The Genoeser Riviera - Portofino
The Genoeser is a fake magazine dedicated to the city of Genoa and its beauty and contradictions. It features covers designed by the best Italian and international illustrators, inspired by Genoa and its imagery.
This illustration of mine is part of a series of 10, created by 10 illustrators, themed around the Ligurian Riviera. A spin-off created to transcend the confines of the city of Genoa and showcase the wonders of the rest of Liguria.
My image, which is both a cover and a poster, depicts Portofino, probably Liguria’s most famous tourist destination, in a unique way:
Far from the bustle of the Piazza and the port, lies a secluded and evocative place, with a romantic and inimitable atmosphere.
The lighthouse stands atop a promontory dotted with woods and villas, on the tip of a strip of land that cuts into the sea.
A location that, in my imagination, inspires tranquility and peace, but also mystery and anticipation.
Starting from this inspiration, I created a complex image, based on contrasts.
The Illustration
“Distant from the main square, the port, and the villas, the lighthouse stands like a silent guardian.
An iconic subject yet detached from the classic representation of the Ligurian port, I chose to make it the protagonist of my narrative.
The portrait is also atypical for its framing: from behind, seen from the mainland, it is designed to project itself out over the sea.
And so it came naturally to me to play with this inward movement, accentuating it with the flight of seagulls and inserting an interplay of glances between the characters, in a dreamy atmosphere on the border between night and day.”
Fine art prints
Fine art prints of these illustrations are available for purchase here on the official The Genoeser website.
Exhibition
My illustration was featured, along with others, in the exhibition “Un’estate al mare” (A Summer at the Sea) at the Galleria Grasso in Chiavari (GE).
The exhibition, curated by Laura Olivieri in collaboration with the Società Economica di Chiavari, presents for the first time a collection of 10 previously unpublished plates from the editorial series “The Genoeser ⁓ Riviera.”
The exhibition took place from 5 to 27 July 2025 in the wonderful setting of the city centre of Chiavari.
Work in progress
This gallery summarizes the main steps I took to come to the final graphic solution, moving from flat shapes to shadows and details.
