The Abbey of San Fruttuoso, Italy (Abbazia di San Fruttuoso) is located in a cove of the Promontory of Portofino. The abbey was built by Greek monks in the 10th century and a short walk away is the Torre Doria stone tower built in 1562. The abbey contains and ancient cloister and a museum.
The Abbey was named after martyred bishop Fruttuoso. Christian persecutors killed him in AD 259. He then appeared in the dreams of five monks telling them where to bury his remains. To this day his remnants rest in this church.
The surrounding cove and beach provide gorgeous views of dazzling clear blue water totally surrounded by a forested wilderness. This place is billed as a very unique destination and one of the most scenic places in Liguria. So, if you visit Portofino, I would highly recommend taking the ferry to San Fruttuoso.
There are two ways to get here, by ferry boat or hiking. We stayed at a hotel in the nearby seaside town of Santa Margherita Ligure where you can catch the ferry that will take you to Portofino in about 15 minutes for €10 hen onto San Fructuoso another 20-minute ferry ride.
The abbey beach is stony, and you can rent umbrellas and chairs, or you can use your own towel to layout. The beach was not crowded on our weekday visit, but I understand it can get very crowded on weekends. There is a great place to enjoy lunch on the hillside cliff which offers views of the abbey and cove. It’s also a good boat and people watch location.
