At 610 metres above sea level, Mount Portofino is the highest mountain in the entire Portofino Regional Natural Park.
The paths that wind their way up the Mount Portofino offer some of the most scenic views to be found in Liguria.
Some of them, in fact, overhang cliffs, bays, and small villages, while others penetrate into wooded areas.
Moreover, the scent of the Mediterranean maquis that characterises the coastal areas is something truly special, impossible to forget.
So, let’s get going!
In this article, you will find the most beautiful excursions on Mount Portofino, itineraries and advice if you have children in tow.
Excursions on Mount Portofino: most beautiful itineraries
The Portofino Regional Natural Park covers a protected area of about 18 km² between the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure, protecting its territory since 1935.
Any path you can take within the Park is wonderful , but in this article you will find the most scenic hikes, the must-sees you cannot miss if you visit the Portofino Park.
You will also find indications as to whether you can walk with children or untrained hikers, but with a great desire to discover these unique places!
Trekking Camogli – San Rocco – Punta Chiappa
Trekking Camogli – San Rocco – Punta Chiappa is a 7-kilometre-long itinerary with a height difference of 300 metres.
It starts in the village of Camogli and, via a stepped mule track, arrives at San Rocco di Camogli, a crossroads of several paths, after about 45 minutes.
From here, we take the diversions to Punta Chiappa, which, via a wonderful panoramic path overlooking the sea, leads to the end of our excursion in an equally 45 minutes.
Punta Chiappa is a rocky outcrop used in the past by fishermen as a shelter for boats and tools.
The excursion to Punta Chiappa does not have any exposed sections and is, therefore, also suitable for children, if, however, they are already accustomed to trekking.
For a detailed description of the route, you can read this article.
Trekking Portofino Vetta – Mount Portofino – Pietre Strette
The Portofino Vetta-Mount Portofino-Pietre Strette trek is about 9 kilometres long and is really interesting because it combines paths winding below the chestnut groves with paths overhanging the sea.
It is a loop hike that starts and arrives at Portofino Vetta, crossing, along the way, Mount Portofino, Semaforo Nuovo and Pietre Strette.
The Portofino Vetta-Mount Portofino-Pietre Strette trek is only suitable for well-trained children, given the length of the route and the fact that, at some points (a few), the path is sheer above the sea without protection.
We took 3h50 minutes with a trained 4-year-old girl. Without children, it can easily take an hour less.
For a detailed description of the route, you can read this article.
Excursion Camogli – San Rocco – Portofino Vetta – Pietre Strette – San Fruttuoso
The first part of the excursion, that is the one that leads from Camogli to San Rocco, is the same as the Camogli – San Rocco – Punta Chiappa trek.
From San Rocco, go past the church and take the uphill path on the left, , which leads to Portofino Vetta in about 45 minutes.
The marker to follow is the circle.
The path is almost flat and in about twenty minutes leads to Pietre Strette, a crossroads of several paths.
Here you will find a small fountain with drinking water.
At this point, you take the downhill path which, in about an hour, leads to San Fruttuoso and its stupendous Abbey.
The total estimated time of the excursion is about 3 hours (one way).
Tips
The walk is suitable for the whole family but requires a minimum of training.
For the return trip, you can take the boat at San Fruttuoso di Camogli, which will take you back to Camogli in about half an hour.
Or, if you prefer to return on foot but are not very fit or have children in tow, you can park directly at Portofino Vetta.
In this way, you save about 5 kilometres between the round trip.
The most beautiful excursions on Mount Portofino: Camogli – San Rocco – Batterie – Passo del Bacio – San Fruttuoso
The Camogli – San Rocco – Batterie – Passo del Bacio – San Fruttuoso excursion, like the itinerary just described, starts from Camogli and arrives at San Fruttuoso, passing, however, by the Batterie, a Second World War bunker emplacement, and the Passo del Bacio.
The path overhangs the coast, and is therefore very scenic, and is only suitable for adults who are trained and accustomed to trekking.
