304 PORTOFINO. 



Medusae which were swimming in long shoals towards 

 some unknown goal. What is the instinct that unites these 

 creatures and causes them to Iceep together? Whither 

 are thev bound? Probabh' to the nearest shore on which 

 they will be cast up tomorrow. 



Not until we had sailed round the eastern point of 

 the promontory and reached the harbour of Portofino, 

 was the sea smooth. There is always a swell round this 

 long promontory, and storms rage here with unwonted 

 jur^'. Hence from ancient times the Portus Del- 

 phini has been regarded b}- the anxious sailor as a 

 welcome refuge. Roman triremes, when on their way 

 to Gaul, used to touch at the following ports in the 

 Liguriansea: — Lunae, Portus Veneris, Portus Delphini, 

 Genua portus, Portus \'adum Sabatium, Portus Alaurici 

 and Monaci portus. Portofino is the ancient Portus 

 Delphini: but according to G. Poggi neither of these 

 names is derived as one might suppose, from "Delphine". 

 This investigator of ancient Tigullia iseeks to prove that 

 the origin of both these names is "Dao-fin", the old name 

 given to the whole ridge because it separated the peoples 

 of Genoa and Tigullia. But the Romans had alread^' 

 changed the name of their military station on this ridge 

 to "Ad Delphinum" perhaps for the sake of euphony. 

 It was on the Via Aurelia, at the spot where Ruta now 

 lies. G. Poggi, in his book, would have the present har- 

 bour at the foot of the ridge called "Porto-fin", and not 

 Portofino. 



It is peaceful and idyllic in the little harbour today, 

 and yet its waters have only too often been the scene 



