“Vide ‘o mare quant’è bello, spira tanto sentimento. Comme tu a chi tiene mente, a scetato ‘o faje sunnà.” Which in Italian means: “See how beautiful the sea is, it inspires so much feeling. Like you, to whom you observe, you make them dream while awake.”
This is the opening of the hymn to love written by Giambattista De Curtis and set to music by his brother Ernesto, “Torna a Surriento” (Return to Sorrento), one of the iconic songs of Neapolitan music, composed in 1894 but officially published with copyright in 1905. After all, Sorrento, “climbing” on the rocks perched high above the sea, enjoys a unique panorama of the Gulf of Naples. A tourist destination of prime importance since the era of the Grand Tour, it has been immortalized by other masterpieces of music (like “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla) and by great cinema films (one title above all, “Pane, amore e…” – Bread, Love and…).
Piazza Tasso is the beating heart of the city and a meeting point to spend relaxing moments among the many bars and restaurants that surround it. It is a sort of “starting point” for exploring the historic center, between Corso Italia, the shopping street, and the characteristic narrow streets. The square hosts several historic buildings and the monument dedicated to one of the city’s most illustrious sons, Torquato Tasso.
Then there is the Duomo, dedicated to Saints Philip and James, which was built on the remains of an ancient Greek temple in the 10th-11th century and then remodeled in the current Baroque style during the 16th century; the Villa Comunale, located in the city center, represents one of the most panoramic and romantic places in the city, an authentic terrace overlooking the sea; the nearby Cloister of San Francesco, built in the 14th century, consisting of a central quadrangular garden and arcades on all four sides. And again, the Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), located behind Piazza Tasso, a deep fissure in the mountain formed about 35,000 years ago following a powerful eruption of the Phlegraean Fields. But it is the sea that reigns supreme. Starting from the port of Marina Piccola, located in a small inlet, once called “Marina di Capo Cervo” after the name of the promontory that overlooks it. It is located close to Piazza Tasso, enjoys a strategic position in the Gulf of Naples, a few nautical miles from the main attractive destinations of the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts, but also of Capri, Ischia, and Procida. The port is well connected with Naples and with the archaeological sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Castellammare di Stabia. As stated on the port’s website, “the marina consists of a pier with a quay and a characteristic small breakwater that encloses a dock, within which pleasure crafts are moored. Famous for the efficiency and quality of the service offered by its moorers, the tourist port of Marina Piccola di Sorrento ensures boaters the possibility of satisfying any need, from daily transit mooring to weekly and monthly, as well as seasonal berthing.
We are able to accommodate pleasure crafts up to a maximum draft of 6 meters, with assistance on arrival and departure, day and night surveillance, supply of running water and electricity of 220-380 Volts.” Among the most famous beaches is Marina Grande, once a fishing village with pastel-colored houses and today one of the most popular places in Sorrento for its seafood restaurants, the small beach, and the equipped bathing establishments on the cliffs. And again, the Bagni della Regina Giovanna (Queen Giovanna’s Baths), a “natural swimming pool” among the cliffs of Capo di Sorrento: a place of great charm near the ruins of a Roman villa, said to have been frequented by Queen Giovanna D’Angiò (an anecdote from which it takes its name).
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