There is a moment, paddling slowly along the coast between Camogli and Portofino, when the sea changes color. The pale turquoise of sun-drenched inlets slides into a darker green, almost black, and the rock wall that accompanies you from shore opens into a dark gap. It is there, in that cool shadow that smells of salt and wet stone, that the Ligurian coast stops being just a view and becomes a mystery. Marine caves cannot be seen from seaside walks, they do not appear in postcards: you have to seek them out with a boat, a kayak, or your own strength.
The Ligurian Sea, with its sheer cliffs sculpted by millennia of waves, is dotted with these cavities. Some are tiny, little more than a crack where only a small boat fits. Others open into chambers that the sea has patiently carved from the limestone rock, leaving high vaults, plays of light filtering through the water, colonies of organisms that live only in marine darkness. They are not theme park attractions: they are living geography, still shaped by storms, and for this reason they must be visited with respect, trained eyes and a minimum of caution.
The Grotta dei Gamberi, between Camogli and Punta Chiappa
Those who know the stretch of coast between Camogli and Punta Chiappa know that the charm of this corner of Liguria lies not in beaches, which hardly exist here, but in the rock that plunges into the sea without interruption. It is in this setting that the Grotta dei Gamberi is found, not a cavity at water level but a diving site registered with the Portofino Marine Protected Area at Punta Chiappa levante, at approximately 37-40 meters depth, reachable only by sea, by boat or with a dive organized by an authorized diving center.
The name, according to local tradition, derives from the small shrimp that inhabit the walls of the cavity. Since it is a diving site at considerable depth, a visit requires diving equipment and accompaniment by an authorized diving center: it is not a place that can be reached by swimming on the surface or with a mask and snorkel. With rough seas, access to the site becomes more complex even for experienced divers, because of the currents that form around the promontory.
Punta Chiappa, the natural balcony over the gulf
Punta Chiappa, nearby, remains the most logical starting point for those who want to reach the Grotta dei Gamberi area by sea from Camogli. It is a tongue of polished rock that juts out toward the gulf, historically frequented by locals from Camogli for fishing and today a destination for those seeking a swim away from the crowds. From here also depart the boats of diving centers that accompany divers toward the submerged site, in the direction of San Fruttuoso.
The Grotta dei Falsari, the secret of Capo Noli
Moving further west, toward the Savona area, the coast changes character and reveals another surprise. Between Noli and Varigotti, along the rocky spur of Capo Noli, the Grotta dei Falsari opens up, also known as the Grotta di Capo Noli or Antro dei Briganti, registered in the Ligurian Speleological Cadastre. The name carries with it an echo of local legends linked to smugglers and counterfeiters who supposedly hid there in past times.
It is a cave that can be reached by boat or kayak following the coast between Noli and Varigotti, one of the most enchanting stretches of the Ponente Ligure, where sheer walls over the sea guard cavities and small coves still rarely visited. The submerged walls of this stretch of coast host sea fans, sponges and Posidonia oceanica meadows, the marine plant that forms true underwater prairies essential for the balance of the coastal ecosystem: it produces oxygen, protects the coast from erosion, offers shelter to numerous species of fish and invertebrates.
Those who approach the Grotta dei Falsari with mask and snorkel, more than with the intent of entering it fully, can observe this underwater microcosm: schools of sea bream moving in unison in the shadow of the cave, the occasional octopus camouflaged among the rocks, and light filtering through the water creating almost tangible beams in the dim light of the cavity.
The Grotte di Toirano, when the sea retreated
Moving further inland between Albenga and Ceriale, the relationship between caves and sea changes nature. The Grotte di Toirano are not marine caves in the strict sense: they are karstic cavities carved into the limestone by underground water, today several kilometers away from the current coastline. Yet they tell a story that nonetheless has to do with the sea, because they testify to times when the level of the Mediterranean was different from today and the Ligurian coasts had a geography that we no longer know.
Within this karst system, remains of cave bears and traces of prehistoric human occupation have been found, making Toirano a site of paleontological and archaeological interest as well as geological. It’s a different experience compared to the sea caves of Camogli or the Savona area: here you walk, you don’t swim, accompanied by guides who explain the stalactite and stalagmite formations that have grown over millennia of constant dripping. A good complement, for those staying in Liguria, to a day at the sea experienced the day before or after: two different ways of reading the same land, one carved by the sea that once was, the other by water that still flows.
