Sorrento on the Amalfi Almalfi Coast, “Costiera Amalfitana”, is one of Italy’s popular Mediterranean holiday destinations. Its city centre describes Italy in a nutshell; lively, warm, colourful and steeped in history.
The city centre’s nucleus is the “Piazzo Tasso”, the main square. The area is lined with outdoor cafes, restaurants, local shops selling their selection of local pretty goods, tasty food samples, pottery and other native souvenirs, and haute couture Italian clothing. The smell of lemons is all-pervasive, coming from the row upon row of fragrant lemon trees. Sorrento is in fact a major producer of the rather potent one sip, never to be forgotten “Limoncello Lemoncello” liqueur. The “Piazza Vittoria” is a short walk away, home to the historic remains of the Temple of Venus and also the Church of San Francesco which often hosts art exhibitions. The stunning 14th century “Romanesque Duomo”, complete with bell tower and clock decorated in vibrant coloured Majolica ceramic tiles, is another nearby must-see attraction.
Naples is the closest airport to Sorrento and the surrounding Amalfi coast. From the airport, the Curreri coach, whose stop is directly outside airport arrivals takes approximately one hour and drops off at Sorrento’s City Centre Piazza Tasso. Alternatively, the option of a 10-minutes’ cab ride from the airport taxi rank to Naples Central Station and from there the Circumvesuviana train line to the City Centre is available. There are two taxi stands in Sorrento City Centre.
The name Sorrento derives from the Latin adaptation of “sirens”, referring to the mythical mermaids living on the rocks below Sorrento who, with their musical songs, had lured Ulysses and his men to their fatal end. The area was an important holiday resort for the Romans, and traces of their beautiful sumptuous homes can still be seen to this day.