Circolo Golf e Tennis Rapallo
Rapallo is one of those clubs that tells the story of Italian golf with complete ease
Rapallo is one of those clubs that tells the story of Italian golf with complete ease. Founded in the 1920s just steps from the sea, it still holds that rare combination of sporting tradition, Riviera atmosphere and quietly aristocratic familiarity that modern developments struggle to imitate. The course does not overwhelm with length; it wins through intelligence. Fairways must be read carefully, trees dictate angles, rhythm changes from hole to hole and the greens reward control far more than brute force. It is a course for thoughtful players, capable of testing even low handicappers without ever feeling unfair. Off the course, Rapallo offers the privilege of a full Ligurian day: breakfast in the clubhouse, a morning round, a promenade along the waterfront and dinner in town. Its luxury is subtle rather than performative, the kind that belongs to places which have aged without losing their composure. For lovers of historic European clubs, Rapallo is an essential stop.
Porta ferri precisi e lascia l’ego nel locker: a Rapallo si segna bene solo quando si accetta che il campo vada costruito colpo dopo colpo, non conquistato a forza.
Club storico con grande personalità e posizione unica sulla Riviera
Percorso corto ma strategico, ideale per giocatori tecnici
Meno adatto a chi cerca un resort con servizi estesi
La metratura contenuta può sembrare meno spettacolare ai long hitter
Exclusive Experiences
Secrets found in no guidebook, curated by our concierge.
Portofino: la Baia dell'Alba Proibita
The Portofino Promontory is a Marine Reserve and Regional Nature Park: San Fruttuoso bay is accessible only by sea. Traditional fisherman Sandro Sivori takes private guests by boat before dawn: you arrive at the deserted bay with the 11th-century Benedictine abbey mirroring in the green water and the Christ of the Abyss underwater at 17 metres.
“Sandro brings the underwater mask and leads guests to see the submerged Christ of the Abyss: the 1954 bronze statue is surrounded by red gorgonians and groupers that no tourist has time to reach from public boats.”
Buranco: Sciacchetrà Verticale
Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà is made from terraced vineyards on the sea's vertical face: the grape clusters are dried on racks for 3 months. Cantina Buranco at Monterosso produces the denomination's longest-lived Sciacchetrà — 20 years in bottle develop fig, chestnut honey, and salty iodine notes resembling a sea-bound Sauternes. The private vertical begins from the 1990s.
“Producer Guido Calvini visits the vineyards on the Azzurro trail at 6:00 AM before tourists: he explains how the system of medieval stairs and monorails is the only way to reach vineyards that no mechanical means can approach.”
Excelsior Palace: la Thalasso del Tigullio
The Excelsior Palace at Rapallo is one of the last Grand Hotels of the Ligurian riviera still managed by the original family: built in 1901 by father Marcello Minetto, it sits on the promontory over the Gulf of Tigullio. The marine thalassotherapy spa uses Adriatic water and Portofino reef algae: the Tigullio circuit combines immersion in 36°C seawater with wild Ligurian oregano oil massage.
“Heir Marcello Minetto son organises private breakfasts on the panoramic terrace where Ezra Pound wrote Canto LXXIV in 1945: the view over Rapallo, the sea castle, and the Cinque Terre on the horizon was the same that inspired the Cantos.”