How to visit the sea caves: kayak, boat or swimming
The most authentic way to discover the caves along the coast between Camogli and Portofino remains kayaking. It’s silent, allows you to enter crevices too small for a motorboat, and restores the slow rhythm with which the sea should be observed when searching for something unmarked by any sign. Several local operators organize guided kayak outings along the stretch of Portofino Marine Protected Area, a sensible option for those unfamiliar with the coast: the currents around the promontory can be more treacherous than they appear from shore.
Photo by Max Kladitin on Pexels
Those preferring a boat can rent a gozzo with a skipper in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure and be taken along the coast, stopping where the water is most inviting for a swim in the coves and bays of the coastal stretch. It’s the most comfortable option for families or those without much confidence in open-water swimming. Those passionate about diving can contact a diving center in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure to reach sites like the Grotta dei Gamberi at Punta Chiappa, which require specific technical preparation: these are not destinations for those who simply swim from the shore.
Safety and recommended periods
Ligurian sea caves should be visited with caution. The best period runs from June to September, when the sea is more stable and the water temperature makes even extended swimming stays feasible. Access should always be avoided during rough seas or when a libeccio is forecast, the southwest wind that brings the most violent swells to this stretch of coast: water compressed inside a narrow cavity can create undertows and impacts against walls even when conditions in open water seem acceptable.
Those swimming toward the caves should always wear a safety buoy, move in pairs or groups, and inquire locally about daily conditions: the lifeguards and fishermen of Camogli know these coastal stretches better than any written guide. Inside the caves, moreover, the simplest rule applies: look, don’t touch. The walls host fragile organisms, and each cave has a balance that builds over years, not seasons.
The sea of Genoese: those who go for caves are never just tourists
In Camogli, as in Portofino, those who know the caves didn’t discover them in a guidebook: they learned them by heart through years of boat outings with their father, or mornings spent fishing near the coast. There’s a local knowledge, almost passed down through families, about which caves can be visited in what sea conditions, where fish hide during the hottest hours, which submerged sites deserve a dive with the right light. It’s a relationship with the coast that has nothing to do with hit-and-run vacations: it’s everyday life, it’s the memory of generations of fishermen and sailors who used these coves as shelter, as a place of work, as territory known centimeter by centimeter.
For Genoese who choose weekends to escape the city, the typical day starts early: you set out at dawn to avoid the crowds of tourist traffic toward San Fruttuoso, you navigate slowly along the coast, you stop where the sea invites you, and you return in the afternoon when the heat becomes unbearable. It’s a way of experiencing the sea that resembles the seasonal work of fishermen of old more than seaside tourism: slow, attentive to conditions, respectful of an environment that doesn’t forgive haste.
Practical tips for organizing your excursion
To reach Camogli from Genoa, the most convenient option remains the regional train, with the station just a few minutes from the historic center and the small harbor from which excursions depart toward San Fruttuoso and the coastal caves. From here you can choose between kayak rental, signing up for a guided tour, or boarding one of the ferries that connect Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino, useful for those who want only to get close to the cave area for a swim, without exploring on their own.
To reach Grotta dei Falsari, it’s best to organize from Noli or Varigotti, where it’s possible to rent kayaks or boats to explore the stretch of coast at Capo Noli. For the Caves of Toirano, visits are organized with entrance tickets and guidance from internal guides, an experience suitable for families with children, with marked and safe routes. It’s worth bringing a light sweater even in August: the internal temperature of the limestone caves remains cool year-round, quite different from the heat of the coast.
Those staying in Genoa can easily organize a day trip to Camogli and Portofino starting from one of our residences in the heart of the city, perhaps choosing an apartment in the Porto Antico area from which to move easily toward the eastern coast. To better orient yourself among the coastal destinations, our Genoa guide brings together itineraries and practical tips for those who want to discover the territory without relying on chance alone.
The sea that tells its story through carving
The marine caves of Liguria are not an attraction to check off a list. They are a different way of reading the coast: not from above, as one does while walking scenic trails, but from within, at water level or beneath its surface, where the sea reveals its most intimate architectures. Those who visit them with respect, at the right times and with the caution they deserve, take home an image of Liguria different from that polished postcard version: rougher, more authentic, literally carved by time and the force of water.
If this hidden Liguria is calling to you, the best way to answer is to experience it from within. With one of our residences in the heart of Genoa as your base, each morning can begin with the idea of a new inlet to discover, a cave to reach by kayak, a stretch of coast that the sea has shaped silently for millennia and that awaits only to be seen with the right eyes.
