Located in the province of Genoa, on the western end of the promontory of Portofino. The etymology of the name is uncertain: for some historians it derives from Camulia, Mars the god of the Sabines and Etruscans, for others from Camolio, a Celtic deity, or from the greek "cam gi" (ground down) and finally, still others from Genovese Camuggi (house wives). The town is a series of tall, narrow houses built on a strip of land between the Apennines and the Ligurian Sea. The buildings, rebuilt several times, with a compact look and colorful façades , stretch along the Carruggio Dritto. The different colors allow mariners to identify their home with they use as cardinal point for their return from the sea. In 1913 the first row of houses, built on the shoreline, were dismantled in order to give space to a stretch of beach. On the other side of the street there is a large rock, known as "the island", on which in the past were built the first houses of Camogli, the remains of the castle of Dragonara and now seat of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. Between the district of Priaro, built on the sea and the island, there is a large square of the port, which has always been an important reference point for the activities of the local inhabitants.
Camogli has prehistoric origins, as evidenced by the remains of a settlement found on Mount Castellaro, dating from the XVI and the XIII century b.C. in the same area, Roman remains were also found. In the XII century the castle of Dragonara was built to defend the area. It was destroyed by Gian Galeazzo Visconti and Nicolò Fieschi in 1366. To defend itself from the attacks by the Turks, the village allied with Genoa. After the Battle of Aboukir in 1798 the Lords of Camogli dedicated their resources in the construction of merchant vessels, building a large fleet. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, the city was added to the Kingdom of Sardinia and in 1861 in the Kingdom of Italy.
ATTRACTIONS:
The Church of S. Maria Assunta, that is located in the historic village's centre on the Island. It was rebuilt in the XVI century on the remains of an earlier church.
The Castle of Dragonara, of medieval origin, built in the XII century. It was destroyed in 1366 by Visconti and Fieschi, and after its reconstruction, it was ruined in 1438 under the attacks of the Duchy of Milan. Due to its location, the castle was used as a prison in the XVI century.
The Abbey of San Fruttuoso, is located in the bay that bears the same name.
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel and Millennial Church of the XIII century both in the village of Ruta.
The Shrine of Our Lady of the Grove.
Church of San Rocco in the village of the same name.
Church of San Nicolò di Capodimonte XII century.
Oratory di San Prospero and St. Catherine, dating from the XIV century and extended in '700, presents a marble medallion on the exterior façade, found at sea in 1932. The building preserves its baroque interior decorations, a wooden crucifix of the XV century and paintings of the XVIII century.