Camogli/portofino and Milan - TRIP REPORT

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
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Heya folks. Going to camogli in just a week or so and figured I’d see if anyone had any recent tips for the area. We were there in 2016 and staying at the same hotel. I have most of my meals planned but it’s centered around camogli and San Rocco…would like to see if anyone had recommendations for all other towns nearby from Genoa to Santa margherita and portofino. We’re going with our 5 year old but he eats well.

Any recommendations for wine and producers that are a step above the rest on the wine lists?

We’ll end the trip in milan. We have dinners at rovello18 and a tourist spot at the duomo but any other current advice is appreciated. We were thinking of trying piz but need some other ideas.

Figured with so many folks traveling to Italy this summer, I’d get some ideas.

Thanks

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Check the last thread in Milan, it’s recent.

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I never eat anything other than focaccia in Camogli, no matter how hard I try. Enjoy!

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Was there last week.

Fermento is a good new wine bar in Camogli, we didn’t find much else interesting wine wise.

In SM we enjoyed da Pezzi and Caffe Port was fine for a simple lunch.

We hired a boat from Davide (Albatross) in SM and enjoyed it.

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If you are looking for a wine bar in Milano then Cantine Isola dal 1896 could be worth checking out.

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check this thread for some good recommendations

I suggested 2 spots, one in Camolgi down thread and a lunch spot in Portofino.

We also has a great dinner here in SML:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187827-d17567723-Reviews-Zi_Ninella_Ristorante_Bistrot-Santa_Margherita_Ligure_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

There is a little pasta shop too in Camolgi right on the main strip. They sell all kinds of fresh pasta but you can do a quick lunch there. Pick your pasta and your sauce it’s probably still under 10E. Sit outside and eat on one of the benches seaside. Great spot for a quick bite.

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Posted about our time in SML/Portofino in my trip write up here

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just got back and figured id share some brief comments. this is our second time in camogli and honestly, we plan to be back regularly. was a perfect beach destination but only recommended if you stay at cenobio dei dogi. and if you do go, make sure you have a room in their ‘newer’ building with views of the sea.

camogli was our base with our young son but frankly, we felt like it was our favorite destination as well. dinners at cenobio dei dogi on their patio, cucina di nonna nina up in san rocco, ostaia da o sigu were our favorites. izoa was also good but a bit more new school. they did have labet jura bottles for 80 eur which was a treat.

we spent one day at san fruttuoso and had lunch as usual at da laura. they moved to inside the abbey from the beach front since our last visit but both times were special. just had too many bees flying at lunch. it was so hot that we ended up leaving around 2pm. if you do plan to go to san fruttuoso, make sure you take a ferry before 10am and reserve beach chairs or the place will be unenjoyable with too many folks on the tiny beachfront.

we drove into genoa for one evening and will probably skip it next time. we had a nice dinner at trattoria della grazie (seemed like by far the most popular spot close to the port) but generally, the town is a bit run down and not my favorite.

cucina di nonna nina’s food is not as good as it used to be. i think nina either died or not around anymore. its still worth visiting though. the walk from the car park area to dinner overlooking the sea was one of our favorite moments. dinner was very good overall with a nice crowd but the food wasnt as memorable as i remember it to be.

wine wise, we had some okay bottles. frankly, i just dont love ligurian wines. the whites are a bit more alcoholic and poorly integrated than i prefer. the superiore rossese wines tasted more of oak than anything unique to the area. my best wine was that labet chardonnay at izoa.

we drove to milan and stayed at senato hotel milano. perfect location for us and our third time at that hotel. my only gripe is after 7-8 years, it needs a bit of a tune up.

best dinner in milan was…by far…rovello 18. man oh man, probably best food, wine, service we had overall. we chose a rosae from rinaldi which is rare in the states. it was cheap and overdelivered. i think the wine director has it on the list for a reason.

had a pretty expensive dinner at da giacomo arengario overlooking the duomo to show our kid. the food was better than i expected it to be actually. i had dinner at spazio a few years back and this was much better but…it is what it is.

piz was a pleasant place for a casual dinner or pizza. no wait and was super cheap. nice to take a break from cotoletta and pesto every night.

overall, had a great time and just missed being in italy so much. italy was clean and…well run…at least lombardia, piedmont and liguria. felt like milan was a little quieter and depressed than pre covid but mostly due to the end of the summer closures.

