In the late 18th century, Portofino might have been the ideal "pirate cove" from The Count of Monte Cristo, where buccaneer Luigi Vampa and his crew would have divided their plunder after raiding a merchant ship. Today, Portofino is a primary Ligurian tourist attraction often frequented by the world's rich and famous. Clustered around a small harbor, the town features colorfully painted buildings that line the shore.
In 2013, as a scrum of paparazzi and rubber-necking tourists squeezed past our table at The Ristorante Delfino (top photo), I asked our server: "What's all that about?" "Johnny Depp is in town," he replied with a furled eyebrow. According to locals, it's quite common to spot celebrities like Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Spielberg and scores of others on the streets of Portofino when they venture from their gated villas.
The multi-million dollar yachts in the small harbor intermingle with the fishing sloops and tour boats, creating a colorful foreground against the backdrop of Portofino. The town itself is quite small, with less than 400 full time residents. Pliny the Elder named the village after all the dolphins that thrive along the Ligurian coastline on the Italian Riviera between Genoa and Portovenere on the region's border with Tuscany.
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