Protected from the wind and the sea inside a secluded sandstone-sheltered cove, this little Ligurian fishing village is every bit as charming as it appears from its postcard-perfect shoreline. Historic gelato-colored houses line the harbor — which is now filled with super yachts and pleasure boats — each painted in a symbolic motif that offers clues as to the earliest inhabitants, and many featuring classic trompe-l’oeil (“fools the eye”) techniques like faux windows that have been popular along the Italian coastline since the Renaissance.

Ancient olive groves and budding Vermentino vines peek above the craggy cliffs, as the notoriously blue waters sparkle and sway in the bay below. Portofino is a romance that writes itself, and its fame as a dreamy destination has attracted famous love stories throughout the generations. It is where Elizabeth Taylor got engaged, Kourtney Kardashian said her vows, and numerous international singers have recorded renditions of “I Found Love in Portofino.”