Camogli is a small Italian fishing village and
tourist resort located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera.
The name "Camogli" of the village means "house of wives", because the colored
faces of the houses on the beach were useful to help fishermen to come
back at home even with bad weather.
The small town of Camogli is a great place
to explore. Its houses are clustered together above the sea, and are
brilliantly painted "trompe l'oeuil", with fake windows, balustrades,
etc… One would think for the money they put into painting their homes
they could have easily put in real windows etc., but of course that is
not the point, as the walls of the houses are very thick.
Camogli overlooks the Paradise Gulf and it closes in
the east with the Portofino promontory.
For some time tourist activities have substituted those that were
directly linked to the sea, which is an old and rooted tradition that
began to decline at the end of the 19th century. However, this process
didn’t cause a disorganized growth of Camogli that has a unique
structure and extraordinary environmental elements that make it a
fantastic tourist attraction.
During the summer months the little beach of Camogli is jammed
with bathers; during summer weekends and in August the town is
particularly overwhelmed, but in spring and autumn you can savor the
place almost all for yourself, specially in the weekdays.
Sagra del Pesce Festival, Camogli
The highlight of the festival of San Fortunato, held on the
second Sunday of May each year, is the Sagra del Pesce, a
crowded, festive, and free-to-the-public feast of freshly caught
fish, cooked outside at the port in a frying pan 5 meters (16.40 ft.)wide.
Thousands of guests flock around the giant saucepan, 5
meters (16.40 ft.) across with a 7 meter handle. For an entire day, the fishermen
abandon their nets for sieves, flour, oil and the enormous saucepan with
cooks on all sides, surrounded by boys and girls from Camogli who are
ready with a smile to distribute the freshly fried fish. The fish is
handed out free to those present, so find yourself a prime spot!
The story: the fame of the “Sagra del Pesce” (Fish
Feast) of Camogli coincides with that of its famous gigantic pan. It all
began in the beginning of 1952 when about 20 fishermen wanted to attract
the attention of tourists by donating fried fish during the feast of St.
Fortunato, the patron of fishermen.
This event was a great success and
no one had expected such an outcome therefore the organizers of the
feast had to fry fish all day.
The following year the idea was once
again proposed and Lorenzo Viacava a famous fisherman known as “O
Napoli”, decided to build a gigantic pan for the occasion, which became
the attraction of an event that had already become a real and true feast.
Thanks to the New York Herald Tribune, King Baldovino
of Belgium, and a 1955 Eurovision telecast, the fame of the event became
of international importance.
Don't miss in Camogli...
Camogli is the starting point for trekking, or a boat
ride to the San Fruttuoso Abbey.
In summertime, on Saturdays, the night trip to Genoa
from Portofino and Camogli is very romantic.
When and how to get there:
Camogli is completely closed to private traffic on the day of the festival. To get
there, take a
Trenitalia train to the Camogli station or a tourist ferry.
San Valentino Festival in Camogli
This festival takes place from the 7th-14th February,
during which there are audiences with poets taking part in the "Fall in
love with poetry" project: this is a cultural project which will see
several "poetic installations" in the streets and more romantic piazzas
of Camogli.
The collection of all the poems read or exhibited will then
be published. In addition, there will be a St. Valentine's market on the
promenade, selling leather goods, jewelry, ceramics and wooden gifts.
There will also be sweets and cakes made by the Camogli bakers specially
for the occasion. There will no doubt be special menus on offer at many
restaurants, allowing couples to dine at prices especially designed for
the occasion too.
Another project is the "Lovers' tiles", on which you
can write your own message of love, and a panel of journalists and
artists will select the most beautiful and collect them in a book.
Clearly, the most romantic way to reach Camogli is by boat.
Photo (c)
Sagra del Pesce Festival, Camogli
Sagra del Pesce - Photo (c)
