There are some Sundays, now and then, when just looking at the sea from a lounger isn’t enough. You need to feel it under your hiking boots, breathe it in among the twisted branches of maritime pines, sweat a little to truly earn it. It’s the kind of Sunday when in Genoa the sky has that typical late summer look—clear and slightly veiled with salt haze—and all you want is to walk a trail that doesn’t exhaust you but rewards you with views impossible to reach by car.
It takes just about thirty minutes from Genoa to reach Camogli, a fishing village with tall, colorful houses overlooking the Golfo Paradiso. And it’s from here that one of the most surprising—and least strenuous—coastal treks along the entire Riviera di Levante begins: the one that leads to Punta Chiappa, a rocky promontory jutting out into the sea from which, on clear days, you can see the Portofino headland silhouetted like a theatrical backdrop.
It’s not an alpine expedition. It’s a walk you can do in sturdy sneakers, with families, with people who’ve never carried a backpack but want to discover a piece of Liguria that traditional seaside tourism doesn’t tell you about.
Camogli, the starting point that’s already a reason to come
Camogli deserves its own share of the day just as a village. The tower houses overlooking the harbor, painted in shades of antique rose, ochre, and soft yellow, are an inhabited trompe-l’oeil: fake windows, false balustrades, painted decorations that were meant to deceive pirates about the wealth of the families living there. Today they pleasantly deceive only the visitor’s eye, who stops to photograph that theatrical backdrop stretching the entire length of the waterfront.
Photo by Domenico Adornato on Unsplash
The morning in Camogli has its own rhythm: fishermen returning, nets drying near the pebble beach, the smell of coffee wafting from bars under the arcades of Via Garibaldi. It’s the right moment to stock up on focaccia—the Genoese kind, tall and perfectly oily—before setting out. In Camogli, as along this entire coast, a savory breakfast before a trek is almost a ritual.
The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, with its Baroque facade right above the harbor, is a good landmark: from there, following the signs for San Rocco, you begin to climb.
The trail: from San Rocco to Punta Chiappa through Mediterranean scrub and open sea
The first section is a stepped climb that leads to the sanctuary of San Rocco di Camogli, just above the village. It’s not demanding, but it warms up your legs: in about twenty minutes you gain altitude, and looking back, the gulf opens up in all its expanse, with Camogli’s houses shrinking and the blue stretching to the horizon.
From San Rocco the trail continues westward, sometimes nearly flat, sometimes with brief ups and downs, through dense Mediterranean scrub filled with holm oaks, maritime pines, and spurges, with the salt spray seeming to settle on the leaves themselves. The sound of the sea never leaves the walk: sometimes you hear it below, crashing against the rocks, sometimes it disappears around a wooded bend only to reappear stronger when the trail returns to the ridge’s edge.
You reach Punta Chiappa after a final steeper descent, on stone steps and smoothed rock. It’s a flat, low promontory, almost at water level, jutting into the Golfo Paradiso: from here, on clear days, the view of the Portofino headland is among the most beautiful on the entire coast—perhaps the best of all because you see it in profile, in its entirety, with the open sea surrounding it on three sides.
It’s no accident that Punta Chiappa has always been a destination for local swimmers, as well as walkers: the flat rocks lend themselves to a dive, and the water here is deep and crystal clear almost immediately. Bringing a swimsuit, even just for a quick dip mid-walk, is an excellent idea.
Difficulty, times, and what to pack
The route from Camogli to Punta Chiappa via San Rocco takes about an hour and a half at a leisurely pace, with moderate elevation gain concentrated mainly in the first climb. It’s a hiking trail (marked EE in more demanding sections in some exposed areas, but the section described here is manageable for untrained walkers with minimal caution). There are no dangerously exposed passages on the main route, but the ground can be uneven and slippery near the rocks.
- Shoes: light trekking shoes or trainers with sculpted soles, never sandals
- Water: there are no fountains along the forested section, bring at least one and a half liters per person, more in midsummer
- Sun protection: large stretches are exposed, a hat and sunscreen are essential from June to September
- Swimsuit and towel: for swimming at Punta Chiappa
- Time of day: starting early in the morning during summer avoids the worst heat during midday hours
The return by boat: the option that changes your day
One of the reasons this trek is particularly suited to those who don’t want to overexert themselves is the possibility of returning by sea. From Punta Chiappa there are seasonal ferry connections to Camogli and to San Fruttuoso, a small bay with a Benedictine abbey nestled in the greenery of Monte di Portofino, otherwise reachable only on foot or by boat. Closing the loop by sea, with the wind in your face and the village approaching slowly from the water, is a different — and decidedly more restful — way to end the excursion than retracing the same path on foot.
Those with time and energy can also continue beyond Punta Chiappa into the trail system of Portofino Park, which connects Camogli to San Fruttuoso and, further on, to Portofino itself: a longer and more challenging trek, best reserved for those already familiar with coastal trails and with a full day available.
How to get to Camogli from Genoa
The train is probably the most convenient option for those staying in Genoa without a car: the Genoa-Camogli-Levante line has frequent departures, with a travel time of about 35 minutes from Genoa Principe or Brignole stations. Camogli station is just a few minutes’ walk from the historic center and the marina, an advantage over other Riviera destinations where the station is more remote.
By car the journey is about 26 kilometers, 30 minutes without traffic along the Aurelia or the A12 motorway with exit at Recco. Parking in Camogli during high season can be difficult and expensive: if possible, the train remains the most practical choice, especially on Sundays when the village fills up.
A suggested itinerary
Leave Genoa on one of the first morning trains, arriving in Camogli around 9 am. Have a savory breakfast with focaccia and cappuccino at one of the bars in the center, take a quick walk along the harbor to enjoy the village in the soft morning light, then start the trail toward San Rocco.
Leaving around 10 am, you’ll reach Punta Chiappa mid-morning: the ideal time for a swim before the sun gets too high. Those bringing a packed lunch can stop right on the rocks, otherwise it’s worth heading back to Camogli — on foot or by ferry — to eat lunch at one of the seafood restaurants by the harbor, perhaps with a plate of trofie or stuffed squid, specialties that are easy to find here.
The afternoon is perfect for a longer swim on Camogli beach, or a more leisurely visit to the village and basilica, before taking the train back to Genoa in the late afternoon, with the light lengthening across the gulf.
The detail that makes the hike worthwhile
What makes Punta Chiappa different from so many other viewpoints on the Riviera is the perspective: here the Portofino headland is viewed head-on, not from the side as it appears from the coast of Santa Margherita or from Portofino itself, but in its entire silhouette standing out against the open sea. It’s an observation point that very few guides highlight with proper emphasis, perhaps because you only reach it on foot or by boat, never by car: the minimal effort of getting there under your own steam is part of the experience, and makes the final view all the more rewarding.
Returning to Genoa, with salt still on your skin
There’s something special about coming back to Genoa in the evening after a day like this: legs a bit tired, skin that still smells of the sea, your head full of that blue you saw from Punta Chiappa. Returning not to just any hotel but to one of the residences in the heart of Genoa means ending the day in an apartment that already feels like home, perhaps with a terrace where you can recount your excursion over a glass of wine. If this Sunday’s walk between sea and Mediterranean scrub has convinced you, you can book your stay in Genoa and set off from here to discover the Golfo Paradiso and the entire Riviera di Levante. For other excursions and itineraries from the city, our magazine column awaits you every Sunday with new destinations just a train ride away.
