06 March 2023 , 11:25
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A small town in Wales has been enthralling visitors for almost 100 years due to its remarkable resemblance to an Italian village.
Approaching Portmeirion by sea or road, it is easy to think you've accidentally ended up in the Cinque Terre rather than Gwynedd.
The town is nestled into the hillside overlooking Cardigan Bay and, with its pastel coloured chocolate box villas, looks much like a little Italian village on the edge of Lake Maggiore.
There is plenty that visitors can explore - one highlight is climbing up to the top of Llechollwyn and looking out at the impressive views across the water and colourful buildings below.
Meanwhile the likes of the Gothic Pavilion, Bristol Colonnade and Hercules Hall never fail to impress tourists, as they can leave you feeling like you really have stepped into the heart of a storybook.
After strolling around the water front with a cone of chips, a walk through the Gwyllt - a ten-hectare Edwardian wild garden designed by a world authority on Himalayan flowering trees and exotic plants - is a must.
The town was built on the edge of Cardigan Bay (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Castell Deudraeth, which was once home to Victorian MP Castell Deudraeth, has grand crenulations and a can be visited both for lunch to stay.
Portmeirion is the brainchild of architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis who built it between 1925 and 1975 and was designed as a tribute to the Italian Mediterranean.
The visionary repeatedly denied that the town was inspired by the coastal village of Portofino, to which it has an uncanny resemblance.
Sir Clough dreamed that the town would be a picturesque escape from the industrialization of the early 20th century, for people to retreat to without having to travel far from the UK.
He drew inspiration from a range of architectural styles, from classical and Gothic to Romanesque and Egyptian, to create the unique and eclectic village that stands to this day.
Come the spring the extensive hedges and flower beds planted across the town burst into life.
The original Portmeirion village was built on a piece of land that Williams-Ellis had inherited from his father, and over the course of 50 years he gradually added to the village, with new buildings, gardens, and sculptures.
Across its history the town has enthralled famous visitors from across the world, clearly attracted to its glamour and stunning setting.
Portmeirion was built over the course of 50 years (Getty Images)In 1956 the architect Frank Lloyd Wright came to inspect the impressive endeavour, with movie megastars Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman also dropping by.
Portmeirion was also loved by the Beatles, with their manager Brian Epstein counting himself as a frequent visitor who, along with Paul McCartney and George Harrison, spent his 50th birthday there in 1993.
What is particularly charming about the town is how one moment visitors find themselves in the Italian Riviera, the next they are stomping through the wilderness of Snowdonia National Park.
Tourists can enjoy a gelato at Angel Ices if they are feeling in an Italian mood, or an afternoon tea at The Hotel Portmeirion if today is a Welsh day.
Battery Square in the town is home to the Round House, which fans of The Prisoner may recognise from the cult TV show.
It has been loved by the rich and famous alike over the past 100 years (Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)Over the years a great deal has been written about the town, which has had an enormous impact on British culture across the past nine decades.
Architecture critic Lewis Mumford summed up quite how striking the town is in a British context.
"In a sense, Portmeiron is a gay, deliberately irresponsible reaction against the dull sterilities of so much that passes as modern architecture today," he wrote.
"It is prompted by the impulse to reclaim for architecture the freedom of invention — and the possibility of pleasurable fantasy — it had too abjectly surrendered to the cult of the machine."
The town's official website has plenty of suggestions of places to stay there, including the Portmeirion Hotel, and the amazing Castle Deudraeth.
The Hotel is great for kids as it has recently had a ship built perfect for playing pirates on and a heated pool.
If you are driving, it is worth booking a car parking ticket ahead of time as the car parks can get busy in the summer months.