The Golfo Paradiso -- Paradise Gulf -- is the stretch of Ligurian coast between Genoa and Portofino, a string of small fishing towns backed by steep green hills dropping straight into the sea. The name is not an exaggeration: the light here is extraordinary, the water is clean, and the little harbours still feel like working places rather than stage sets.
The towns along the gulf -- Bogliasco, Sori, Recco, Camogli -- sit close together on the old Via Aurelia, which winds along the cliffs above the water. Each has its own character. Recco is famous for its focaccia col formaggio, a thin, crisp flatbread filled with molten stracchino cheese that people drive from Genoa specifically to eat. Camogli is the photogenic one, with tall painted houses crowded around a tiny harbour and fishing nets spread out on the quay.
The whole area sits just thirty minutes from central Genoa by train, making it an easy escape from the city. The coast path between the towns offers some of the best short walks in Liguria, with views across the gulf toward the Portofino headland.
