This beautiful Italian seaside village has long been kept behind the shadow of its famous neighbours of Portofino and Cinque Terre.
It has been described as a slice of the original Italian Riviera, before being taken over by designer shops and celebrities parking the yachts in the marinas of those better-known Liguria regions in northwest Italy.
It is the calling for those wanting a mixture of relaxation, culture, seaside and great food.
The village of Camogli houses everything required of a seaside village; a small harbour, shops and restaurants, and a large piazza, perfect for people watching and drinking coffee.
Its buildings were painted in aesthetically pleasing tones of orange and yellow and decorated with trompe l’oeil architectural elements – paintings that create the illusion of a real object or scene.
The buildings, on a practical level, also helped mariners to identify the village from the water.
Those planning to visit should not expect extravagant nightlife – the seafront is lined by more discrete restaurants and wine bars, though places like Pub La Cafe Aux Folles and Il Barcollo drawn a younger, more lively crowd.
The restaurants are deemed to be reasonably priced and there are many to choose from. As it is a fishing village, the catch of the day served at the majority of restaurants are caught in Camogli’s surrounding waters. The village is also famous for its local pesto, made from basil grown in the nearby Ligurian hills.
Restaurants included La Piazzetta, famous for its pastas and seafood and being able to watch the sunsets while eating, and the Michelin-starred Da Paolo with specialties including pastas made with squid.
Focaccia is also likely to be served at every meal, whatever the time of day, including the village version with onion and sage or cheese.
There are numerous hiking trails affording spectacular views, ranging from about four to seven miles, as well as great boat excursions and boat renting facilities to visit the other famous towns nearby, with excursions in and around the Portofino peninsula usually costing around £128 per hour.
For those who enjoy scuba diving, a trip to see the celebrated Christ of the Abyss, a statue by Guido Galletti (1954) standing at the bottom of San Fruttuoso Bay is a must.
There are a number of churches to explore, including the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Wood, built on the site where, according to folk legend, the Madonna appeared in 1500. Dragonara Castle was built in the Middle Ages as a defensive measure for the coast, while a second structure was built and used during World War II – the Batteria of Punta Chiappa. Camogli’s Marine Museum should also be high on the list for sea history enthusiasts, which houses paintings and many ships in bottles.
The star property in town is the hotel of Cenobio dei Dogi, an independently owned four-star hotel which was once visited by the King of Sweden and has been a retreat for Genoan aristocrats since the 16th-century. It has a saltwater pool, private beach and three restaurants, each offering a picture-perfect view and designed to feel like a home-away-from-home.
