11/10/2026
Coral fishing in Portofino dates back to the 16th century and, for a time, was a thriving activity for the inhabitants of Santa Margherita Ligure. The “St. Andrew’s Cross” (also known as the “ingegno”) was an ancient and destructive tool used in the Mediterranean Sea to harvest red coral (Corallium rubrum). Traces of this primitive fishing method can still be found on the seabed of the protected marine area in the form of the stone weights that made up the apparatus, which sometimes emerge from the sediment.
