Sorrento through the eyes of a tourist

According to the legend, that was Sorrento shore where guileful sirens were trying to put Odyssey and his mates off their way, but Odyssey didn’t give way to the sorcery and deceived them. However, Greeks are considered to be the founders of Sorrento, which was later conquered by the Romans. The city has always been a prestigious place for one to have rest at: Roman patricians built their villas in Sorrento outskirts, whereas emperor Tiberius took up his residence on the neighbouring island, Capri.

The city’s beautiful green terraces come down to the sea and stop by a high precipice. In ancient times those steep shores served as a reliable protection from the enemies. However, what Sorrento can’t brag about is sandy beaches. There are some of them found along the coastline, but those can be counted on the fingers of one’s hand and can only be reached with the help of special lifts. Beaches adjoin Marina Piccola and Marina Grande ports, so the best idea is to hire a catamaran and swim far from the coast where you will observe a wonderful view on Sorrento and its coastline. In the skyline you will see tops of the Vesuvius mount which reminds of the tragedy that happened on the other side of the Neapolitan bay, in Pompeii.

Several earthquakes occurred in Sorrento too. For instance, in the beginning of the 20th century several intense earthquakes scared away tourists from here for some time, but none of the cataclysms could shake the popularity of this place.

Summer is an extremely hot season in Sorrento – luckily, at night cold breeze coming from the sea cools red-hot houses and streets. Surprising as it might be, you won’t find conditioners in many hotels. The reason for this is their thick stone walls erected in the last century, which help keep the night’s coolness all day long.

There are absolutely unique hotels found in Sorrento. One of them is “Minerva”, which was built in the end of the XIX century and still keeps its unique style. Still, some modern features were added to it, of course: for instance, it is essential that a hotel of such class has a swimming pool. Moreover, one of the most extensive and beautiful panoramas can be seen from the hotel’s balcony.

A few people like walking along the city streets at daytime, but in the evening crowds of young people throng the street. Sorrento’s main shopping street, Via Corso, starts with Piazza Tasso. Most of the bars, clubs, restaurants and shops are found on the street. Every morning, from Marina Grande port, hydrofoils depart to Capri and Ischia islands and start their sea cruises to the neighbouring cities of Positano and Amalfi. Sea voyage is also the best way to get to the cities of Naples and Pompeii.

The peninsula is renowned for its thick lemon groves. Lemon is used to produce lemon liquor Limoncello. The liquor is rather strong and you can keep one bottle of it for years. Many shops offer tourists to try this liquor for free since they know that having tried it once, they won’t refrain from buying it.

Local cuisine does not differ much from traditional Italian one – the same pasta and pizza, but prepared with a lot more seafood products. When being in Sorrento, one thing you should definitely do is visit its fish restaurants. The most agreeable of them are located next to the Grand Marina port. You will be simply dazzled by the variety of fish: sardines, tunny, eels, shrimps and other inhabitants of the Tyrrhenian Sea are always fresh and can be prepared in various ways.

Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/Sorrento-through-the-eyes-of-a-tourist/55876