the Italian weather; then other upper-class tourists start to arrive from Northern Europe. The Australian-born British writer Elizabeth von Arnim, as well as the British diplomat, and intelligence officer, Aubrey Nigel Henry Herbert, chose Portofino as their personal little haven, invited their friends and launched the village’s remarkable reputation around the world.
Countless expatriates decided then to buy a house in the Riviera and, slowly, tourism supplanted the traditional local economic activities – such as fishing – that supported Portofino.
Now a little town, it has become the very symbol of a summery “dolce vita”, of luxurious vacations and of jet-setters’ elegant and warm Italian breaks.
Therefore, Portofino’s waterfront has become the place to be! Full of fashionable restaurants and trendy little bars, this former fishing village offers today a bubbling, magical atmosphere that no visitor will easily forget.
