Almost better than Saint-Tropez

Only 416 people live here, it has a tiny strip of beach and after three days you have really tasted and smelled everything, but still Portofino is huge bucket list material. This tiny harbor town is the residence of the rich of the earth and was the location where Lana Del Rey filmed her clip Ultraviolence. There is also a Ferrari and an IWC watch named after this beautiful place. Those rich people, by the way, prefer to reside at hotel Splendido. Maria Callas, Winston Churchill, Grace Kelly and Charlie Chaplin stayed there, for example. I bet in the suite La Baronessa or La Dogaressa. What makes hotel Splendido so attractive? Uh, do you have a moment? Their exclusive boutique, the Dior spa, that pool with a view of the bay and the orange umbrellas and the gelateria San Giorgio that you enter from the piazzetta and that has been serving the best ice cream for 100 years.

You will find the most beautiful boutiques in Portofino. From A-list fashion houses to unique, own brands. I enjoyed eating at Dai Gemelli, a restaurant run by the twin brothers Paolo and Matteo, who split their best of both between Milan and Portofino.

Tip: preferably arrive at the beginning of the season, so in March or April. Then everyone is still in the mood for you and they are not tired from the hordes of tourists who come to admire Portofino in the summer with day boats.