Kissing Pass
On the way, you have to cross the so-called Passo del Bacio, a short equipped section that has unfortunately been the subject of numerous accidents, some serious.
Certainly if you have children , the path described above is more suitable, but if you are all adults, the Passo del Bacio can be hiked simply by using a bit of common sense: do not go during the hottest hours of summer and wear appropriate equipment.
Not infrequently, in fact, we have observed hikers wearing beach slippers.
Itinerary Camogli – San Rocco – Batterie – Passo del Bacio – San Fruttuoso
The excursion from Camogli to San Fruttuoso, passing through the Batterie and the Passo del Bacio, is 5,500 metres long in total (one way).
The first part, from Camogli to San Rocco, is 1,200 metres long and winds along a wide, stepped path through villas and olive groves.
For precise information, you can look at the Camogli – San Rocco – Punta Chiappa trek.
At San Rocco the scenic 4,300-metre-long route begins, passing through the Batterie and the Bacio Pass to reach San Fruttuoso in about 4 hours.
The trek is quite demanding and not suitable for those suffering from vertigo.
To return, you can either retrace the outward path or take the boat at San Fruttuoso di Camogli.
To find out where to park in Camogli, check out this article.
Trekking Portofino Vetta – Portofino Mare
The trek that leads to Portofino Mare (i.e. the village of Portofino), begins at Portofino Vetta, at an altitude of 402 metres.
To find out how to get to Portofino Vetta, check out this article.
From the Portofino Vetta car park, it takes about half an hour to reach Pietre Strette, a crossroads of several paths.
Here you will find drinking water and tables with benches.
Keep to the main path, which proceeds on a slight incline to the locality of Bocche , where there is another tap with drinking water.
The path continues downhill, crossing several detours and a stretch of carriage road. From the resting place, which you will find shortly afterwards, take the diversions to the left marked by the full red square marker.
The path descends quite steeply, skirting a small chapel and offering beautiful views of the Bay of Paraggi.
Continuing on, you finally arrive in Portofino, near the parish church, in an estimated total time of about 2h30.
This itinerary is also suitable for trained hikers as it is 5.6 kilometres long (one way).
The most beautiful hikes on Mount Portofino: San Rocco di Camogli – Semaforo Nuovo
An easy hike, also suitable for children and less-trained hikers.
From San Rocco di Camogli, take via Mortola following the two red dots marker.
At the first fork, continue left (the branch off to the right descends to Punta Chiappa), arriving at Sorgente Vegia.
Continue into the woods until you come to a fork in the road at Fornelli: here too, take the diversions to the left , following the two red hollow triangles marker.
Continue uphill through the wood until reaching Sella Toca, a crossroads of paths.
Take the path to the right, marked with a full red triangle, to finally arrive at Semaforo Nuovo, in about 1h from the start.
Here you will find a forestry barracks, several picnic tables and the traffic light posts, built to replace those at the Semaforo Vecchio.
From the Semaforo Nuovo, there is a beautiful panorama of the Ligurian coast (although the vegetation is taking over).
When to go to Mount Portofino
The paths on Mount Portofino can be walked all year round, although the advice is to avoid the hottest months.
In the sections most exposed to the sun, it can even happen to wear short sleeves even in winter, so you can imagine what temperatures can be found in the summer months!
The best seasons to organise an excursion to Mount Portofino are, therefore, winter, spring with the flowering, and autumn with the foliage.
Useful advice
The first piece of advice I would give is to wear hiking boots.
It may seem trivial but it is not so rare to find hikers with flip-flops on their feet because in the meantime‘we are at the seaside‘.
The Portofino Promontory, like the entire Ligurian Riviera, has steep paths that descend from the top of the mountain to the sea (and vice versa), so they are to all int ents and purposes impervious mountain paths, even if the climate and proximity to the sea can be deceptive.
Another piece of advice I would give is to leave with enough water to face the hike in peace, and with some snacks as most of the restaurants within the park only open in the summer.
Continue reading:
1. Camogli
2. Portofino
3. Rapallo
