Located on the South Oriental edge of its own promontory, in a well sheltered bay enclosed between the Gulf of Tigullio and Point Carega, Portofino, by Plinio the Elder, was founded by the Romans with the name of Portus Delphini. The town's size is so small that it is not comparable to its great fame: thanks to the Mediterranean climate and the beauty of its panorama, Portofino has been for many years a top class touristic reality.

The heart of the naval district is the famous "piazzetta" (small square - piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta), with a typical stone pavement, that runs downhill towards the sea and offers a boat storage area. The landscape offers a perfect integration between mankind and nature. The bay of Portofino offers shelter to fisherman's boats, launches and dream yachts.

The Church of Saint George, edified on the peak of the promontory, which overviews the whole town, was rebuilt during the last century on the ruins of a building of 1154, that had already been subject to various changes over the centuries. The Church is the crypt of the relics of the Patron Saint, brought back from the Holy Land by Crusaders of the area. Walking uphill it is possible to reach the Castle of "Brown". A fortified bulwark, built in the Middle Ages, always used for military purposes, it was improved by Napoleon and then became a private home and belonged also to the British Consul Yeats Brown; since 1961 it is now property of the local Town Hall and it is often used as an exhibition center. It is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden rich of flowers, rose gardens and pergolas.