The town overlooks the bay of Naples and is the key place on the Sorrentine Peninsula and has amazing views of the city of Naples itself across the bay, Mt. Vesuvius and the famous island of Capri.
Itinerary
Pick up at the hotel
Sorrento’s sea cliffs are impressive and has been described in many ways; Kind Sorrento, Sorrento: land of colors, Sorrento: the city of orange and lemon groves. Each one of these definitions contains the truth because Sorrento is indeed a very pretty little city where kindness and hospitality are a combination that is handed down from one generation to the next. Sorrento was probably founded by Greeks. Like many cities of southern Italy it had close contacts with the Mycenaen civilization from which it derived the myth of Sirens. It fell under the domain of the Greeks of Syracusa in the year 474 B.C., and then it was subsequently subjected to the Samniti and then to the Romans. Under the Roman Empire it became a post much sought after by the wealthy who had luxurious villas built there.
Lunch suggestions upon your request
The main piazza of Sorrento, Piazza Tasso, takes it name from the poet Torquato Tasso who was born here in 1544. Enjoy a delicious lunch at one of the numerous restaurants or pizzerias nearby. Perhaps sit at one of the lovely cafés on the piazza and drink a good Italian coffee while you people watch and enjoy the fresh sea air. Since Sorrento is small it is very manageable on foot. Stroll down the lanes of the old city center especially the lively Via San Cesareo which is the beating heart of the town with it’s many colored shops and tourists that crowd from all over the world.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello an alcoholic digestive made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. In addition Sorrento is famous for their agricultural production of citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. There is also a craft tradition of inlaid wood called Marquetry. The Sorrentine Marquetry is still carried out today by master craftsmen who have refined their techniques but without relinquishing the tradition handed down by their ancestors.
Return to the hotel
Note: Sorrento is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Sites.
Note: Length of the tour is 9 hours.