_{Sorrento, Italy (left) and the island of Capri (right)}

I’ve just spent a magical few days in Sorrento. It’s been a complete delight.

I took the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, an easy journey of about an hour. The ferry makes its way across the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius dominating the shoreline. Then little by little, in the hazy distance, the town of Sorrento comes into view. The distance from Naples to Sorrento is less then 20 miles and yet this is a different world.

Arriving in the port of Sorrento is like stepping on to the set of a movie. Everyone is tanned, everyone is beautiful, everyone is shouting. It’s a land of holidays and sunshine, boats and sparkling blue sea. It’s the land of ‘fa niente’….

Getting to know Sorrento – When I arrived at the bustling port of Sorrento there was a bus waiting to take recent arrivals up the steep winding road to the main square. It’s only a 10 minute journey, so it’s much nicer to be in a bus than to be hauling a heavy suitcase up the hill. At the top of the hill is the rather grand and beautiful Piazza Tasso. This is the focal point of the town, lined with cafes, bars and restaurants. There’s also a spectacular ‘belvedere’ literally a beautiful view where visitors can look down to the port and out to sea. Flags flutter in the breeze and a rainbow of bright colours fill the sky. From the square it’s just a short walk to my B & B.

Relais La Rupe is on the ground floor of an elegant palazzo, it consists of six bedrooms and a huge, shady terrace, complete with tables and chairs, sofas and a small swimming pool. It’s a family-run property where the owner Luca is welcoming and kind. He’s what the Italians would call ‘molto disponibile’…..

If you are looking for a friendly B&B (without the B – they don’t do breakfast) then this is it. Helpful owner, great location (5 mins from Piazza Tasso) and a property that feels very safe – ideal for single travellers. Luca also recommended a great place for me to go for lunch – a brand new business called ‘Mamma che pasta’ just two minutes walk away.

I scooted round to ‘Mamma che pasta’ and in less than ten minutes I was tucking into fresh, homemade pasta with a delicious pesto sauce. As soon as I’d finished eating I chatted to the young owner of the business. She and her brother opened just a few weeks ago (in early June 2024). Every day they make fresh pasta and offer it with a variety of sauces to visitors. The front of the trattoria is a huge glass window, and inside there’s an open kitchen where the ‘pastaio’ pasta-maker is making gnocchi. Everything is fresh, fresh, fresh……and quite delicious. As we all know food is very important in Italy. Seeing the younger generation starting a high quality, fresh food company confirms the passion is still there. Their enthusiasm and determination is inspiring.

The narrow streets of Sorrento are paved with dark stones, these are the black volcanic rocks of Vesuvius. The stones are a constant reminder that the volcano looms over the whole area, brooding, silent and ever present. In fact the town of Sorrento is built on a foundation of tufa stone, which is also a volcanic rock. The characteristic cliffs that feature in so many postcards of Sorrento are the result of a flood of volcanic mud and debris which filled a previous horse-shoe shaped coastal basin area and created the Sorrento Plain that we see today.

Sorrento and the surrounding area including the Amalfi peninsula is an area of abundant sunshine, rich fertile soils and spectacular scenery. The Romans and the Greeks before them loved this area. Many of the Roman Emperors had villas here and on the nearby island of Capri. Sorrento is the town of lemons, there are lemon trees and lemon groves everywhere. It’s also a town of perfumes and panoramas, everywhere you look there are gardens, flowering plants and intoxicating aromas. From the crimson bougainvillea outside the Hotel de la Syrene to the bright yellow lemons falling from the trees, colour and scent can be found around every corner.

Sorrento is a holiday town, popular for years with British, French and American visitors. There are numerous hotels to choose from, I’d probably suggest Grand Hotel Capodimonte for families. The hotel has terraced gardens and a staircase of swimming pools coming down the hillside. It’s a busy and large hotel, views are spectacular, but it’s not for those seeking silence and tranquility.

