A Greek and then Roman city, the ancient town of 'Surrentum' was prized for its strategic position opposite the Aeolian Islands and Capri - and snugly protected by deep gorges on three sides. As in so much of the southern Italian Mediterranean, myth plays a rich part, with the city supposedly being home to Ulysses and to a cult worship of those wicked Sirens (hence the name Sorrento). Unlucky Sorrento was much invaded - successively by Romans, Ostrogoths, Lombards and Saracens, the Normans and the Spanish. The beautiful setting, mild climate and blue seas made it an artists' colony in latter times, with Ibsen writing Peer Gynt here, Wagner and Nietzsche coming to blows and Gorky living and working in very comfortable exile.
All very nice, but where's the beach? you say, and, indeed, seaside holidays are what Sorrento is all about. Sitting on cliffs close to the end of the peninsula (off the nose of which lies Capri), this is a pleasant, lively town which offers enough brash tourism while keeping its Campanian flavour; there are good, affordable restaurants, boat trips around to the Amalfi coast and out to the islands, plus a couple of small beaches nearby (the imaginatively named Marina Piccola and Marina Grande).
The town itself is centred on the Piazza Tasso (named for the maverick 16th century poet who was a son of the town). Check out the Museo Correale di Terranova, with numerous paintings of Sorrento and the Bay of Naples, including a Rubens. A nice spot is the Villa Comunale and its gardens, with views onto the ocean, and the church of San Francesco next door - a cool, shady and flower-bedecked spot, with its 13th century cloister.
To the left you'll find a selection of Sorrento hotels, just to whet your appetite.
See also Sorrento hotels (full listings) and our Sorrento hotel map.
