Portofino is tiny, absurdly pretty and aware of it. The harbour is a horseshoe of tall, pastel-coloured houses facing a little square, with fishing boats and yachts rubbing shoulders at the quay, and a hillside of pine and cypress rising behind. The Romans called it Portus Delphini, the Port of the Dolphin, and the name has stuck in a modified form. For centuries it was a quiet fishing village, and then in the nineteenth century foreign visitors, especially the British, began to fall in love with it, and in the twentieth century film stars and millionaires made it fashionable. The permanent population is only a few hundred, but the summer crowds are many times that.
The village is surrounded by the Portofino regional park, a promontory of steep, wooded slopes and rocky coves that is rich in walking paths. A short walk takes you to the church of San Giorgio and the Castello Brown, a fortress turned villa, with a view over the harbour and out to sea, and further along the coast is the abbey of San Fruttuoso, hidden in a cove and reachable only on foot or by boat. The lighthouse at the tip of the headland is another good objective, and the sea beyond is a deep, clear blue.
The road to Portofino is a lovely, slow ride from Santa Margherita Ligure, about three and a half kilometres away. It is a narrow coastal road that winds around the bay with the sea on one side and villas and gardens on the other, with views of the cliffs and the water. It is not a place for speed. In summer, the road clogs with cars and taxis, and the parking in the village is limited and expensive, so you may be turned back or forced to pay for a space. Motorcycles often fare better than cars, and a small bike can find a spot where cars cannot, though the police are alert to illegal parking. Early morning or late evening is the best time, with mist on the water and the harbour almost empty.
Services in the village are plentiful and priced for the clientele. A coffee on the quay is an expensive pleasure, though the view justifies it, and the restaurants serve Ligurian classics such as trofie with pesto and fresh seafood. For fuel, you should fill in Santa Margherita Ligure or Rapallo before heading out, since there is none in the village itself.
The best time to come is in the shoulder season, April to June or September to October, when the weather is mild and the crowds are smaller. In midsummer, go at dawn or after sunset.