Sorrento, “home” of the  Sorrento lemons and also the place where the delicious cannelloni pasta were born, welcomes you with landscapes impossible to forget and dishes that will definitely delight your taste buds.

About a month ago, while I was visiting for a few days the Amalfi Coast, I chose to spend the nights in Sorrento, a quiet town, situated on the Tyrrhenian Sea, right in the middle of lemon groves. The resort is famous for its mild climate, the traditions and archaeological discoveries that are still intact, its amazing sunsets and authentic cuisine.

Due to its strategic position, Sorrento can be a very good option for accommodation if you plan to visit the Amalfi Coast, since prices are lower than in Positano and you can easily reach other attractions in the area: Napoli, Pompei, Capri and Ischia islands, Ravello or Amalfi.

Located  between the Gulf of Naples, up north and Salerno, up south, the Sorrentine Peninsula is a promontory with thousands of brilliant hues and delicate reflections, that makes visitors from around the world fall in love with it and always return.

HOW CAN YOU GET TO SORRENTO

The nearest airport is in Naples, and from there you can chose from the options below to transfer to Sorrento:

• by Circumvezuviana train – from the central station of Naples and it takes one hour and 10 minutes and costs 3 euros; you can find the schedule here.
• by car and it takes 40 minutes
• by boat, which depart daily from the port of Naples, in front of the castle Mask Angioino; you will arrive in 30 minutes and the cost for it is 11 euros; then from the port you can take the yellow bus which will get you to the city center.
• by bus it takes an hour and a half and it cost 11 euros

Sorrento has always been an excellent tourist destination for visitors on the Grand Tour, when the elite tourists in the nineteenth century started to come, they actually began building the  large hotels.

The tourism blossomed in Italy during the second half of the eighteenth century with the “Grand Tour”. This was a time when European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe such as Italy, Greece and other Mediterranean places, in order to study the ancient architecture and local culture. Grand Tour was essentially triggered by the book “Voyage in Italy”, written by Richard Lassels, a Roman Catholic priest, and published in 1670.

TOURISTIC ATTRACTIONS

Sorrento’s main sights are: Piazza Tasso (central square), the monastery of San Francesco, Cathedral of Sorrento, Piazza della Vittoria, Museo Correale di Terranova, Park Villa Comunale, Vallone dei Mulini and the port of Marina Grande. If your feet are up for it you can visit all during a day, strolling down the streets colorful chic boutiques.
Also they organize special tours where you can visit the lemon groves, watch  how they actually make the famous liqueur limoncello di Sorrento, or try a gastronomic tour.

ACCOMMODATION

I was staying  near Piazza Tasso, the hart of the city, in a B&B apartment, Sorrento Flats. You can find more details here.

I felt very good there and I strongly recommend this place both because of its central location, but mostly because of the friendly and cozy atmosphere. As the owner, Luigi Scarpati says: “The simple and heartfelt hospitality will make you feel  not just like a customer but like an old friend!’’

View from Sorrento Flats

BEACHES

Despite its location by the sea, Sorrento has only a few beaches, all gravel or suspended on pontoons, some pretty cramped. Marina Picola and Marina Grande Beach are the most popular, but if you want to avoid crowds, there are several others in the area, but you should use a means of transport to reach them: Cuola, La Conca Azzurra, Marina della Lobra, Marciano Marina del Cantone.

WHAT I LIKED IN SORRENTO

Marina Grande is an old  fishing village that still keeps the flavor of the old traditions harmoniously mixed with the delightful sea breeze. The small houses and the restaurants on the docks, placed there without altering its original  fishing village allure, made me feel like I stepped back in time.

Correale di Terranova Museum

Located inside the Palazzo Correale, the Museum Correale di Terranova di Sorrento, is known for murals paintings and it also has an impressive collection of Greek and Roman artifacts, along with paintings from the XVII and XVIII centuries.

I HAVE LIVED AN UNFORGETTABLE CULINARY EXPERIENCE AT THE RESTAURANT THAT INVENTED CANNELLONI

RISTORANTE ‘O PARRUCCHIANO LA FAVORITA

Being a gourmand since forever, I asked my Italian friends to take me to a traditional restaurant. So I discovered the place where were invented the famous pasta rolls stuffed with meat.

In the early 1920s, chef Salvatore Coletta run them in style, being more generous with the meat, thus changing their name from stracinati in the “cannelloni”. Delicious rolls filled with meat, vegetables, cheese or various other combinations of ingredients, have acquired an outstanding reputation thanks to Federico Nicola, who worked in ’’La Favorita’’ restaurant  for over thirty years.

Since I walked in  the restaurant, I was overwhelmed  by the flavours coming from the gorgeous garden, full of Mediterranean flowers and citrus trees, where I saw the most beautiful and biggest lemons, slender statues and lamps with warm light.

Since I walked in  the restaurant, I was overwhelmed  by the flavours coming from the gorgeous garden, full of Mediterranean flowers and citrus trees, where I saw the most beautiful and biggest lemons, slender statues and lamps with warm light.

When only thinking of Italy now I already feel the delicious taste of the food, because Italians do not know how to cook other than good food, they have in their culture the art of preparing everything with taste, and in this restaurant the food  is at its superlative.

I ordered several dishes: pasta, risotto, seafood, zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and I had to taste them all because you  simply cannot help yourself from doint it. So, if you arrive in Sorrento, do not miss an unforgettable gastronomic experience in the famous restaurant LA Favorita O Parrucchiano.

Contact

Address: Corso Italia 71, 80067, Sorrento, Italy

Tel: 081 8781321

BELLEVUE SYRENE 

MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET

Another unforgettable experience was to watch the sunset  from the terrace of the restaurant La Pergola. It belongs to Bellevue Syrene and it is frequented by the famous actors and writers that spend their holidays in Sorrento.

Bellevue Syrene was  born on the remains of a splendid villa, a house designed for the Roman high aristocracy, including the Emperor Augustus himself. The five stars location shrouded in history, art and mystery, offers magnificent views of the Bay of Naples, Capri and Mount Vesuvius. You can enjoy a splendid view in a romantic atmosphere, by dining in the restaurant, while admiring the sunset, which gracefully lies behind Capri.

CONTACT

Piazza della Vittoria 5
80067 Sorrento ITALY
Ph: +39 081 8781024
Fax: +39 081 8783963
info@bellevue.it

The colorful land filed with traditions and legends, Sorrento always amazes and inspires! Legend says that mermaids who live in the Tyrrhenian Sea have bequeathed this peninsula and, even today they bewitch with their song visitors around the world, persuading them to return.