Sorrento Map of the city
Mediterranean
land that has been depicted described and immortalised in song by artists, poets
and travellers from every period of history. Along the coast, rugged and
inaccessible cliffs soar upwards between beautiful beaches, hidden caves,
enchanting bays and sheltered coves. Whereas inland, the high plains, rolling
hills and lofty mountains are seared by deep valleys to create a truly unique
landscape in which man has also left a clear sign of his remarkable work: the
more impervious areas have been modelled into the
now-famous
terraces, those huge steps descending into the sea on which man gas
planted vin yards and groves of orange, lemon and olive trees. There are the
garden of delight which excude an inebrianting perfume of blassom in spring.
The
mild climate and predominantly fine wether all year round make the Sorrentine
Penisular an ideal destination in any season. The first town in the Peninsular
is
Vico Equense with its Giusso Castle on
the coast and the austere Mont Faito (1400 metres high) which allows you to pass
from the sea to the mountain in just a few minutes. Next
we find
Meta
di Sorrento ,
a town hidden in a maze of alleyways whose small hamlets and sun-drenched
beaches are a must for visitors.
Piano
di Sorrento
is a bustling town which harmoniously
blends its sea-faring vocation with its rural identity and its tole as a major
shopping centre. The hill rising up behind the town is traverded by narrow roads
flanked by high walls that enclose centuries-old orange and lemon groves.
Beyond
Piano di Sorrento
we
enter
Sant’Agnello
which looks out
over the sea from a high tufastone cliff that enchanted the royal house of
Bourbon and led royalty from all over Europe to build majestic villas here. Also
overlooking the sea and framed by the surronding hills, the international town of
Sorrento
with its historic
city centre, its harbours and
gardens of orange and lemon trees.
Finally, the delighful little town of
Massa
Lubrense, situated on the very tip of the Penisular looking out to
the Isle of Capri: a veritable oasis with
numerous footpaths linking up ancient farm houses and archeological sites
nestling into the Mediterranean maquis which offer superb views out to sea and
down onto enchanting little coves. Ever since ancient times man has been
fascinated by this area and many peoples established settlements here: the
ancient Greeks were so enchanted that they imagined this was the home of
Sirens, whose sweet song was a lure that no mariner could defy; likewise, the
Romans were enraptured by its boundless beauty and natural resources and its
fame spread throughout the know world.
Here
they built a road as far as the headland know as Punta Campanella and on the
coast they constructed small harbours, fish-tanks, nymphaea and baths using
local spring water to embellish their sumptuous villas, such as that of Pollius
Felix the visible remains of which bear witness to its former grandeur. Later,
during the Middle Ages and more recent times, the local population engaged in
bustling trade in spite of the evrpresent threat of the Saracen pirates and
continued to live fearlessly along the coast in the exquisite harbours: Marina
di Aequa, Marina Grande and Marina della Lobra.
And
the Spaniards who governed much of southern Italy for a sizeable part of the
modern age, appreciated the area for its abundance of fruits, fish, birds, meat
and cheeses. While in the eighteenth century, the sorrentine Peninsular was
discovered by the grand tour and intellectuals from all over Europe, including
Nietzsche and Ibsen, found spiritual and cultural nourishment here,
inauguranting the tast for living in a villa, which made the sorrentine
Peninsular a popular resort I the élite tourist trade. In a well-ordered and
secure environment, every tourist can have an ideal holiday as there is no end
to the possible combinations of countryside and tranquillity, health and culture
– bathing in the sea, spa-water health cures at
the
Scrajo complex, day
trips by boat, country walks, excursions to the archeological sites such as the
necropolises of Aequa and Desrto and visits to the local museum (the
Archeological Museum,
the Mineralogical Museum and the Correale Museum), the historic city centers
with their ancient monasteries and cloisters, such as the San Francesco
cloisters in Sorrento, the old hamlets with their ancient frescoed churches,
such as
the
Chapel of Santa Lucia in Vico Equense,
but sport and international music and cinema events are also catered for, in
addition to theatre shows, night clubs and bars.
Here
there are celabrations all year-round: the thousand of local cultural traditions
mean that there is always a special event any time of year: from the Carnival to
the famoue Easter processions throughout the Peninsular, to the numerous fates
in summer and autumn with their presentation of typical local produce and the
Sorrentine Tarantella, a traditional local dance, and the impressive
Christmas celebration.
Restaurants of the highest level invite you to savour the now world-famous local
cusine with its blend of flavours from the sea and the fertile countryside.
Handicrafts are also plantiful: first and foremost the inlaid wood and marquetry
craft, although there is also a flourishing trade in a small boats and pleasure
craft. Finally, the peninsular produces a number of fine liqueurs distilled from
local produce, such as lemons, mandarins, oranges and walnuts.
Old photos of Sorrentine Peninsular
Same church of the Sorrentine Peninsular (click on the photo to see):
San Marco in Seiano San Ciro in Vico Equense
Chiesa e convento di San Francesco in Vico S. Maria delle Grazie in Vico Equense Equense
Handicraft
In the craftsmen exclusive shps it is
possible to bu ceramics, gifts, clothes,
and even preserved food. Particularly
valuable are the wooden works and the baskets.
The_gastronomy
Vico Equense is an area where are produced the
qualities dry and full-bodied white and red DOC wine of the "Peninsula of
Sorrento", suitable to the local cuisine, while the vatiety sparkling red
goes well with dessert.
Besides the first course of pasta, gnocchi, lasagne and cannelloni, you can taste the soup called "maritata" and pizza with prickly lettuce.Very tasty are also fish and meat specialities. Typical and special are the dairy products such as "treccia" (fresh milk-cheese), "caciocavallo" "gourd-shaped kind of cheese), "scamorza" (unfermented cheese), provola (fresh buffalo-milk cheese), "caciotta" "a sort of ovine soft cheese), "ricotta di fuscella" (cottage chese made of skim milk). Very rich and appreciated is the production of fruit and vegetables. It is worth mentioning the olive oil and the citrus and nut liquor.
A
true curiosity is the typical
"Pizza a metro" (pizza cut in metres),
which has become "a classic speciality"
of Vico Equense.
The principal restaurant of Vico Equense
where uou can eat the very "Pizza al metro" is "L'università della Pizza".
(Via Nicotera, 10 - Vico Equense, tel. 081.879.84.26)