Camogli (; lij, label= Genoese, Camoggi ) is a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 m ...

and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...

, on the Golfo Paradiso in the

Riviera di Levante The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...

, in the

Metropolitan City of Genoa The Metropolitan City of Genoa ( it, Città Metropolitana di Genova) is one of the fourteen Metropolitan cities of Italy, located in the region of Liguria. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the Province of Genoa. History It was first c ...

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. its population was of 5,332. Camogli is one of the largest areas of the ''Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino'', and a part of the Portofino Marine Protected Area.

History

The name of the town is of ancient, though of disputed origin. One story suggests it comes from the shortened ''Casa de Moglie''. When the ship captains sailed, they put their wives (''mogli'') in a sort of home for all of them (''casa''), and the town was well known for this. In the

late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...

, Camogli was a considerable seaport. In its heyday, its fleet consisted of hundreds of Tall Ships, and it was called the "city of a thousand white sails". In 1798 the city hosted a large contingent of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's fleet, which was then beaten in the Egyptian waters of the Nile by

Admiral Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. The prestigious naval college "Cristoforo Colombo" was founded in Camogli in 1874, named after the Genoese navigator

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

. In 1880, the former fishing village had, in a population of 12,000, 500 registered as ship captains. Camogli now relies mainly on tourism and is known for its colorful houses that line the beach. The house colors once helped the fishermen of Camogli find the way back to their port. The local swimming club water polo RN Camogli has won several Italian championships and is known nationwide. In February 2021, the cliff collapsed below the cemetery that is sited 70m above the water, and

coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...

s fell into the sea. 11 caskets were recovered from the water, and more from the landslide.Italian Riviera clifftop cemetery collapses into the Ligurian Sea

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

ABC News Online ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs. The division of ...

, 2021-02-24

Trivia

Camogli Hospital The Camogli Hospital is a public hospital located in Edinburgh of the Seven Seas on Tristan da Cunha. The building was replaced by a new build in 2017 to meet NHS standards. History Throughout the 19th Century, the islands had no resident heal ...

on the South Atlantic island of

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...

is named after the town, to commemorate the fact that it was the home of Repetto and Gaetano Lavarello, who settled on the island in 1892.

People

Francesco Capurro Francesco Capurro, also known as ''Capuro'', was a 17th-century Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Genoa and Modena. He was born in Camogli, just north of Genoa. He was one of the main pupils of the genoese Domenico Fiasella. ...

, 17th-century painter *

Ruggero Chiesa Ruggero Chiesa (1 August 1933 – 14 June 1993) was a prominent Italian classical guitarist, teacher and editor. Life and career Born in Camogli, Chiesa began studying classical guitar privately with Mario Canepa, continuing his studies with Carlo ...

(1933–1993), classical guitarist and editor

Twin towns

Tuningen Tuningen is a Gemeinde (municipality) located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The municipality belongs to the administrative authority (''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'') of Villingen-Schwenningen. Geogr ...

, Germany, since 1998 *

Carloforte Carloforte (''U Pàize'' in Ligurian, literally: ''the village, the town'') is a fishing and resort town located on Isola di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Island), approximately off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, in the Province of South Sard ...

, Italy, since 2004

References

Cities and towns in Liguria Coastal towns in Liguria Fishing communities in Italy Italian Riviera {{Liguria-geo-stub