Amalfi coast Sorrento and surroundings

Posted by Sam Villa on April 12th, 2021

From Sofia and Hanna, two sisters who run the travel blog Coconuts & Skylines, this is an interesting post from the incredibly beautiful Sorrento with its interesting surroundings.Sofia and Hanna took the nice pictures!

Sorrento

A throng of people meet where the bus stops at Sorrento train station and the echo of suitcase wheels drowns in the murmur of Italian and American, one or two Swedish voices can also be distinguished among those meeting on a busy sidewalk. In narrow alleys that slope slightly down from Sorrento's main street, Corso Italia, tourists are greeted by pasta menus and restaurant hosts who entice with suggestions that make mouths water. Amalfi Villas are tremendous and with pool many of them. 

It's easy to get the impression that it's the sophisticated fine tourist who thrives best here, those who sip wine during the day and indulge in Italian delicacies in the evening. Branded sunglasses and fancy hairstyles pass us by, two Italian-saved Swedes feasting on fantastically delicious free olives at one of the bars in the large Piazza Torquato Tasso. The square becomes a bit of a gathering place as the rays of the afternoon and evening begin to disappear towards the horizon and stomachs growls or throats are dry. No backpack tourists are visible. We try to blend in our own way among classic Lady & Lufsen-checkered tablecloths up on the city's yellow-brown mountain plateau. Or at evening sun-drenched bars on piers that offer the gurgling of water against childishly painted small boat hulls in one direction and the rocks of Sorrento in the other. We find our own place among sun-soaked house facades and crowded squares, piano bars and clotheslines between the houses.

Sorrento turns out to be practically laid out for two local-minded Swedes with a street network of fairly right angles and straight lines (the opposite can also be found) and the narrow cross streets are illuminated and inviting.Still, it never gets boring.Maybe a little cute and arranged sometimes, but above all, Sorrento's warm cobblestones radiate something alluring and romantic.And when you stand by the cliff and look out over the sea and the stately volcano Vesuvius on the other side of the Gulf of Naples, it is so obvious why the place was chosen once, and why we also wanted to go there.

Tips

Bathing: Sorrento's bathing jetties with brightly painted bathing cabins as jewelery are an excellent alternative for a dip or to improve your tan.

Villa Rentals.: In case you wish to rent a Luxury Villas Amalfi coast than the best is to check directly over the agencies and direct owners on many site on Internet. 

Excursions: The easily accessible train from Sorrento station gives you the opportunity to reach Naples or the ruined city of Pompeii in just over an hour.Buses from the same place also take you quickly to the beautiful Positano or Amalfi Coast on the Amalfi Coast.Views with many "Hallelujah moments", regardless of whether you have a religious side or not, are promised and people with motion sickness should have a bag ready as hairpin curves, deep ravines and many slowdowns are part of the activity.

Hiking: Bring a pair of comfortable shoes, get a map, guidebook or rely on GPS and hike up into the mountains among lush olive groves, lemon trees and a local who leads you on the right path when the map is not enough.Do not be surprised if they invite you to a glass of wine in the same crank, or cut up a freshly picked orange for you.

Capri

At the end of the stairs, the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe built his beautiful home, Villa San Michele, at the turn of the last century.He first fell in love with an old chapel on the site and later settled here.Below are the remains of a Roman villa, but do not believe the stories that the Etruscan and Roman objects in the house and in the garden come from there, as Munthe so imaginatively tells in his book about the house;most of the antiques are purchased from antique dealers in Rome and Naples.It costs a few euros to enter, but if you like beautiful architecture and decor, antiques - especially Roman artefacts - and a view to die for, it is definitely worth it.On the roof there is a café where you can eat something light, have a glass of cold wine and breathe a sigh of relief after climbing the stairs.

More to see on a visit to Capri is Villa Iovis, Emperor Tiberius' largest and most well-preserved palace on the island, where he used to escape the alarm in the capital. A walk of approx. 45 minutes from Capri city takes you here. The stories of Tiberius' atrocities are many and have perhaps become best known through Suetonius' Imperial biographies, which also formed the basis for Robert Grave's novel I, Claudius (Tiberius' nephew). Whether to believe the stories of torture and the sexual perversions of the emperor is disputed. In any case, they are used in the marketing of the place as a tourist attraction.

There are many hikes to do on the island. My guidebook suggests, among other things, a trip from the city of Capri to Arco Naturale, a cool rock formation on the east side of the island. Or a hike from Anacapri to Torre Damecuta, a medieval tower on northwestern Capri. Nature experiences and leg muscles are promised!

Many are also offers of a boat trip, which shows you Capri from the water - of course not free pleasure, but if you want e.g. seeing the caves can be a good idea. Most talked about is Grotta Azzurra, known for its almost magical light.

Ferries to Capri also run from Naples and Amalfi.

Pompeii

Of course, a Latin teacher cannot miss Pompeii during a visit to the Gulf of Naples. We thus take the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento and get off at Pompeii Scavi. From Sorrento the train has only one line, but from Naples there are several, so pay attention to the train's final destination! In preparation, I read Mary Beard's book Pompeii - Life in a Roman City. Beard is a professor of classical languages ​​in Cambridge and her book gives some perspective to the notions and myths about how life in the city solidified in a moment. In fact, the area was hit by earthquakes in the years before Vesuvius' eruption, which caused people to gradually abandon their homes. However, the plaster casts of human bodies (and pets) that have been made are frozen moments of a very short death struggle.

Most of the loose objects from the city have either been looted over the centuries, Sorrento Villas or taken to the Archaeological Museum of Naples. In Pompeii we see instead the city plan, the wealthy villas, the apartment buildings, the paving with their deep ruts in the stone, the bathhouses, the taverns, the brothel, the sports field, the temples and the theater and the graffiti of course and all the paintings.

If you do not know much about the ancient Romans and their habits, it may be a good idea to grab one of all the guided tours.Or borrow an audio guide.We chose to follow Professor Mary Beard's proposal on what a "reasonable" round in Pompeii can contain and with her map in full swing, we entered through Porta Marina.

In next article I will write about the Sardinia Luxury Villas and Costa Smeralda . The most beatiful beaches and sea in Europe.