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Portofino ( Ligurian : Portofin) is a small Italian fishing village, comune and tourist resort located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera . The town crowded round its small harbour is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports.
History
According to Pliny the Elder , Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf .
The village is mentioned in a diploma from 986 by Adelaide of Italy , which assigned it to the nearby Abbey of San Fruttoso di Capodimonte. In 1171, together with the neighbouring Santa Margherita Ligure , it was included in Rapallo 's commune jurisdiction. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa . The town's natural harbour supported a fleet of fishing boats, but was somewhat too cramped to provide more than a temporary safe haven for the growing merchant marine of the
In 1409
In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, of the unified Kingdom of Italy .
In the late 19th century, first British , then other northern European aristocratic tourists began to visit
- Statue of "Christ of the Abyss", put underwater on August 29 , 1954 in the small bay at a depth of 17 meters. This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Duilio Marcante . Sculpted by Guido Galletti, it represents a benedictory Christ who is looking up towards the sky with open arms as a sign of peace.
- Castello Brown (16th century).
Church />of St. Martin/> />(Divo Martino, 12th century). Church />of St. George/> />, housing some saints' relics. - Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta, in Gothic style.
( wiki)
