San Fruttuoso is located in a bay between Camogli and Portofino. It can only be reached by boat or by foot. Since I will jump on a boat any chance I can get, how to arrive there was an easy choice for me. The boat ride from Camogli to the charming little bay where San Fruttuoso is located was quite relaxing.
The day I visited San Fruttuoso in the summer of 2003, a wedding was taking place inside the church. That unfortunately prevented me from more than a quick peek inside. I did however check out the special amber exhibit in the little museum nearby. I was quite surprised with what I learned about amber. After seeing some of the insects inside some of the amber pieces, I have not had much desire to purchase any amber.
I will try my best to briefly describe a little of the colorful history of the Abbey of San Fruttuoso (Abbazia di San Fruttuoso) from the brochures that I have saved and from a few google searches. The Abbey’s existence has been dated back as far as the 3rd to 7th century depending on which account you read. The Abbey was attacked by the Saracens, a name which referred to the Arabs, Berbers, Moors and Turks, as well as pirates. The Abbey was rebuilt by Greek and then Benedectine monks. The Abbey was later home to fishermen and then finally the property of the Doria Family. The tower of Andrea Doria was built in 1562 to guard against Saracen and pirate attacks. In 1983, the Doria family donated San Fruttuoso to FAI.
First view of San Fruttuoso by boat:
View as we turned into the bay:
The boat I took:
shave ice & gelato 
What a gorgeous spot! I’m taking tomorrow off to recharge my batteries – I think I will spend more than a few moments of my day dreaming of visiting San Fruttoso. And I love boat rides too, so all the better!
LikeLike
Beautiful photos! It looks like a real gem!
LikeLike
Anne, It is such a peaceful little spot. I am sure you would enjoy it there. I went there the year before I heard of Slow Travel and foolishly crammed both San Fruttuoso and Portofino in one day. I would like to return to San Fruttuoso again and hang out there for the entire day.
Chiocciola, I appreciate your compliment on the photos. I almost framed one of them but there was too much green in the photo. Another good reason to go back again, to try to get a better shot :-)
LikeLike
What gorgeous photos!
Yeah, I too think back to my pre-Slow Trav days and things I’d like to do over!
LikeLike
I remember going twice. Once by boat and once by foot. There was an excellent restaurant just up some stairs but right on the water t the right of the church. They had excellent wine an fish.
LikeLike
Thanks for the compliment Annie. This post has been the motivation I have needed to start planning my summer trip to Italy (late I know, but better late than ever). Hopefully I can do it “slower” this time!!
Angie good tip about the restaurant. I may just try to eat there when I return. How was the hike?
LikeLike