Inaccessible, protected and wild: we are now approaching Cala dell’Oro, the Cove of Gold.
It is a natural beach inside Zone A, the fully protected core of the Portofino Marine Protected Area. It also has a troubled past, full of old stories about pirates and smugglers.
The inlet is marked by caves and hidden cracks where, according to local legend, Saracen pirates once hid stolen goods and waited for merchant ships sailing towards the rich port of Genoa.
Among them, tradition says, was the feared corsair Dragut, the same man behind the brutal raid on Rapallo in 1549.
The watchtower on the headland was built in 1561 by the Republic of Genoa to defend this stretch of coast from pirate attacks.
Even so, for centuries Cala dell’Oro was said to be a meeting point for smugglers and freebooters travelling towards Corsica.
Today, that tower is the only human trace in an otherwise untouched landscape.As we said before, Cala dell’Oro lies inside Zone A, the strict no-entry area of the reserve. This means no boats, no swimming and no mooring.You can only admire it from a distance, or from above, along the steep paths that cross the promontory.These rules have allowed the cove to recover in a remarkable way.It no longer hides pirates’ treasure, but something far more precious: a refuge for biodiversity, where plant and animal life thrives in clear water.Groupers, dentex, tuna and many other fish move through these waters. Dolphins from the nearby Pelagos Sanctuary often come close to the shore. Coral covers the seabed.
Take a moment to enjoy the stillness of a place where nature has been left to itself.