Sorrento Guide

Sant’Agnello is the perfect place to stay during a trip to Campania, away from the hustle and bustle of Naples, but within easy distance of all the nearby attractions and sites. Sant’Agnello itself is comprised of magnificent villas, dotted along the coastline of the Sorrentine peninsula. Within the town, you can explore its five neighbourhoods which the writer Francis Marion Crawford came to call home. Discover the ancient houses in the area of Angri, before witnessing the artisans working away at their furnaces in the neighbourhood of Maiano, creating the bricks and ovens that will be used to cook the local speciality, Neapolitan pizza. Overlooking the town from the cliff, the Capuchin monastery cuts an imposing figure. Further up the hills are the olive groves of Tordara and Trasaella, a visual reminder of the area’s agricultural past and present.

Despite its beauty and tranquility, you’ll probably want to explore the surrounding area and no wonder when these places are in such easy reach:

Sorrento: Sorrento has been a tourist spot since Roman times, and it continues to draw the crowds throughout the summer months. You can jostle for position on the beaches or many piers, or just walk around, taking in the air and the other tourists, and lasciviously eyeing up the boats in the harbour and the marinas. In town, you can find the Museo Correale de Terranova, which houses examples of local woodwork and archaeological discoveries from the surrounding area. As darkness falls, the bars fill up and the town comes out to play. Whilst there, it is imperative you sample the local delicacy, limoncello, a strong-flavoured liqueur made from the rinds of the Sorrento lemon. It’s traditionally drunk after dinner, but no one will rebuke for going straight for it.

Pompeii: Despite the fact that the cataclysmic eruption on 24th August 79 AD brought an end to life to the inhabitants of Pompeii, it also strangely preserved them for posterity under 60 feet of ash and pumice. Now, Pompeii is one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions, and is recognized as a site of world heritage by UNESCO. Entering the site through the old Porta Marina is an eerie experience, and as you make your way to the forum, you’ll see the casts of the defenseless victims of the volcano. These were made by archaeologists in the 19th century pouring plaster into the hollow cavities where the residents had been swallowed alive, and are an affecting reminder of the horror they suffered. There’s also an ancient ‘Beware the Dog’ sign, in the form of a mosaic of a beast and the words ‘Cave Canem’, warning visitors to the House of the Tragic Poet.

Capri: The island of Capri is synonymous with glamour, sophistication and, to classicists at least, sexual perversion. The ancient Roman emperor Tiberius spent his final years on the island, and rumours abounded around the ancient world as to what he exactly he got up to, with speculation quickly jumping to the lewd. These days you can still visit the ruins of the Villa Jovis, his home on Capri, and perhaps the site of his alleged debauchery. More recently, the island was claimed by the jet set of the Mediterranean, hosting movie stars and aristocrats, most famously Jackie Onassis, whom the local inhabitants took to their hearts as one of their own. Follow her footsteps around this enchanting island, easily accessible from Sorrento by ferry or hydrofoil.