Sorrento (Italy)

Eight days in St. Agnello, Sorrento, Italy.

We have just returned from a very successful week in Sorrento. Arriving at Naples Airport we took the regular bus service to Sorrento as far as St. Agnello which is once stop before Sorrento itself. The journey time should be one hour and the single fare was 10.0€.

Having poured over many reviews of hotels in Sorrento area we chose the Alpha and found it to be the Alpha and Omega of Hotels. We couldn’t have asked for anything better; from the moment we walked through the front door we could see that we were going to like it. We were met by a cheerful, smiling, English speaking receptionist who greeted us with the news that they had decided to upgrade our room to a panoramic one with a balcony without extra charge.

We were booked for bed and breakfast but after the first evening meal which was, of course, extra, we were offered a new arrangement for the evening meal for the remainder of our holiday, at a very competitive price when compared with the full price of the menu for dinner we would otherwise have paid.

The food was of a very good standard with a wide choice especially the breakfast which catered for all tastes. This was a buffet with fruit, cereals, ham, cheese, eggs to boil yourself, coffee, tea and a selection of fruit juices. After having paid the full menu price of 25€ for the first evening dinner we were hooked and decided that we would definitely accept the new package which was on offer from the management and dined in every evening.

There was an excellent relationship between the management and the staff with the consequence that there was a very happy and helpful attitude everywhere. The waiting staff in the dining room were very helpful and in particular Isabelle at the reception desk was always ready to give her daily and honest guidance for our trips. She was also very pleased to hear of our experiences so as to be ready to pass them on to future holidaymakers. We never saw our chambermaid but our room was always immaculate when we returned in the evening.

We strongly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the Sorrento area as it is far enough away from the city to be pleasant, so much quieter and the service is excellent.

ATTRACTIONS

The number one attraction for this area has to be the city of Pompeii devastated by the volcano Vesuvius in AD.79 followed by Herculaneum now known as Ercolano. Both of these are an inexpensive and easy train ride directly from St. Agnello. Travel tickets valid for both bus and train travel can be purchased at the local railway station but our hotel receptionist had a stock which proved convenient. Tickets are based upon length of travel in minutes and have to be validated before boarding the first train or bus of the journey. Being of a certain age we were advised to show our passports at the ticket offices for both Pompeii and Herculaneum with the result that we were admitted free of charge saving us 44.0€.

You will not do justice to either of these sites in less than six hours so take an early train and packed lunches are well advised. We took them from the hotel and would say that they were so adequate that we recommend that you take one to share between two.

There is an excellent English version guidebook for Pompeii which is well worth its 8.26€ and can be bought at the bar at the station of Pompeii Scarvi. At Ercolano there is a detailed and indispensable map available for 2.00€. Make sure that you have a spare set of batteries for your camera as you will be tempted to take a huge quantity of photographs after all you can always delete some later.

We spent a further enjoyable few hours walking in a National Park which can be reached by taking the train to Castelmare Stabia and then the funicular (Cable car) to the mountain area. At the top you will be met by the owner of the bar who will offer you a map and advise you on suitable walks but before you depart he will point to the menu on the reverse side of the map hoping that you will return for a bite to eat at his bar after your walk. We walked for just about an hour accompanied by bird song to reach the highest point above Sorrento, Monte Faito and the church of St. Michel.

Capri can be reached by catamaran from the harbour at Sorrento. Take the little bus from outside the hotel directly to the harbour. Be warned, it’s a long very steep walk down to the harbour from Sorrento. Bus tickets from the station or the hotel receptionist, the latter is more expensive due to some racket that the local authorities run. The ticket offices are at the harbour and the catamarans operate roughly every hour. There are also catamarans to Naples but we did not go there.

From the harbour to the town you can take a bus or a funicular. A further bus ride of about 3km will take you to Anacapri where you can spend an enjoyable hour or two visiting the villa and gardens of San Michele the home of the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe. Don’t be tempted to walk, it is a long up-hill trek and the bus, although crowded to sardine capacity, will get you there in about five or eight minutes.

The scenery along the Amalfi coastline is well worth a visit and you can do this by boat from Sorrento or local bus from Sorrento station. A 24 hour ticket from the hotel reception will give you the return trip to Amalfi combined with an additional visit to Ravello as well as the train from St.Agnello to Sorrento. You can even go into Sorrento again in the evening using the same ticket.

The Cathedral in Amalfi is a magnificent building having been started in the 10th century and updated in subsequent centuries. It is said that the skull and bones of Christ’s first disciple are kept in the crypt of this cathedral and the faithful go to touch the tabernacle where they are kept. There is a long walk to a high point above Amalfi for those with the stamina and energy to do it. If you’ve taken the early bus from Sorrento then you will have time to include a visit by bus, using the same ticket, to Ravello and a walk round the gardens of Villa Rufolo.