Casa de Mar, San Fruttuoso

Part of 'an asset of inestimable beauty'

Perched high above the abbey roofs, this little house looks out over the blue Mediterranean. It has its own seaward terrace and a small garden. Casa de Mar is modest in size and character, but the wider setting gives it the greatest distinction - of history, architecture and natural setting. The site is managed by our partners, the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI), who count San Fruttuoso 'an asset of inestimable beauty.' We entirely agree.

Privileged tranquillity at the end of each day

San Fruttuoso nestles among pine trees and olive groves between a little beach and the Capodimonte mountains, near Genoa. The stylish resorts of Portofino and Camogli are not far away and a regional park surrounds the cove, with beautiful coastal walks in all directions. The bay is accessible only by sea; day visitors come to appreciate the abbey, eat at the taverna, and flock to the small beach in the summer, but at the end of each day, the regular boat service from Camogli and Portofino takes away all but the lucky few who live here, or who stay in Casa de Mar.

After taking refuge first in Sardinia, they came eventually to this tiny, secluded cove in remote Liguria at the foot of the promontory of the Monte di Portofino. The monastery was founded to house the relics, and donations of land and wealth soon followed, associated especially with the great Doria Pamphilj family.

However, the abbey’s seclusion represented both haven and threat, and its fortune waxed and waned through the centuries. Only the abbot survived the Black Death in the mid-14th century; through the 15th century the revived abbey became a target for the infamous Barbary pirates from the North African Coast. In 1467, the Pope made the abbey a commendum, a benefice to be leased to the laity for the income. It was mostly held by the Doria, who a created family mausoleum in the abbey in the late 16th century.  In 1561 the Republic of Genoa built the small tower on the most westerly outcrop of the bay, defence against pirates and today an important survival in its own right.

By late 1560s there were no more monks in the abbey. Still under Doria tenure, farmworkers now dwelt in its buildings, living by fishing and tending the olive groves. During the Counter Reformation, and with no resident priest, the church fell into disrepair and lost its furnishings and fittings, and its buildings fell into humbler use.

Then in the late 17th and early 18th centuries came renewed revival, as Abbot Camillo Doria initiated major restoration and refurbishment, including a new high altar for the saints’ relics.  Splendour and spirituality were revived, and the abbey’s seclusion meant it survived the Napoleonic period unscathed. Restoration continued through the 19th century.

The 1849 uprisings in pursuit of democracy and unification brought renewed threat, when the abbey’s main archive in Genoa was sacked and destroyed. The abbey alienated much of its land, releasing it for new tenants, and the village population briefly exceeded 100 souls. Events came and receded: in 1855, the British steamship Croesus caught fire off the bay and was grounded on a sandbank with considerable loss of life of locals and crew alike; in 1860 an attempt by the State to appropriate a third of abbey wealth by the State was thwarted. In 1885, when the last commendatory abbot died, Pope Leo XIII transferred the abbey to a civil parish under the Doria Pamphilj. In 1915, a disastrous flood brought the collapse of the abbey roof and part of the church, requiring renewed restoration from 1916-24.  

FAI’s restoration has triumphantly recovered as much as possible of the original medieval fabric, removing backfill and the later, sometimes crude domestic additions. The abbey complex is now open to today's visitors, and includes a museum of finds from the site. The frescoes and early ceramics are especially renowned.

Casa de Mar was restored and refurbished as part of the 2001-4 campaign, and is the only self-catering accommodation available in this tiny settlement. We are delighted to be able offer it to Landmarkers within our wider partnership with FAI, and to play our part in the future of this magical site.

How to get there

San Fruttuoso can be reached only by boat from Camogli year-round or from Portofino in high season.
 
Camogli is 30km south of Genoa, 165 km south of Milan and 145 km north of Pisa. Though it is possible to reach Camogli by car, it is advisable to get there by train. It can be very difficult to find parking in Camogli, particularly in busy periods.
 
Flights: the best airport is Genoa (about 50 minutes away by road) but you can also fly into Milan (150 minutes) or Pisa (100 minutes).
 
By train: from Milano Centrale railway station - (about 180 minutes) with a change at Genova Piazza Principe railway station. From Genova Piazza Principe railway station (about 50 minutes). From Pisa airport (about 180 minutes).
 
From outside the railway station turn right and continue on Via XX Settembre and Via della Repubblica. Soon after the arch turn left and walk down to the port. The jetty for the public boat service is on the right at Via del Porto.
 
The public boat service from Camogli to San Fruttuoso is Golfo Paradiso – Linea Blu and the journey takes about 30 minutes. You can also use a taxi boat service  costing about 80 euro one way and may be available when the public boat is not in service.

Whilst walking to San Fruttuoso is possible, it is a lovely but sometimes challenging hike, we do not recommend that you plan to arrive by foot.