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PRIVATE TOUR/SHORE EXCURSION TO PORTOFINO AND SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE - Italy

PRIVATE SHORE EXCURSION FROM GENOA OR LA SPEZIA PORT TO SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE AND PORTOFINO

 

This tour includes an English-speaking driver and his air-conditioned Mercedes at Your disposal for 7 hours

• Meet with the English-speaking driver and his Mercedes Car (full optional, with air-conditioning) by Your cruise/accommodation
• Transfer to Santa Margherita Ligure town and 1 hour and 30 minutes of free time
• 2 hours of free time for lunch - not included
• Transfer to Portofino
• 2 hours of free time there
• Back to Your cruise/accommodation

We have arranged for you a special shore excursion: Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino in one day.
The departure takes place from the port of Genoa or La Spezia where you meet your English-speaking driver with his Mercedes car or minivan (according to the number of guests): this tour does not include a local guide. The transfer to Santa Margherita Ligure lasts roughly 30 minutes (from Genoa port) and approx. 1 hour from La Spezia port. In Santa Margherita Ligure you spend in total 3h and 30 minutes – in this free time you can have a snack (not included). After that, your driver will take you to Portofino, one of the most exclusive places in Italy, where you have other 2 hours of free time. Then, back to the port.

SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE:

The Gulf of Tigullio (also called Marconi Gulf in honour of the first experiments conducted by the radio’s inventor Guglielmo Marconi here in Bologna) is an inlet that extends from the Ligurian Sea on the Riviera di Levante, bordered by the Regional Natural Park of Portofino to the north-west and by Punta Manara to the south-east.
The little seaside resort town of Santa Margherita Ligure is located on the Riviera di Levante, in a closed basin in the north-western promontory of Portofino, and in the innermost part of the Gulf of Tigullio. Particularly valuable and worthy of a visit is the picture of the painter Van Dyck depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus between the Saints Francis, Bernard and Francis Orero. Preserved in the Church of Saint Michael, the painting was probably painted during his stay in San Michele di Pagana between 1621 and 1624. The Church of San Michele was probably built on the ruins of a pagan building in 1133. The church was renewed many times in the early seventeenth century and again in 1872 when a fire caused serious damage to the sacristy. In addition to the painting by Van Dyck, also kept in this church one can find two Flemish paintings dating back to the XV and XVI centuries and some other paintings attributed to the painters Guido Reni, Luca Giordano and Guercino.

PORTOFINO:

The village of Portofino lies at the end of a narrow winding road 5 km south from Santa Margherita Ligure. The view of the village of Portofino is one of the most famous coastal landscapes of Italy, with its tall, narrow houses from pastel facades gathered around the little harbour. Portofino has ancient origins, already documented in imperial times with the name of Portus Delphini. The central part of the village still retains the Roman road system with orthogonal mesh. The main sights of Portofino includes: the very nice Piazzetta with its arcades under which there are many boutiques, restaurants and ice cream shops. Behind the square, lies the Church of St. Martin (built in the XII century in the Lombard Romanesque style, but restored in the XIX century). Noteworthy too is the Church of St. George. The church of St. George is a Roman work built on the ruins of an ancient chapel, an enchanting vision silhouettes against the sky: it is a great experience to get up to that sacred shrine through the steps that climb up from the pier to the high ground where the church is located. And finally the Castle of S. Giorgio (known today as Castello Brown), a medieval fortress converted into a private residence in 1870 by Yeats Brown, the British consul in Genoa. Built on Roman remains of the II or III century A.D. , this castle has passed through the hands of several owners: from the Visconti of Milan to Genoa, from the Savoy to Napoleon. As said, it was bought after national unification by the British consul Montague Yeats Brown, who had long admired it during his trips by boat. It is now owned by the town of Portofino and the this ancient monument is open to the public. The castle is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden full of flowers. While inside it is possible to admire some bas-reliefs and furnishings in marble and slate.

THIS SHORE EXCURSION FROM THE PORT OF GENOA OR LA SPEZIA TO SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE AND PORTOFINO TAKES PLACE RAIN OR SHINE.

IN CASE YOU WISH TO INCLUDE IN THIS VISIT A LOCAL ENGLISH-SPEAKING GUIDE, KINDLY, LET US KNOW.