We share the coordinates:
44.346280, 9.157281
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Useful information:
The route is to be avoided in the summer season due to the heat.
Remember to bring a hat and stock up on water before setting off.
If you are tired, it is possible to return from Punta Chiappa to Camogli by boat: for the timetables we leave you the link of the official company of the Gulf of Tigullio.

Description:
The promontory of Portofino contains in its territory fragments of history that belong to different eras: in the pretty bay of San Fruttuoso stands the thousand-year-old abbey, along the jutting conglomerate cliffs runs the nineteenth-century path of the tubes, the seaside village of Camogli welcomes the late-medieval castle of Dragonara.

Immersed in the Mediterranean scrub of the Park you can also find well-preserved buildings (casemates and batteries) dating back to the Second World War, which we will deal with in this article. For those wishing to learn more, there are links and bibliographical references at the end of the text.

History:
The prelude to the construction of these stations was the defeat that fascist Italy suffered in February 1941, when the English navy undisturbed bombed Genoa from the sea.

The fascist hierarchs realized that it was imperative to build fortifications equipped with long-range naval guns, positioned along the coast, to protect the Ligurian capital, and that one of the strategic points corresponded to the interior of the wild Mediterranean scrub above Punta Chiappa: they were therefore work began on the new defensive battery, where the 152/45 guns were positioned, capable of firing artillery shells 19 kilometers away.

A lot of manpower was used to bring the construction materials and the very heavy cannons, and tracks were installed on which the carts covered a difference in height of 250 meters starting from sea level.

The most difficult part was drilling into the pudding, the hard conglomerate rock found in this area of ​​the park: for this reason, explosives were used.

The works continued for two years, building: underground tunnels connecting the positions, the armoury, the military barracks, the wash house, the latrines, the infirmary and an observation point.

After the armistice of September 1943, the batteries in the "Erbaio" area passed to the Germans, who thanks to the infamous German military administration TODT fortified the casemates and hid the anti-ship guns in new reinforced concrete bunkers 2 meters thick.

The approximately 100 men of the German 619th battalion mined the surrounding area, and remained until the liberation. The remains of the batteries are still well preserved because this area was not affected by either Allied bombings or episodes of violence during the resistance period.

The path:
Starting from the Camogli car park, turn left past the Carabinieri station and continue towards the hamlet of San Rocco, climbing hundreds of steps that wind between country houses and cultivated fields.

For a less demanding walk it is possible to start directly from the San Rocco car park.

Once you arrive in the small square of the church of San Rocco, for those with a sweet tooth there is a historic baker, located immediately after the first steps that start from the church and go down towards Camogli.

From San Rocco follow the signs for the Batterie, following the path which, after passing the blocks of Mortola and Fornelli, will enter the wooded area above Porto Pidocchio and Punta Chiappa.

After the first battery you descend steeply towards Punta Chiappa, where all the other military installations are present along the route. Here we realize all the effort that went into building this camouflaged defensive system.

Once you arrive at the picturesque Punta Chiappa (one of the many famous diving spots in the Portofino park), you go up towards Porto Pidocchio and San Nicolò di Capodimonte, famous for its lovely Romanesque stone church.

From here you need to make a final effort to go up again and meet the outward route that takes you back to San Rocco.

To know more: 

• Gianfranco Coari “Bunker della guerra sul monte di Portofino. Die II° Marine-Küsten-Batterie Chiappa” edizioni Il Geko, 2013
• Parco Portofino park authority

That's all! If you like this text or have any question, leave a comment below.