Portofino Villa Rentals: Santa Margherita & Liguria

What a week costs on this coast

Portofino appears in the record as Portus Delphini, the name Pliny wrote down; the harbour's little square is officially the Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta, known to everyone as the Piazzetta. Most guests take a villa in Santa Margherita Ligure or Paraggi, a short drive or boat ride away, and use the boat and the coast road.

The promontory and the abbey

The headland above the village is the Parco di Portofino, a regional park with marked walking paths; the waters around it have been protected as the Area Marina Protetta Portofino since a ministerial decree on 26 April 1999.

On the far side of the promontory sits San Fruttuoso abbey — rebuilt as a Benedictine monastery in the 10th century, with 13th-century Doria family tombs, FAI property since 1983, and reachable only by ferry from Camogli and Rapallo or on foot over the park's paths.

Where to base the week

• Portofino and the promontory

  Gated villas above the harbour: the address, the privacy and the price. A seasonal traffic filter on the SP 227 approach regulates cars in the busy months, and village parking is limited.

• Paraggi

  A small, mostly sandy cove between Portofino and Santa Margherita, much of it run by beach clubs. Swimming from the beach club and a short walk to the harbour path.

• Santa Margherita Ligure

  The practical base: the Santa Margherita Ligure–Portofino rail station on the Genoa–La Spezia line, restaurants, a market, and a harbour. Tigullio boats on Line 1 run from here to Portofino and San Fruttuoso.

• Zoagli and Rapallo

  Along the coast to the east, quieter, with Rapallo on the same Line 1 boat route.

• ✓Confirm parking: one space per villa is common, and the SP 227 approach runs a seasonal traffic filter from March to November — check current arrangements before you drive.
• ✓Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio runs Line 1 between Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino and San Fruttuoso, subject to favourable weather and sea conditions at the Captain's judgment; check the current timetable.
• ✓Ask how many steps lead down to the villa — this coast is vertical.
• ✓San Fruttuoso abbey — Benedictine, FAI-run since 1983 — is reached by ferry from Camogli and Rapallo, on Line 1 from the Tigullio ports, or on foot over the park paths; the Cinque Terre is served by separate seasonal lines, so check timetables.
• ✓Outside peak weeks, check opening days for boat lines and restaurants before you commit.