The lighthouse walk at Punta del Capo

From Castello Brown a paved path continues out along the promontory, dropping gradually through pines, olive terraces and the walls of private villas until it reaches the small white lighthouse at Punta del Capo, the southern tip of the headland. It is about fifteen minutes from the Piazzetta, all of it on made-up surfaces.

The walk is as much the location as the destination. Gaps in the trees open onto the gulf, the path is edged with dry-stone walls and agaves, and the low light comes through the pines in bars. At the lighthouse the ground opens out to a small terrace with the sea on three sides and the whole eastern Riviera behind — the widest view anywhere near Portofino, and one that includes no buildings at all.

It faces roughly south and west, so this is the sunset end of the peninsula, and unlike the harbour it holds the light right to the horizon. There is a small bar at the lighthouse with seasonal hours. The path is public and open at all times, but it is unlit, so plan the walk back in daylight or bring a torch. In wet weather the paving is slippery in the shaded sections under the pines.