Before Bey and Jay, Clooney and Pitt, J.Lo and her paramour du jour moored their yachts in this tiny Italian town’s deep marina, it was Bogart and Bacall, Burton and Taylor who steeped the coastal hideaway with casual elegance. They lounged around the Hotel Splendido and basked, almost unnoticed, among the pastel-hued buildings of the quaint piazzetta. (Italian fisherman, as it turns out, preferred to study the tides rather than the glitterati.) Sixty-some years later, the (mostly) sleepy town—restaurants and hotels are shuttered from late October to early April—is still one of the most glamorous enclaves on the planet. A mere three-hour drive from Milan, Portofino has lured past and present residents, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Agnelli and Piaggi families (of Fiat and Vespa, respectively), and Misters Dolce and Gabbana (with five homes in the area between them). Designer Tom Ford, whose short list of favorite places now includes Portofino, fell in love with the fishing village while on holiday, a vacation romance that inspired his bewitching Neroli Portofino fragrance. Nearly nine years later, Mr. Ford has reinvented his acclaimed perfume with Forte, an intensified version of the warm, citrusy scent with added notes of basil and leather. In one airy spritz, the hedonistic fragrance instantly transports all who breathe it to a place where the breeze blows warm and pool boys in polo shirts cater to your every whim. 

Last fall, before the town closed its doors for the season, I followed Mr. Ford’s footsteps to the Italian Riviera in search of the ultimate Portofino experience. Below, notes and snapshots from my own coastal voyage, and a glimpse at the original Hollywood playground’s storied legacy.