Around The World Without Flying: The Italian Riviera Part 3

Having heard that Porto Fino is the luxury retreat of the rich and famous, I was totally taken aback when I saw it. It was not full of hotels. Just one five-star hotel high up on a hill was pointed out to us as our launch came into its port. There were some nice mansions up on the hill too, but they were quite understated.

What you did see was a town that would be an artist’s paradise - in many ways like the beautiful Honfleur in France, except it was surrounded by hills and more cut off from the rest of the world. It had a lovely little harbour full of boats - the larger ones berthed further out. The people there are only allowed to build up to about three-storeys, and must use autumn colours, so there was a wonderful blend of warm colours like ochre, apricot, peach, orange and so on. The crystal clear sea water, in contrast, was a brilliant blue. The greenery and the pink and purple flowers that were in bloom when we were there added a richness and depth to the colourful scene.

I gather there were expensive shops down one street but all I saw where I walked was outdoor cafes near the short pier and small stalls selling tasteful tee-shirts and so forth. Many of our group, including myself, spent most of our time there hiking up a long steep path to an old church up on a hill. The going was tough in the heat, but we were rewarded with great views. The church was very simple inside, and rather run down, but clearly the saint who was revered up there was the St George who slayed the dragon. Needless to say, this historic church was called St George’s Church. There was another church in the town that apparently is the main one people attend, but nevertheless this old church is sometimes used for weddings and other special services. All the attendees would have to be pretty fit, though. The only way up is by foot.

So this was the third of the ‘Three Pearls of Paradise Gulf'. The red carpet stopped here. I thought that was very fitting. It is a beautiful, unspoilt little town and well worth visiting.

This sleek luxury boat berthed just outside the Porto Fino harbour could well have been made by the same boat-builder that built the tall boat I described in Part 2. It had the same satin finish to the metal as well.