What to do in Sorrento

Sorrento is considered the gateway to the Amalfi coast, nestled in the Bay of Naples. From the city it is also possible to easily reach Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples in one direction and the Amalfi Coast in another.

Called “the town of lemons”, Sorrento presents a Baroque architecture and alleys full of shops and restaurants. The city can offer a variety of holiday experiences to suit different people’s passions such as rural walks through lemon and olive groves or a selection of excursions by land or sea.

A City of Art and Natural Beauties

Sorrento is built on a historic site settled from prehistoric times, born as a greek town and then, in the Roman age, it took the name of Sorrentum.

Sorrento was once bounded by three gorges, but today only one remains: “ Il Vallo del Mulino”. The name is due to the ancient wheat mills located here. The gorge is a deep mountain cleft that dates from a volcanic eruption 35000 years ago. In mythology this area was often identified as the land of sirens, dangerous creatures which were enchanting sailors with their music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their place.

The Sorrentine Peninsula, surrounded by the Lattari Mountains, is a springboard for walks and hiking trails. From Sorrento is possible to enjoy a panoramic view of Naples, Vesuvius and the isle of Capri and is easily reachable by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples or Capri as also by boat.

The city offers different attractions:

• Museum Correale di Terranova, situated in a patrician villa, surrounded by a citrus grove with a Belvedere terrace that overlooks the Gulf of Naples. The Villa is owned by the last descendents of the patrician family and it often guests lyrical events.
• Villa Fiorentino, a neoclassical villa, venue for concerts and high- quality temporary art exhibitions.
• Villa Comunale is considered the place with the best views in Sorrento. It is also a beautiful and suggestive place with gardens, fountains and often buskers to provide some musical accompaniment.

Limoncello, Gatronomy and Shopping

Sorrento is mostly known in the world for Limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar perfect to taste with a local cake or pastry. Surely lemons must have been cultivated for many centuries.

According to some historians, lemon liqueur was first made in convents and monasteries. Then residents of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast started sharing bottles of liqueur among family and friends for centuries.

In 1988 Massimo Canale, a businessman from Capri, registered the first trademark with the word “limoncello”. The city, due to the sun shine, has many other agricultural productions such as citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. People from different parts of the world come to Sorrento to try its fresh gastronomy and seafood which is possible to eat in the numerous restaurants in the city centre or by the sea. Marina Grande is the most recommended and traditional place to eat seafood next to the harbour or take a boat trip with fishermen.

Walking through the different streets of this town, it is also possible to have a look at shops selling products that are witnesses of a local tradition. There is a proper artisan district where local shops sell hand-painted ceramic pieces, lacework, marquetry, leather or intarsia (a special type of inlaid wood carvings). Sorrento has the energy of a city that, overlooking the sea, is a beating heart of history, art and traditions ready to take you into a corner full of lemons.