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Sorrento
The Mediterranean town of Sorento in Campania, Italy looks out unto the Gulf of naples and the Sorrentine Peninsula. This popular holiday destination is accessible along the Amalfi Drive, the narrow road that threads across chalk cliffs connecting the towns of Amalfi and Sorrento.
A colony of the Phoenicians in ancient times, its seaport became known as a commercial area frequented by Greeks and called “Syrenusion” or “Syreon” (Siren’s land) referring to Homer’s mythological creatures half woman and half fish from the Odyssey whose songs enchanted sailors. The Romans appreciated its charms that during the imperial period it was elected an holiday destination of patricians, as the numerous villas witness.
Famous writers and artists have also been attracted to Sorrento like Ibsen who had written his plays Peer Gynt (1867) and Ghosts (1881) there.
The maritime connection of the village is best seen in the traditional Sorento fishing boats—a typical wood boat with a sail and unsinkable. The mastery skill of Sorrento artisans was so great that the fishing boats were used by the fishermen of the Gulf of Naples and of the islands. Heirs of this tradition are the fishing motor boat that are built still today in Sorrento and its surroundings.
Guest an invited to visit the lemon terraces in the city that produces the famous limoncello, a liquour of lemon rinds that is handmade in a meticulous process prerserved throughout the generations. Ritual drinking after lunch or dinner of cool limoncello is part of the way of life in Sorento that every visitor must experience.
For those wanting a cultural tour of the city are encouraged to begin at the Basilica of Saint Antonino dedicated to the town’s patron saint. It was said that Saint Antonino performed miracles such as saving a child swallowed by a whale. His remains can be visited in the crypt below.
