Day 4- Fish, Flashy and Football


Brett and Carla and I got off the boat only to get on another one as caught a ferry to Camogli. Camogli was holding it’s annual Sagra del Pesce (Fish Festival). On the ferry were a few South African expats who had been living in the area for a few years. We arrived in Camogli. Camogli means “House of Wives” when the woman used to run the town while their husbands were away at sea.

The fish fry-up is alleged to be the largest fish fry up in the world, this still did not sufficiently prepare myself for the hordes of people in this small town. It was chaotic, and I quickly gave up the idea of being a participant in the biggest fish fry up in the world. There was no respite for the cobbled beach either as it was packed to the rafters. After some good foccacia, we found some jagged rocks to lie on and I had an amazing swim. Our ferry to Portofino was only coming in three hours so we had much time to kill. Camogli had a wonderful market street selling many local specialities. We could not find an empty table but eventually found a great restaurant, where all the food was just brought to us. Anchovies are the speciality here and I soon knew why. By the time we descended to the harbour, the fish fry up had ended.

The pan was still full of oil and the whole area smelt of used cooking oil, after a brief siesta on the harbour I went for another dip before we headed to Portofino.

This must be one of the most exclusive spots in Italy. A walk around Castello Brown will show you some of the many stars who have stayed here over the years, Elizabeth Taylor, Truman Capote, Winston Churchill to name but a few. There was a sailing competition on the run. I walked up to Castello Brown and quickly understood why this was a destination of choice for the silver spooned and jet set stars. With wonderful views of the harbour and the seas I saw why this place was so attractive. On the balcony, sat a man looking very much like Tom Wolfe, maybe it was him, gathering inspiration for his next novel.

I walked down and through the village and noticed a gaping difference, between those like me who were passers by and those who were holidaying here. The stars of the silver screen might no longer call this their number one destination, but the very rich are not going to be leaving here anytime soon.

We caught the ferry back to Genoa, and soon we in a world very different to that of Portofino, we were walking to the Ferraris Stadium in a shoddy part of the city. I could not leave Italy without watching football. It was Brett’s first ever live football game. FC Genoa are chasing promotion to the Serie A, and are second on the log, they took on Triestina. This huge stadium was about 75% full, behind the goals the stadium was packed. The atmosphere was unbelievable. Even though Sampdoria is the more famous team of the city, many Genovese support this club from cradle to grave.

The security in and out of the stadium was something I had not ever experienced at a sporting event, but it was well worth it. The home side won 3-2 and look like they will be in the Serie A next year.

I had a great time reconnecting with my brother and look forward to doing it again, I saw almost everything I aspired to see in Liguria, and am glad I can say I have been there, but I am happy that he is based in France now….

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Lonely Planet was used to plan the trip to Camogli and Portofino

Pic 1: The queue for fish in Camogli
Pic 2: Tom Wolfe lookalike at Castello Brown
Pic 3: Standing on Castello Brown
Pic 4: Football FC Genoa vs Triestina