PORTOFINO PROVISIONS
The hidden gems & timeless classics of the land of Pesto and Focaccia. Plus my sacred google maps list.
At 6pm, when the last boat of sunburned tourists pulls out in route back to Santa Margherita, Portofino exhales. The Piazzetta returns to form, calm settles in, and the real magic starts to show. The shadows of the sun drenched buildings start to creep in and the temperature starts to simmer and time seems to slow down.
I’m currently watching it all unfold from the balcony of Room 3 of 14 at the Belmond Splendido Mare, the little sibling to the more famous Splendido up the hill. If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know Portofino has a permanent place in my heart. Paige and I had our 30-person wedding here in September 2023, and over the past five years, we’ve returned often, sometimes twice, sometimes three times a year. We’ve made friends who grew up here or summered here from nearby Milan. It feels like a second home.
Portofino isn’t exactly a hidden gem, but when you experience it the right way, you get it. Many of you have probably been there, some that haven’t, but it’s the most requested place I get questions about in my inbox. So, whether it’s your first time or your 20th, here’s my personal list of recommendations for Portofino and a few gems just beyond.
I decided to keep things simple and break this down into categories of Where to stay, Where to eat, Where to have a Negroni and then Everything Else. Some locations are in Portofino proper, others are just outside or in neighboring towns. I’ll include a google maps list at the end of this for people to save and understand locations of each place to make it easy.
Since I know many of you here are true enthusiasts, I urge you to keep this to yourself and cherish the information. Act as I do and share these places only to others who are like minded and appreciate the finer things. Or encourage them to subscribe.
Where to stay:
Portofino itself is tiny. A lot of people mistake the local town of Santa Margherita as Portofino and book hotels there which isn’t a bad idea, but it’s not Portofino. There’s tons of amazing options, but I’m going to just keep it simple and share my top options from budget friendly to top of the food chain.
Hotels
Splendido — The Splendido in Portofino actually started out as a monastery in the 1500s, but it got abandoned after pirate raids. Then someone turned it into a villa in the 1800s, and eventually it became a hotel in the early 1900s. By the ’50s it was packed with old Hollywood types like Elizabeth Taylor, Churchill, all of them. Now it’s part of Belmond and they’ve just finished an amazing restoration, but it still feels super classic and low-key glamorous. This is also where we got married and It’s just one of the most iconic and beautiful hotels in the world in my opinion.
Splendido Mare — The little sibling to Splendido, the Splendido Mare is the opposite. It’s 14 bedrooms feel like you’re staying at someone’s house. Each room with its own theme and thoughtfulness. It’s the most chic way to emerge yourself into the center of Portofino daily life in prime location in the middle of the Piazetta. If you wanna ball out, get the Ava Gardener Suite. It’s absolutely worth it.
Hotel Piccolo — Piccolo is just around the bend. About a 5 minute walk from the center of town and located just at the waters edge underneath Splendido. It’s a great and much cheaper option with easy access to the water at one of the most iconic swimming coves in the area.