Our journey to discover the treasures in the area of Camogli and Portofino continues, and after visiting the town of Camogli and enjoying an excellent aperitif at the tip of the Portofino Lighthouse, it’s time to cast off from the small port of Marina Porto Antico, the equipped area to host your pleasure boat in the heart of old Genoa, and sail along the coast for a dive in the seabed to discover the famous Christ of the Abyss.

The Christ of the Abyss is one of the main attractions for sea lovers and is a bronze statue that since 1954 has characterized the seabed of the bay of San Fruttuoso, located between Camogli and Portofino within the Portofino Marine Protected Area, at a depth of 17 meters.

The statue was strongly desired by Duilio Marcante, an Italian diver (considered by many to be the father of scuba diving education) who, following the death of his friend Dario Gonzatti during a dive in 1947, pushed for the placement of a statue of Christ on the seabed.

The Christ of the Abyss was thus submerged in the bay in front of San Fruttuoso, between Camogli and Portofino on August 29, 1954. The statue is approximately 2.50 meters tall and was created by sculptor Guido Galletti and was submerged thanks to the Italian Navy and many divers from “Mondo Sommerso”, led by then-director Marco Paini. The statue is presented with arms raised towards the sky, open in a sign of peace.

The dive to observe the statue is one of the most famous excursions on the Ligurian coast, and has become over the years the symbol of this corner of paradise. The dive to discover the Christ of the Abyss is relatively simple and not very demanding, also because following the restoration of the artifact in 2004, the statue was positioned at a depth less than the initial 17 meters. No special precautions are required to observe it, except to be accompanied by guides registered with the Liguria Region, as the diving area is located within the Portofino Marine Protected Area.

After this exciting dive, it is possible to continue our sailing trip to discover the treasures in the area of Camogli and Portofino by heading towards the nearby Bay of San Fruttuoso and be enchanted by the suggestive Abbey of San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte, a place accessible only by sea, embellished by a swimmable beach in front of it.

The abbey was built in the mid-10th century by Greek monks and was rebuilt between the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th at the behest of Adelaide of Burgundy, widow of Emperor Otto I, and since 1983 it has been entrusted to the Italian Environment Fund. After a careful restoration in the 1990s, a museum has been set up in the rooms of the monastic complex where it is possible to admire the ancient Romanesque structures and various display cases containing the tableware used by the abbey’s monks between the 13th and 14th centuries. The Abbey of San Fruttuoso also features the primary lantern tower, considered one of the oldest architectural elements in Liguria, as it was built around the 10th century with a spherical and slightly oval dome, according to the artistic canon of the Byzantines. Today, however, this tower has an octagonal shape due to various restoration and modernization interventions that have taken place over the centuries.

Inside the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, there are also the Cloister and the Doria family tomb dating back to the 12th century. The Doria family tomb is located on the lower level of the cloister and is characterized by the classic Ligurian two-tone style, which involves the combination of white marble and gray stone. After visiting the Abbey of San Fruttuoso and the Christ of the Abyss, it is highly recommended to enjoy the magnificent beach of the Bay of San Fruttuoso before casting off and sailing with the wind at your back towards the moorings of the Marina Porto Antico in the heart of Genoa’s historic center.