Brown’s Castle, or Castello Brown, which takes its name from an English Consul in Genoa, Sir Montague Yeats Brown, who owned the castle from 1867 to 1949, was of enormous strategic importance at one time. It was commissioned in the 17th century by the Republic of Genoa, and was built on Roman foundations. Over the years, it has housed English and Austrian forces, Napoleon’s army and the forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1961, it was acquired by the Municipality of Portofino. The castle is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden, filled with flowers, rose-arbors and pergolas. It offers a panoramic view of the gulf and the town.

The Sanctuary of San Giorgio, or the Church of St.George, one of the two patron saints of the town, dominates the village, and the church square offers a bird’s eye view of Portofino. A memorial stone records the first reconstruction of the chapel in Romanesque style in 1154. In 1691 it was again rebuilt and enlarged in 1760. After it was damaged in a bomb attack during the World War, it was rebuilt, restored and refurbished. The church houses the relics of St George brought by seamen who returned from the Crusades.

Another place of religious and archeological importance is the 12th century church of San Martino. This ancient building houses baroque marbles, beautiful sculptures and valuable paintings like the triptych of Saints Rocco, Sebastiano and Fabiano, and ‘The Annunciation’ and ‘St.Martin Among the Poor’, the latter two belonging to the Genoese School dating back to the 16th century. The hanging arches and the rose window stand testimony to its medieval past.

The Oratory of the Confraternity of N.S. Assunta (Our Lady of the Assumption) is yet another important religio-architectural highlight. Its most noteworthy features are two huge crucifixes, one black and the other white, weighing 105 and 115 kgs respectively. These are still carried in the processions to mark the feast of St.George.