Meanwhile the Hotel Continental in the absolute centre of town (above the port) is a recently refurbished boutique hotel with a fabulous roof terrace and a very nice and secluded swimming pool. It’s also very handy for the public lift (elevator) down to the port. in the port area you’ve got the Port of Sorrento where the ferries dock and where you can get a ferry service to Naples, Ischia and along the Amalfi coast. There’s also a series of beach clubs with jauntily painted beach huts in stripy colours, rather like miniature circus tents. My favourite is Leonelli, they’ll rent you a deck chair and an umbrella, they’ll sell you a nice lunch and if that’s not to your liking they’ll suggest a beer and a take away pizza. They’ve got all the bases covered.

Most visitors to Sorrento take a boat ride along the coast to either Capri or along the Amalfi coast, I’ve been working with the same boat guys for years and they offer a really good service and a variety of boats depending on the size of vessel required. There’s something very special about seeing this coastline from the water and the opportunity to swim in the crystal clear waters off Capri or off the coast of Amalfi is definitely one of life’s golden moments.

When you’ve had enough of the seaside it’s probably time to head back into town to check out the small artisan shops, I’ve got three favourites, the hand-made sandal shop, the old-fashioned printer and stationery shop and last but not least the little cafe opposite the hospital which opens at 5.30 am daily and is one of the best cake shops in town (in my humble opinion). It’s these little places that make a visit to Sorrento so memorable.

As the sun goes down it’s time to head for Marina Grande the small fishermen’s harbour lined with old fashioned trattorias, here you can eat fresh fish and local wines with your feet almost (but not quite) in the warm water of the Mediterranean. There’s a restaurant here that claims Sofia Loren as a regular customer (a few years ago now).

Then last but not least I’d pop into Da Ciro Taverna for an after dinner drink and some live music. Most nights of the week there’s Salvatore on the guitar playing a range of old favourites, from Neapolitan folk songs to Elton John. He is happy to play requests so consequently the street nearby often resounds to the chords of ‘Ciao Bella Ciao’ and ‘That’s Amore’.

Nearby sights include Capri, Amalfi, Positano and Ravello. Also an hour up the road is Naples and between Naples and Sorrento is Vesuvius and the exceptional archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. So it’s reasonable to say that there’s plenty to do in and around Sorrento.

Notes:

B & B Relais La Rupe, Sorrento

Marina Grande (small port) in Sorrento for cute little waterfront restaurants

Capodimonte Hotel – good quality, first class hotel, nice terraces and pools. www.capodimontesorrento.com

Hotel Continental and roof terrace – Terrazza Vittoria – stylish hotel, great staff, funky roof terrace. Continental Sorrento

Pasta – Fresh daily, relaxed eatery. Mamma che pasta – www.mammachepasta.it – run by the delightful Giuliana – just tell her Gianna sent you!

Artisans – Sandal shop – Syrenia Capri Sandals, via Fuoro 60, Sorrento – gorgeous quality sandals, handmade in the shop. www.syreniacaprisandals.com

Beach – At the beach: Leonelli Beach for beach chairs, umbrellas etc – approx € 30 per day. Plus bar, snacks and restaurant.

Music – Live music – Da Ciro Taverna, Via Fuoro 65 – a few doors from sandal shop. Good ol’ Salvatore guitarist and singer – great range!

For more articles written by me on this area, including Herculaneum, Pompeii and Vesuvius why not start with: Herculaneum & Vesuvian Wines

And then go on to: Vesuvius – volcanic eruption, Herculaneum & Pompeii

And lastly: Herculaneum – a very bright future…..

I’ve also written about Naples and Paestum (Greek temples)…visit Greyhound Trails Travel blog and explore!

For tailor-made journeys in Italy contact me: janet@greyhoundtrainers.com or my assistant Bilge (Billgay) – bilge@grand-tourist.com

www.grand-tourist.com is our tailor-made, specialist travel company – we offer highly creative tours throughout Italy. From Ferrari driving in Tuscany to gourmet restaurants in Le Marche and sparkling speed boats in Venice – we are the Italy experts.

July 2024

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