I love to travel and experience new places. Most I've been to, once has been enough, after all, the world is a big place. But with Sorrento, I never tire of the place. I've visited six times now and will probably visit six more, then six more again. Just like the song says 'Tourna a Surriento'.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES ME WANT TO RETURN AGAIN AND AGAIN? Thats a good question. Theres more than just one single thing I suspect there are a few other people who have written reviews expressing their passion for the area who can relate to my thoughts about the place.
THE CLIMATE Most times we've visited Sorrento, we have been blessed with fine weather. We've visted between April and September and consider May and September to be the best. We went in August a few years ago and it was unbearably hot, so much so there were bush fires in the surrounding hills. Towards the end of August is also worth avoiding as thats when most of Italy shuts down for the summer holidays and it gets very busy. In may and September, the weather has usually been fine. Sunny enough to catch a good tan, but not so hot that you cant get around without feeling very uncomfortable.
THE FOOD Good found is to be found all over Italy and Sorrento is no exception. The local cuisine is to die for with plenty of choice of venues to suit all budgets. Italy has a reputaion of being expensive, probably a reputaion which has clung to it since people began straying from the Costa's in numbers. Nowadays, Italy is no more expensive than like for like in the UK.
As you would expect, pizzas are fabulous - thin crispy bases cooked in most places in real wood burning pizza ovens on stone slabs. Most things you would wish to put on a pizza you can find easily. If you cant find a good pizza here, a few miles from their spiritual home in Naples, you just dont like pizza!
Sea food is very good around Sorrento and the ubiquotous pasta dishes are fabulous everywhere. I dont think I've eaten anywhere in Sorrento where I wouldn't return. I dont particularly want to refer to any particular restaurants and there are that many, and everyone who goes will find their own favourites. Apart from the great food, there are also some great restaurants for people watching - walk around the town and you'll soon find the best spots.
Ice cream is delicious and found in so many flavours - not uncommon to find 50 + flavours on display. We go in one ice cream parlour come bar, and if they havent got a particular flavour, they'll make it for you for next time you go in.
Granita is another local treat - like a Slush puppy in the UK but made with Sorrento lemons, it tastes all the more refreshing - also avaialble in orange, melon and watermelon flaours!
And dont forget to try the Limoncello - the locally produced lemon flavoured, very alocoholic liquer. Must be drunk ice cold and a deliciously sweet lemon flavour - bring a bottle home, put it in the fridge and enjoy a tot every now and again to remind you of Sorrento. A few of the restaurants actually give you a complimentary shot of the stuff after a meal.
As with most things Italian, wherever you chose to eat, the staff are bound to tell you it's the best resataurant in the town, serving the best pizzas etc etc... and in most cases its difficult to argue the point - Italians do food very well, just as it should be.
THE PEOPLE Nice people always have an impact on you when you visit places. The people in the Sorrento area are very friendly and hospitable. After visitng six time, there are a few of the local bar, restaurant and hotel staff we regard as friends. Its great to return to Sorrento after a few years absence and be greeted by some of the same old faces in bars and restaurants who remember you.
Local shopkeepers also remember you. We first went to Sorrento with our two sons and some of the locals who knew still ask after them, even though they are now both adults and no longer go with us.
I find Italians generally have a good sense of humour and that is also very evident in Sorrento. Many of the locals are more that happy to share a joke or two.
The evening 'passegiatta' brings out all the locals in their finery, mingling with tourists from the hotels and cruise ships which stay there. Dressing up, rather than down is more the order of the day, especially on weekends.
THE AREA
These are just a few things to consider - there's a lot more!
Situated on the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is well placed for exploring the Campania region. Pompei and Herculaneum are well worth visiting and easily reached on the local Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento. If you visit Pompei, make sure you take plenty of water with you as it can get very hot and once your inside there is no water available. First time you visit Pompei, its easy to be overwhelmed by it, it's much bigger than you may think.
Mount Vesuvious can be seen clearly from Sorrento (weather permitting), standing majestically and menacingly above the Bay of Naples. Standing looking at the Volcano from Sorrento makes you awareof the panic and mayhem which will happen when Vesuvious decides to erupt again. Look around the Volcano and you notice how ridiculously close to it towns and the city of Naples have formed. I think the imposing presence of Vesuvious, and the blazee attitude to it by the locals just adds to the appeal of the area generally. You can get right to the top of Vesuvious if you want to but by far the best view I have ever had of it has been out of an aeroplane window shortly after take off from Naples. The plane flew right over the crater and gave those of us on the right side of the plane a terrific view straight down!
The Islands of Capri and Ischia can be reached by the ferries from Marina Piccolo in Sorrento. Both are worth visiting. Personally I think Capri is over hyped and Ischia makes for a much more pleasant day trip. If your on a package deal, you can visit both as organised trips but I think its much more fun to do it yourself (and a lot cheaper). A good way to see both islands is to hire a taxi when you get there. Last time on Ischia, we paid 30 Euros for about a two hour trip with stops along the way from good viewpoints. There are always plenty waiting near the ferry terminals. Do a bit af haggling with them and you get a good guided tour of the islands or part of at least.
Another must see is The Amalfi Coast. For sheer beauty alone, the Amalfi coast is worth seeing, either by road or by boat, ideally both. Hiring a car in Sorrento is easy but not for the faint hearted. The road along the Amalfi coast is very winding with sheer drops down to the see in most parts. You drive through small villages bearly wide enough to squeeze a car through, only to find a bus coming in the opposite direction - if you like driving, its good fun though. Parking in Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast can be a nightmare. Take a look along most streets and there's a prize if you can find a car without at least one dent or scratch - so if you drive, be careful!
The towns of Positano and Amalfi are very pretty and both well worth visiting. If you do go by car, there are a few parking areas in both. In Positano, the parking spots are well hidden so ask, but in Amalfi, look near the ferry jetty's and you'll see somewhere to park.
Positano is picture postcard pretty and has some nice little shops and restaurants. Theres a reasonable beach there too if you fancy a swim.
Amalfi is bigger than Positano and has a busier feel about it. Its a nice little town with plenty of shops and eating places. Amalfi Cathedral is stunning both inside and out.
If you visit the Amalfi coast just once from Sorrento, my advice is to go one way by road, and the other by boat, that way you get two different views of the coast line, and good views of the Island of Capri also.
BEACHES
Don't go to Sorrento for beaches, go somewhere else. Italy is a great country but generally, I personally don't like how they do beaches. There are some bathing platforms at the bottom of the cliffs in Sorrento, but the uniform lines of sun loungers is typical of what Italians do in many places. The platforms are privately owned, so you'll have to pay to use them.
If you want a nice beach not too far from Sorrento, seek out Marina Di Puolo. Get on an orange bus to Capo Di Sorrento which is up the hill past the Hotels Capo Di Monte and Hotel Bristol away from Naples. The bus stops at Capo Di Sorrento and turns around, so get off and walk a bit further to the Hotel Dania, then down a track on the right of the Hotel down to the sea. Its a bit of a trek but a pleasant walk through lovely lemon groves, then at the bottom is Marina Di Puolo. Lots of locals use it, but go midweek and you'll find a lovely beach with a few shops and restaurants nearby. Good for swimming and snorkling and much better than the Sorrento bathing platforms.
OVERALL These are just some of the things I love about Sorrento but to some the place up for me, I've never been anywhere else where I have felt at ease as much as I do there. Its very touristy, but has managed to incorporate tourism and kept its local identity and Italian feel. You certainly can't escape the fact that you're in Italy! Its a place suited to adults, but where children will be made extremely welcome. Its very friendly without the slightest hint of animosity about the place but THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!
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