SORRENTO

A splendid and famous holiday resort, Sorrento stands on a terrace rising steeply above the sea on one of the most spectacular points of the Campanian coast. Because of its enchanting position and mild climate, sheltered by the surrounding hills, Sorrento has been a favourite resort since Romans times, (Agrippa, Augustus and Antonius all had villas here) and it became an elite tourist resort from the eighteenth century, its hotels welcoming such luminaries as Ibsen, Wagner and Nietzche.

The high position above the sea and the consequent absence of a true sea promenade create its extremely original nature. In fact, the port, the Marina Grande and Marina Piccola, picturesque bays with a beach and the harbour, are reached by steps and narrow alleys, which offer panoramic views of incomparable beauty of the coast, the surrounding hills covered in olive-groves and citrus fruit trees, and the crystal-clear sea. Linked to the enchanting beauty of the place is the tradition whereby the name of Sorrento originates from the mythical mermaids whose soft singing tempted Ulysses and his crew in the Odyssey. The site on which the town stands, probably founded by the Greek colonies, was already inhabited in prehistoric times.