Portofino is another of those stunning Italian coastal villages. This time we did more than stroll and shopping. A very interesting tour revealed some facts that we felt worth sharing.

Most of the buildings along the water date back to the 1200’s. Originally they were one very small room built out of stone. Then a second story was added, then a third, etc. Because the rooms were so small there was no place for stairs, so ladders were used to get up and down.

Somewhere along the way extra space was added to the back side, along with stairs. Today the cost of these places is 30,000 Euros per square meter — roughly 3.5 feet square. A single window facing the water adds 500,000 Euros to the price. At that price most people just own one level.

Another interesting fact is that Napoleon introduced quite a number of different practices. One involved burials. The very wealthy could buy a plot and build a mausoleum, or whatever they wanted on it. And since they owned it they could add on later. For the middle class he introduced the idea of “rental crypts”. A family could rent one for 10 years, and renew the lease twice. Then the remains had to be moved, at that point perhaps as ashes. The idea was to give dignity to the deceased, yet realize that after 30 years no one was likely still visiting. In a place like Portofino, where space is so precious, it makes a lot of sense. As you can see in this photo, there are several slots waiting for new arrivals.

The final fact involved the legendary Vespa motor scooter. An Italian industrialist had quite a success with his business. After the war he decided that he wanted to do something good for society. In the post-war time scooters had become popular, yet ladies had to ride side saddle for modesty. They wore skirts or dresses (long before skorts emerged). The two wings on the colorful Vespa were designed to let the ladies drive them in skirts or dresses, and created a lot of mobility freedom. Good for him!