The oratory of the Santissima Annunziata dates from the seventeenth century and stands a few steps from the parish church of San Michele Arcangelo, on the Ruta pass, 269 metres above the sea, where the ridge separates the Golfo Paradiso from the Tigullio.
What to see
The building is small and is best read together with what surrounds it: the parish church of San Michele Arcangelo a few metres away and, a little further on, the thirteenth-century Chiesa Millenaria, which served as Ruta's parish church until 1627. Ligurian oratories are the historic seats of lay confraternities, and this one belongs to the archdiocese of Genoa, vicariate of Recco-Uscio-Camogli.
Ruta has no compact old centre: the houses are scattered along the hillside, and the medieval nucleus formed around the Chiesa Millenaria and the via Romana towards Bana. The pass had its day of war too: on 15 November 1799 French and Austrian troops fought here for control of the Tigullio and the Golfo Paradiso.
Visiting
Ruta lies about 3.5 kilometres from the town centre and is crossed by the Aurelia, so buses and cars get there easily; the mule track to Portofino Vetta and the road to San Rocco both start in the village. The oratory keeps no fixed visiting hours: it is sometimes open around services, otherwise you look at it from outside.
Our editors' tip
We suggest coming on the last weekend of August, when Ruta celebrates its patron San Giovanni martire on the Saturday and the Sunday: it is the moment when this usually quiet village gathers here. On any ordinary day, tie the stop to a walk instead: the ridge paths, inside the Portofino regional park, set off from the Chiesa Millenaria.