In May 2024, daughter Jill and I cruised the Mediterranean, with port stops in Spain, France, Italy, and Malta, and spent two days sightseeing in Barcelona. Our holiday was memorable from start to finish!
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our Mediterranean Holiday.
This story, part of a series, is about our day in Sorrento.
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our Mediterranean Holiday.
This story, part of a series, is about our day in Sorrento.
Naples, Italy (May 13, 2024) I planned to visit the Isle of Capri when we docked in Naples, but Jill convinced me to join her in Sorrento, on the aptly named excursion, Exploring Lovely Sorrento.
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One of the pearls of the Gulf of Naples, Sorrento is surrounded by limestone hills, where olive trees and citrus groves show off a quintessential Italian landscape to all those who visit this delightful town. Our walking tour will start in Piazza Tasso and continue in the historic narrow streets of this unique town.
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~ MSC Cruises
I was sure glad I did!
About 30 minutes before we docked in Naples—which is to say, about half past ten in the morning—as Jill and I stood on our balcony, she pointed towards the coast and asked, “Do you know what mountain that is?”
I told her I hadn’t a clue.
“That’s Mount Vesuvius,” she said.
“Well, I’ll be,” I replied. “I didn’t realize it was this close to Naples.”
And by “this close,” I mean just six miles east of Italy’s third largest city and a short distance from the shore.
“Mom and I visited Pompeii in 2016,” I continued. “Then, though, we were docked in Salerno.”
I flipped through the photos on my phone and showed this one to Jill.
“Check this out,” I said. “It’s my favorite pic from that day.”
“That’s Mount Vesuvius,” she said.
“Well, I’ll be,” I replied. “I didn’t realize it was this close to Naples.”
And by “this close,” I mean just six miles east of Italy’s third largest city and a short distance from the shore.
“Mom and I visited Pompeii in 2016,” I continued. “Then, though, we were docked in Salerno.”
I flipped through the photos on my phone and showed this one to Jill.
“Check this out,” I said. “It’s my favorite pic from that day.”
Why? Because it captured the ancient ruins of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius—victim and assailant in one photo—more than 2,000 years after the city was buried under rocks, lava, and ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.
About noon, Jill and I disembarked and joined 30 to 40 fellow passengers for an hour-long drive south along the coast of the Gulf of Naples to Sorrento. We stopped for 30 minutes in a small village on the Sorrento Peninsula— don’t quote me on this, but as I recall, its name is Meta di Sorrento—which separates the Gulf of Naples to the north from the Gulf of Salerno to the south.
About noon, Jill and I disembarked and joined 30 to 40 fellow passengers for an hour-long drive south along the coast of the Gulf of Naples to Sorrento. We stopped for 30 minutes in a small village on the Sorrento Peninsula— don’t quote me on this, but as I recall, its name is Meta di Sorrento—which separates the Gulf of Naples to the north from the Gulf of Salerno to the south.
Ostensibly, we were there for the views, which were breathtaking…but always the skeptic, I suspected the real purpose of our visit was to separate us from our tourist dollars, as there was a gift shop that sold lemon soap, limoncello, pottery, jewelry, and more—and all the tourist buses seemed to stop there. I readily admit that I left a few euros behind, as I bought a handful of lemon-scented soaps for Debra.
We reached Sorrento at half past one, and after we disembarked, we followed our guide to Piazza Tasso, the central square named after the 16th century Italian poet Torquato Tasso.
“His best-known poem was Jerusalem Delivered, first published in 1581,” she said to us. And then she turned and pointed to a yellow-painted church. “That is the Santuario Mara Santissima del Carmine, a Baroque church completed in 1572 and restored in the 18th century.”
We reached Sorrento at half past one, and after we disembarked, we followed our guide to Piazza Tasso, the central square named after the 16th century Italian poet Torquato Tasso.
“His best-known poem was Jerusalem Delivered, first published in 1581,” she said to us. And then she turned and pointed to a yellow-painted church. “That is the Santuario Mara Santissima del Carmine, a Baroque church completed in 1572 and restored in the 18th century.”
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At this point, Jill and I had a choice: For the next hour or so, we could (a) follow our guide from one landmark to the next as she shared the history of Sorrento or (b) meander the streets and alleyways on our own to discover and learn ‘who knows what.’
Jill and I chose ‘who knows what’ because we were explorers at heart with a predilection to wander rather than follow. And truth be told, there was no easier town to wander in than Sorrento, as the town’s center was compact and pedestrian-only, and therefore easy to probe.
Besides, we wanted to shop. Jill was on the prowl for a handmade Italian leather purse, and I hoped to find one for Debra, my wife, and we knew there would be no time to shop if we stayed with our guide.
Spoiler Alert: We made the right choice.
Jill and I chose ‘who knows what’ because we were explorers at heart with a predilection to wander rather than follow. And truth be told, there was no easier town to wander in than Sorrento, as the town’s center was compact and pedestrian-only, and therefore easy to probe.
Besides, we wanted to shop. Jill was on the prowl for a handmade Italian leather purse, and I hoped to find one for Debra, my wife, and we knew there would be no time to shop if we stayed with our guide.
Spoiler Alert: We made the right choice.
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Jill and I backtracked before we left the piazza, as we had passed a statue when we first arrived in the town square that I wanted a closer look at. The plaque on the base told me the figure was Sant’Antonio Abate—Saint Anthony the Abbot. Later I read he was a 7th century hermit who became Sorrento’s principal saint, “revered by local people for protecting Sorrento against plague and invasion as well as intervening after shipwrecks to save lives.”
