Sorrento - Travel and Gastronomic Experiences
Trip to Sorrento
Sorrento is a vibrant and popular resort town in the southern Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is located a 3-hour drive (270 km) from Rome and only a 1-hour drive (50 km) from Naples.
Sorrento features a wide pedestrian street alongside narrow alleys full of shops, stalls, restaurants, cafes, and above all: lots of lemons: lemon candies, lemon-scented soaps, ceramic lemons, and of course limoncello liqueur sold in every corner of the city.
♦ Food tour and cooking classes in Sorrento: Pizza, Pasta, and Tiramisu - To book from Viator website:
A photogenic gem in Sorrento are its beaches located below the city center, which can be reached up and down by a winding road or an elevator. The water is clear and pleasant, and the views from the beaches are wonderful. You can see the Gulf of Naples and the dramatic Mount Vesuvius:
Before descending to the sea, it is worth overlooking the well-kept beaches surrounded by dramatic scenery from Villa Comunale, which is surrounded by a well-kept park.
Sorrento is an excellent starting point for a trip to Naples, Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri, and of course to the Amalfi Drive, considered one of the most beautiful and dramatic drives in the world (and also one of the busiest...), but of course, it is fitting and desirable to dedicate at least a full and packed day to the city itself.
Since the Amalfi Drive is extremely busy and sometimes there are no stopping places along the way (not to mention parking), it is most successful to take a guided tour where you will stop at the most beautiful places without worrying about finding a stopping place or parking. Here are the most recommended tours for this area:
Booking recommended tours by car or boat in Amalfi from Viator website:
Recommended Accommodation
I usually prefer to stay in small, idyllic towns rather than large cities. Therefore, we chose to stay in the town adjacent to Sorrento - Piano di Sorrento, which also has cute beach coves below the cliff reached like in Sorrento via a winding road or an elevator. We stayed on a small farm where they grew everything: fruit trees of all kinds, vegetables, chickens, and cute dogs. A charming, comfortable, and clean place called the guest house La Gaggia Guest House, with good breakfast, internet, and free parking, and also close to the train station. If traveling to a city like Sorrento or Naples, it is better to take the train. Just a few minutes' drive (two stops) to Sorrento.
Additional recommended accommodation places in Sorrento:
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria - An impressive and luxurious five-star hotel with 91 rooms, perched on a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples, comprising 3 historic buildings located in a private Mediterranean park. The harbor can be reached by elevator. The hotel is immersed in lovely Mediterranean gardens, with private parking and several quality restaurants.
Grand Hotel Ambasciatori - A four-star hotel with 103 rooms. The hotel is located on a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples from its rooftop terrace. The hotel features a private beach and a garden with a pool.
Comfort Hotel Gardenia Sorrento Coast - A small 3-star hotel with 27 rooms, just 600 meters from the historic center of Sorrento. The hotel features a swimming pool and a rooftop terrace with views of the Gulf of Naples. All rooms include a private balcony. The hotel was completely renovated in 2007 and is defined as an Ecoworldhotel thanks to its eco-friendly policy.
B&B Al Centro - Four air-conditioned apartments with an equipped kitchenette and sea-view balconies. The apartments accommodate 2-4 people. Located 150 meters from Piazza Tasso.
Another charming town where it is worth staying is: Vico Equense:
A cute little boutique hotel in this town, with wonderful service, a central location, and excellent breakfast, which is warmly recommended:
Villa
Scaramellino Relais - The hotel offers modern rooms with a balcony, air conditioning, free parking and internet, and a washing machine and dryer for guests' use. The hotel features double rooms and apartments with a bedroom and living room suitable for four people.
Search for a hotel on Booking in the Sorrento area map:
Booking.com
Culinary Experiences in Sorrento
Even for those who are not fond of cooking (like me) but love to eat well - a cooking class in Italy is an experience not to be missed! In the Sorrento area, there are plenty of places offering diverse cooking courses. I recommend the restaurant Tirabusciò Sorrento in Sorrento, less than a ten-minute drive from the city center, where both pizza-making workshops and four-course meal cooking courses are held for 3-4 hours. Of course, you eat everything you make accompanied by good wine.
Cooking typical Italian food is easy, according to the season and the customer's request. While cooking, you drink wine and listen to good Italian music.
We made Caprese salad, Eggplant Parmigiana, cheese ravioli in tomato sauce, and for dessert, Tiramisu. A delicious and pleasant experience.
Short video about the cooking class:
Another successful culinary experience to get acquainted with typical Southern Italian food can be discovered near Sorrento at the top of a mountain with a magical view of the sea and the surrounding towns, where a farm named Agriturismo Primaluce is hidden. The farm grows grapes, olives, figs, chestnuts, persimmons, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
www.primalucesorrento.com
The place also serves as an "agriturismo," meaning a farm hotel, and also provides a wonderful experience for all ages: first, you learn how wine and oil were made in the past using traditional tools and walk around the farm among fruit trees, the vegetable garden, and of course farm animals. Afterward, you make mozzarella cheese and a braid of mozzarella, and then a true Neapolitan Margherita pizza.
Finally, you eat the pizza and cheeses accompanied by a variety of additional antipasti and of course good wine. You finish with the typical rum baba cake. It is hard to believe that such a pastoral, authentic, and peaceful place is located just a quarter-hour drive from the busy and touristic Sorrento.
The place also rents rooms for overnight stays with a view of Mount Vesuvius:
Short video about the farm and the cooking class: