Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- One to three trains per hour ply the coastline, connecting Camogli with Genoa (30-45 min.), Santa Margherita (5 min.), and Monterosso (50-60 min.) and other Cinque Terre towns.

By Bus -- There is at least one Tigullio (tel. 0185-288-835; www.tigulliotrasporti.it) bus an hour, often more, from Santa Margherita; since the bus must go around and not under the Monte Portofino Promontory, the trip takes quite a bit longer than the train -- about half an hour.

By Boat -- In summer, boats operated by Golfo Paradiso (tel. 0185-772-091; www.golfoparadiso.it) sail from Camogli to Portofino.

By Car -- The fastest route into the region is Autostrada A12 from Genoa; exit at Recco for Camogli (the trip takes less than half an hour). Route S1 along the coast from Genoa is much slower but more scenic.

Visitor Information

The tourist office is across from the train station at Via XX Settembre 33 (tel./fax 0185-771-066; www.camogli.it or www.portofinocoast.it). It's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 12:30pm and 3:30 to 7pm (Mar-Oct it closes at noon and 6:30pm, respectively), Sunday 9am to 1pm.

Festivals & Markets

Camogli throws a much-attended annual party, the Sagra del Pesce, on the second Sunday of May, where the town fries up thousands of sardines in a 3.6m-diameter (12-ft.) pan and passes them around for free -- a practice that is accompanied by an annual outcry in the press about health concerns and even accusations that frozen fish is used.

The first Sunday of August, Camogli stages the lovely Festa della Stella Maris. A procession of boats sails to Punta Chiappa, a point of land about 1.5km (1 mile) down the coast, and releases 10,000 burning candles. Meanwhile, the same number of candles is set afloat from the Camogli beach. If currents are favorable, the burning candles will come together at sea, signifying a year of unity for couples who watch the spectacle.