Busy fellow, I thought. “Ready to explore Sorrento?” Jill asked. “Lead on,” I replied. |
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And where Jill led us was across the square and onto Corso Italia—the main street of Sorrento—lined with pastel-colored four-story buildings, many adorned with decorative tiles and flowers in vibrant colors. The first story was commercial—boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops—while the upper stories seemed to be mostly residential.
“Very Mediterranean,” I remarked to Jill. “Do you remember that I lived here for several weeks years ago?” she asked…and without waiting for me to reply, she added, “I enrolled in a cooking class and took lessons in conversational Italian. I had the time of my life!” |
By the way, the church in this photo, marked by its three-story bell tower, is Cattedrale dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo. It was built in the 11th century and dedicated to Saints Philip the Apostle and James the Just…and then rebuilt in the 15th century.
I tried a door. It was locked, so I could not go inside. This was my loss based on the images I saw on the internet.
“Let’s go in here,” Jill said when she spotted Aponte Antonino, a boutique that specialized in hand-made leather goods from Italy.
While Jill perused the purses—there was a LARGE selection—I looked through a rack of belts. I found one I liked, but I realized it was too long when I wrapped it around my waist. “Non c’e problema,” said the shopkeeper, who had a watchful eye on me. “If you like, I can cut to your size,” he continued in English. And that was how I bought a beautiful, multi-colored, hand-made, Italian leather belt.
In the meantime, Jill found a purse—two actually, one for Debra and one for herself.
I tried a door. It was locked, so I could not go inside. This was my loss based on the images I saw on the internet.
“Let’s go in here,” Jill said when she spotted Aponte Antonino, a boutique that specialized in hand-made leather goods from Italy.
While Jill perused the purses—there was a LARGE selection—I looked through a rack of belts. I found one I liked, but I realized it was too long when I wrapped it around my waist. “Non c’e problema,” said the shopkeeper, who had a watchful eye on me. “If you like, I can cut to your size,” he continued in English. And that was how I bought a beautiful, multi-colored, hand-made, Italian leather belt.
In the meantime, Jill found a purse—two actually, one for Debra and one for herself.
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“Mom will love this?” I asked (for reassurance).
“Trust me…she will!” she replied. And so, I left Aponte Antonino with the belt AND the purse. (Jill bought a purse, too.) Did Debra love the purse? She sure did! A bit further along Corso Italia, I spotted a ‘tchotchke’ store with a large display of baseball caps, my go-to cheap souvenir when I travel. There I found the perfect cap to add to my growing collection—this one in green, with ‘Sorrento’ emblazoned on the front panel, to match the color of my shirt. |
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“It’s time to check out the alleyways,” Jill said.
The narrow alleyways—this one is Via Fuoro— through the historic quarter of Sorrento formed a charming maze that cried out, “Explore me!” We did. The buildings were three- and four-stories tall, and the colors seemed ‘livelier,’ although this may have been an illusion created by the bright sunlight when it reached the pastel surfaces. The shops here were smaller, and there were more cafes than restaurants, many selling ‘take-away’ meals. |
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We passed baskets and baskets of lemons as we wandered Via Fuoro, Via Torquato Tasso, Largo Sedil Dominova, and other alleyways.
“What is it with the lemons?” I asked Jill. “It’s one of the things that Sorrento is famous for,” she replied. “The best-known variety is called the Femminello, or Sorrentino lemon.” Later—back on the ship—I Googled ‘Sorrento lemons’ and learned “lemons in the Sorrento area are certified by historical documents dating back to 1500 A.D. but may in fact date to the Roman era.” Yowza! |
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One thing for sure—the Sorrentino lemon appeared larger than the ones back home, measuring two to three inches in diameter. I regretted not buying a few to enjoy on the ship.
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Our circuit through the maze of alleyways ended where we started our self-guided tour—Piazza Tasso, where we rejoined our tour group and soon reboarded our bus for the return drive to Naples.
This was my third day of sightseeing—the first day I was in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, and on the second day I was in Milan. I enjoyed those excursions, where I learned much about the history of the cities I visited.
My outing in Sorrento—90 minutes at most—was different, though. I didn’t just enjoy my time there—I LOVED it. Why? With Jill, I wandered this picturesque city—no preset route, no tour guide, light on history, heavy on culture, low-key. I could not have been more pleased with my experience.
Someday, I’d like to come back with Debra, as I know she too would love Sorrento!
This was my third day of sightseeing—the first day I was in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, and on the second day I was in Milan. I enjoyed those excursions, where I learned much about the history of the cities I visited.
My outing in Sorrento—90 minutes at most—was different, though. I didn’t just enjoy my time there—I LOVED it. Why? With Jill, I wandered this picturesque city—no preset route, no tour guide, light on history, heavy on culture, low-key. I could not have been more pleased with my experience.
Someday, I’d like to come back with Debra, as I know she too would love Sorrento!
Jill and I enjoyed another fine meal at the Yacht Club Restaurant—sea bass for her and lambchops for me.
“The best entrée I’ve ever had on a cruise ship,” Jill said.
But the best part of the evening, I thought, was sunset. It was the most beautiful one on our week-long cruise—a scene that looked as if it was painted by an artist…and an Italian artist at that.
“The best entrée I’ve ever had on a cruise ship,” Jill said.
But the best part of the evening, I thought, was sunset. It was the most beautiful one on our week-long cruise—a scene that looked as if it was painted by an artist…and an Italian artist at that.
Buonanotte—goodnight!