Portofino essentially shuts down, including most hotels and restaurants, but the Parco di Portofino's trails are walkable year-round and blissfully empty – oak, chestnut and pine woods without a hiker in sight.

Winter focaccia and farinata season in nearby Camogli and Recco. This is the best time to eat the region's famous baked goods with locals instead of tourists.

Storm-watching from Santa Margherita's promenade can be genuinely dramatic as Ligurian winter swells pound the rocks beautifully.

Cold, occasionally wet, and potentially snowy, this is a unique time for a day trip to Portofino – but the dramatic light makes for amazing photos.

Offering a hint that spring is on the way, almond blossom and mimosa start to flower across the Ligurian hillsides.

Santa Margherita's Mercato del Pesce runs at a proper local pace with anchovies and sea bass unloaded straight from the boats.

Slowly warming up, signs of life return to Portofino as hotels prepare to re-open for the season.

The San Fruttuoso trail from Portofino is properly open once again. Wander amongst the pine woods, olive terraces and staggering sea views.

Liguria's early spring wildflowers arrive on the Monte Portofino slopes with wild iris, broom and fragrant macchia coming into bloom.

Rapallo's Thursday market runs at full tilt again. It’s a properly local Ligurian affair, a short train ride from the glamour.

Spring arrives properly in Portofino with long sunny stretches and gardens bursting with blooms.

Undoubtedly one of the best months for hiking the Portofino peninsula, April is cool enough for the climbs, wildflowers are everywhere and paths are uncrowded.

Swordfish, red prawns and the first of the Ligurian sea bream arrive on menus all along the coastline.

San Fruttuoso Abbey is a delight – the cove’s warm enough to swim in on some days and visitor numbers are still gentle before June.

The Roseto Comunale gardens at Villa Durazzo in Santa Margherita come into bloom. It’s the Ligurian Riviera villa gardens at their most photogenic.

Camogli's Sagra del Pesce (the second Sunday in May) is the Ligurian event of the year – a giant 4m frying pan cooks three tonnes of fish for anyone to enjoy, preceded by bonfires and fireworks.

Early June is the window before the real summer rush with long evenings and a properly swimmable sea.

This is a fantastic time for boating around the peninsula, with the chance of spotting fin whales, dolphins and occasionally sperm whales in the Pelagos Sanctuary.

Aperitivo culture returns to the harbour – prosecco and focaccia as the fishing boats come in becomes a favourite evening ritual.

With summer reaching its peak, enjoy reliably blue skies and the Ligurian at its clearest – be prepared for the Portofino to San Fruttuoso hike to become rather demanding (we recommend starting at dawn).

Whale-watching trips from Camogli run at full tilt – fin whales feeding offshore, with dolphins, pilot whales and the occasional sperm whale.

Paraggi's tiny turquoise cove (between Portofino and Santa Margherita) is at its most beautiful with water as clear as it gets – be sure to book your sun bed weeks ahead.

The Italian Riviera reaches a fever pitch, so expect to join the crowds that arrive for Ferragosto – book everything well ahead of time.

Conditions for diving the Christ of the Abyss off San Fruttuoso are at their clearest – the bronze Christ has stood 15 metres underwater since 1954.

Swimming from the rocks at Baia Cannone and Punta Chiappa is excellent, and far quieter than Paraggi's overcrowded beach.

The sea is at its warmest, humidity is easing and the crowds begin to thin from mid-month.

Boating conditions are splendid and whale watching remains spectacular with calmer seas for longer excursions.

Grape harvest begins across Liguria's terraced vineyards with small producers around Portofino and further down the coast welcoming visitors.

Portofino enjoys temperatures hovering around 19-22°C, golden light and softer days. The rain returns in proper spells but bright stretches are reliably beautiful.

October is one of the best months for hiking the peninsula – cool and clear, with autumn foliage softening the pine and chestnut woods.

Olive harvest begins across the Monte Portofino slopes and the wider Riviera. Small frantoios press new oil from late in the month.

Plenty of rain and dramatic storms means most of Portofino closes for the winter, but Santa Margherita and Camogli remain open and quiet.

New-pressed olive oil arrives at local frantoios – unfiltered, peppery, and the best souvenir you can take home from the region.

White anchovies, salt cod and winter seafood appear on menus. You can’t get more genuinely local Ligurian than that.

Camogli's Basilica and winter focaccerie keep the village quietly alive through winter, although most of Portofino itself closes.

Santa Margherita's presepe nativity scene and Christmas lights transform the promenade.

Christmas Eve Mass at the Abbey of San Fruttuoso is a rare and atmospheric experience – the 10th-century Benedictine abbey is accessible only by boat or foot, weather permitting.