Tasty Genovese pasta @ Pizzeria El Portico, Portofino (Italy)

The first thing we did upon arrival in Portofino last summer was not sight-seeing, but eating! Getting to Portofino from Levanto on land took longer than anticipated, and it was almost noon by the time we got off the bus. I had a pasta craving to satisfy (I was 5-months pregnant at the time after all!), and online reviews for Pizzeria El Portico were good enough. The pizzeria was easy to locate, as it is on the main street heading towards the harbour. El Portico was just beginning its lunch service when we arrived.

Dining is on porch (hence the name), and there were only two tables indoors:

It's a very casual affair, and the food was quite reasonably priced considering that this is Portofino, 'resort for the rich and famous'. Our waitress was an amicable and outgoing girl who spoke quite fluently in English which made ordering a cinch. She was helpful with making recommendations and taking allergy requests. The food was tasty, in a rustic homemade sort of manner.

Muscoli alla Parmigiana (9&euro) - literally translates to "muscles parmigiana-style" - a play on words, perhaps? Pretty good:

Antipasto Misto di Pesce (15&euro) - mixed seafood antipasto. Delicious:

Torta e Verdure Ripiene (10&euro) and Torta di Carciofi (7.50&euro) - vegetable-stuffed 'cake' and artichoke 'cake' respectively. Apparently such savoury 'cakes' originated from the Ligurian and Genovese regions:

Lasagna al Pesto (10&euro), because pesto was born in this region. It does not make a pretty plate, but it was really good. This was a good dish to order for pesto appreciation:

Gnocchi Gamberi e Zucchine (14&euro) - gnocchi with prawn and zucchini. Nicely creamy, and prawn and zucchini made a surprisingly good pairing:

Tiramisu (6&euro), the closest version yet to the best tiramisu we had in Venice. It's similarly custard-style without the boozy cake base:

Good food, unpretentious atmosphere, friendly service - Pizzeria El Portico is a great affordable option in this expensive village.

Pizzeria El Portico
Via Roma, 21
16034 Portofino
Genova, Italy
Tel. +39 0185 269239

Picturesque Portofino (Italy)

Portofino is not only known as the resort for the rich and famous, but also for its beauty. I found it difficult to pick just a few photos to share of Portofino because the location was so beautiful that all my photos turned out great. One of my aunts-in-law who is very well-travelled the world over, named Portofino as her most favourite place, and it is easy to see why. She and her husband loved this picturesque fishing village (and upmarket resort) so much, that they rented the castle for a few hours and got married there. And what beautiful wedding pictures they must have! We were in Portofino for only a few hours and we wished we had more time to linger.


Approaching the marina:

First thing - gelato! Pricey, but delicious:

Castello Brown nestled in the hills above, as viewed from the marina:

Such pristine water, even inside the marina where the yachts were parked:

Pastel-coloured buildings lining the shore of the harbour:

After a bit of a hike up the hills, we were inside Castello Brown, which also serves as a museum with various artefacts belonging to the Browns:

The view of the marina from the castle:

Various paintings on display inside Castello Brown:

The facade of the castle from the garden:

The following series of panoramas were taken from Castello Brown, from west to east. Click on images for larger version.