In the south of Italy, overlooking the Bay of Naples, Sorrento with its 16,500 inhabitants lies at the south-eastern part of the Circumvesuviana rail line, which places it within easy reach of Pompeii. Spend your nights in one of the hotels Sorrento accords its guests, imbibe limoncello for which the city is known (made from water, sugar, lemon rinds, and alcohol), and enjoy the views of Naples, but by day take a trip to the ruins of one of the most famous disaster sites in the history of the world: Pompeii.
Famously buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Pompeii was considered a kind of pleasure city. When the volcanic eruption collapsed the roofs and buried the city under sixty feet of pumice and ash, it was lost to history for one thousand seven hundred years, before it was found again in 1748. Some of the discoveries made then must have shocked the archaeologists, because they kept hidden a number of finds involving a high number of brothels and erotic art. Today, the city remains one of the most popular reasons to go to Italy (in recent years, records suggest that over two million people visit the site), and is only one of the trips possible if you stay in Sorrento.
Back from the day trip, the nights can be spent in fine restaurants or cafes. The city offers interesting walking tours as well. Medieval buildings abound, from architecture throughout the centuries, with examples from the eleventh, thirteenth, fourteenth centuries, as well as the eighteenth and nineteenth, contained in such places the Piazza Tasso or the Palazzo Correale, and inside the Cathedral of San Fiolippo and Sangiacomo. Note, too, that in addition to limoncello, Sorrento is known for its fine wood inlays and marquetry. If you take a look inside one of its museums, for example the Museo Bottega della Tarsia Lignea, you’ll find a number of 19th Century marquetry furniture. Most of all, though, Sorrento is a place to relax and enjoy yourself.
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