I had always thought the art deco illustrations of Italy were stylized, with their marine blues and crisp whites. Then we arrived in Camuglio, the first stop on our tour of Portofino and its neighbours.

Our introductory glimpse, as we wound our way down to the fishing port, presented to me in life what I had only seen in prints. When our guide granted us an hour of liberty, I stole back up the steps to sketch it.

A magical church overlooked the harbor: demure cream without, a treasury inside. The gold decor and pink marble dazzled.

I confess I ate my focaccia con formaggio too fast to capture a photo – the first bite persuaded me that this local culinary invention deserves the annual festival dedicated to celebrating it.

A profound peace and refreshment sank in as we struck out into the harbour. The warm sun, beguiling breeze, and brilliant colors all combined to ease my soul. I felt I was in good hands and knew those hands to be not only our warm-hearted tour guide’s, but the hands of Providence.

We disembarked at Portofino: the St Ives of Italy, where the art paints itself. It is named for dolphins (“Porto Delfino”), though the false cognate also tells the truth: it is a fine port.

I have never visited a place so exactly suited to my aesthetic tastes: the steep angles, the narrow paths doubling back on themselves to arrest you around the bend with some picturesque scene, as perfectly framed by branches or stones as if plucked off a postcard.

With half an hour on my hands after souvenir shopping, I ascended to Castello Brown. It more than merited the five euro entrance fee.

Spiraling stone steps climbed to breathtaking views. A patio hung with wisteria invited guests to recline on white, curling chairs. Lounging teenagers had collected around the drink stand, but the sound of their conversation vanished just around the corner – washed away by the wind.

All too soon, we boarded our boat again for a salt-whipped ride back along the coast.

A final stop at a bakery in Recco remedied my omission to photograph the cheese stuffed focaccia, this time graced with fresh pesto. When in Italy!