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Thanks for reporting back and sounds like a great trip!

As for Milano, I remember the summer season being a horrible time to be there, like everything fun left with Ferragosto start…

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We arrived on 8/27 and it felt like 70% of the restaurants I wanted to go to reopened this week…a few reopen next week.

We stayed on via senato so in the heart of the fashion district? A saw several prime retail spots vacant which was a first for me to see there. Nothing crazy but noticeable enough to mention it.

I think we’ll continue to stay in Milan for a night or two after exploring other parts north and south.

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Killing time on the plane home, we just finished our third stay in Camogli over the past decade and figured I’d share our trip if anyone is keen to visit.

We always stay at cenobio dei dogi and it was as special as ever. Just a perfect hotel with old world charm. I noticed more Americans this time around…and more Germans. Less Italians than I recall but it still maintained its Ligurian identity. Seems like Camogli has gotten the attention it deserves but so far its the same understated gem in the area.

We ate very well this time though its hard to have a bad meal in this part of Italy. Wines were mostly the best cheap option rather than anything noteworthy. Lots of falanghina, Pecorino and langhe nebbiolo from less heralded producers. We drank a bottle every night and may need to take the month of September off.

First night was after a rare torrential rain storm. We moved some reservations around and ate indoors at ostaia da a sigu on the promenade. Always solid, never life changing but a great way to relax after our drive from malpensa. Had pasta with anchovies which was one of the best preparations that I’ve had. Trofie al pesto and a grilled swordfish were good enough. I’d recommend it only if you were staying in the area.

Next day was more rain so we spent the morning in Genoa. We used to find Genoa sketchy but it’s grown on us and kind of know what to do since it’s our third time. we stayed closer to the aquarium and the tourist areas. parking was a real pain but i managed to use my nyc skills and made it work.

Dinner that night was at Cucina di nonna Nina up in the hills above Camogli in San Rocco. We go every time we’re in town but I think it’s time to move on. Nina died nearly a decade ago and the food nor the place are special anymore. Fine…but you can do much better. Wheat pappardelle with pesto rather than Nina’s signature trofie. Their rustic rabbit dish wasn’t nearly as it was a decade ago.

Next day was spent swimming in the sea and at the pool with some foccacia con formaggio at Revello. A line with 50% locals and 50% tourists at the beach but the food still is great. Dinner was at cenobio’s il doge hotel restaurant. More expensive but the service, the view and hospitality make it worthy even if you’re not staying there. One of the highlights of our trip actually.

Last two dinners in town were new for us and some of the best food of the trip. After an aperitivo with our son at dai muagetti overlooking the sunset in San Rocco (a little more Instagram-y than I recall but for good reason), we tried La Loggia in Recco for just a knockout non seafood dinner. Tagliarini with porcini mushrooms and the best braised beef ravioli and meat sauce that would make my father cry. Super cheap prices, great service. only gripe was having our special table overlooking the sea include a Palestinian flag at our feet. The owner’s choice which I respect but I also shared that it was disappointing to have this issue disrupt a nice evening.

Last night in Camogli was also in Recco at Manuelina. They have a focacceria where the locals go for award winning focaccia but we opted for the fancy pants full on ristorante. The focaccia was no doubt the best we ever had. The trofie al pesto and their roast duck were just knockout dishes. We had a bottle of Teroldego from Foradori but it was served a bit warmer than I prefer. Nonetheless, a delicious meal and we will return.

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The first stop on our honeymoon 33 years ago was Camogli and Cenobio dei Dogi (wonderful planning, Jeannine!). It has stayed with us since. I was talking with a friend yesterday about trying, for 33 years, to replicate the focaccia we ate there. Thanks for the reminder

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