Portofino Swim

Rounding the headlands between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino, swimmers trace a passage on the Italian Riviera. The Portofino Swim takes place in the open waters of the Ligurian Sea, connecting Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino in Liguria, Italy. The gathering is organized by Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica AQUAMANARA 1968. The competition originated in 1977 as the Portofino-Sestri crossing under the direction of the Yacht Club of Sestri Levante, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the world's most prestigious long-distance open water challenges. Across decades of racing, it has matured into a classic fixture. The core route covers a distance of 2,500 metres, starting from Punta Pedale in Santa Margherita Ligure.

Swimmers enter the sea and follow a scenic coastal line past bluffs, passing through the bays of Paraggi and Cannone before setting their sights on the finish. Staged in late September, the race often benefits from calm sea conditions and bright sun, providing exceptional underwater visibility straight down to the seabed. Navigating the final stretch into Portofino's natural harbour, participants pull toward the shore. In past editions, swimmers completing a 10-nautical-mile endurance swim from Sestri Levante have been welcomed with great fanfare directly at the edge of Portofino's Piazzetta.

Portofino Marine Protected Area: posidonia meadows and coralligenous reefs

Swimmers along this route glide through the heart of the Portofino Marine Protected Area. Established by the Italian Ministry of the Environment in April 1999, the reserve spans the coastal waters of Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino, and Camogli. It is widely recognized as one of the most biodiverse marine habitats in the entire Mediterranean basin. Strict zoning protects its delicate natural heritage: in the integral reserve of Cala dell'Oro, all navigation, entry, and swimming are strictly prohibited to allow marine wildlife to thrive untouched. Thanks to these stringent measures, the surrounding waters that host the race remain clean, pristine, and teeming with life. Underneath the swimming line, the seabed presents a striking contrast of terrain.

While the promontory is defined almost entirely by vertical rocky cliffs plunging into the sea, Paraggi Bay holds the only sandy beach anywhere in the vicinity of Portofino. Although the Pinna nobilis mollusk is under serious threat from disease and overcollection throughout the Mediterranean, the protected park waters offer a guarded sanctuary.

Coastal watchtowers and fortresses: from Cervara Abbey to Castello Brown

In ancient times, Pliny the Elder recorded the location as Portus Delphini. The rugged slopes dropping toward the water were known historically as Silvaria because of the thick native woodlands that clothed the hills. Standing above the rocky shore roughly one kilometre from the course is Cervara Abbey. Founded as a monastery, the complex was heavily fortified in the 16th century with an outlying stone tower to detect and repel raids by North African corsairs. Cervara Abbey is also famous for hosting the only monumental Italian Renaissance garden on the Italian Riviera that directly faces the open sea. The surrounding cliffs are covered in a dense Mediterranean forest composed of Aleppo pines, mastic, viburnum, and strawberry trees.

Castello di Paraggi is perched on the eastern headland. Commissioned in 1626 by the Republic of Genoa to protect the Tigullio coast from pirate incursions, the fortress was later occupied by Napoleon Bonaparte's troops between 1812 and 1814. Archaeological excavations show that Castello Brown rests on the foundations of a Roman watchtower from the 2nd or 3rd century. The castle was reinforced with a seaward artillery platform between 1554 and 1557 to counter Saracen incursions, successfully repelling assaults led by Admiral Andrea Doria. Decommissioned in 1867, it was purchased by the British consul Montague Yeats Brown, who converted the former military parade ground into an expansive hanging garden. The Portofino Lighthouse was built in 1917. Set 40 metres above sea level, its white beam flashes every five seconds across the open Gulf of Tigullio, visible up to 16 nautical miles out at sea.

San Fruttuoso and Christ of the Abyss: the submerged sanctuary

Around the headland roughly three kilometres from the swim course lies the isolated cove of San Fruttuoso. Located inside the terrestrial and marine park of Monte di Portofino, the cove cannot be reached by road and remains accessible only by boat or via steep coastal hiking trails. Resting on the seabed of San Fruttuoso bay is the world-renowned bronze statue of the Christ of the Abyss. Submerged in 1954 to commemorate Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear who died in 1947, the sculpture was cast from bronze medals, maritime elements, and submarine propellers supplied by the U.S. Navy. Replicas exist in Lake Palù and Grenada, but the bronze statue remains an enduring symbol for swimmers and divers exploring the clear waters of the promontory.

Portofino's seafront: pastel facades around the historic natural harbour

Portofino's natural harbour was historically an industrious anchorage for working fishermen, providing quiet shelter for their fleets of wooden boats. By 1950, travel and coastal tourism had transformed the cove into an international destination, turning the water's edge into a vibrant ring of cafés and restaurants. The village maintains its quintessential Ligurian identity, with tall, pastel-washed facades crowding the shore around the harbour basin. For open water swimmers, entering this historic harbour creates a finish line unlike any other. Gliding across the protected waters of the promontory to arrive inside the Portofino Marine Protected Area remains one of the most rewarding journeys on the Ligurian coast.