Sorrento: the city of lemons above the sea
About 40 minutes by train from Pompei, Sorrento faces the gulf from a tuff terrace: piazzas, gardens, limoncello and sunsets.
The city on the terrace
Sorrento stands on a tuff terrace overhanging the sea, its compact centre gathered around Piazza Tasso with shopping streets along Corso Italia. Gardens and belvederes open abruptly over the gulf, with Vesuvius opposite.
What to see
The Cloister of San Francesco, the Duomo with its inlaid door, the Villa Comunale gardens and the Marina Piccola harbour reached by panoramic steps. Outside the centre, valleys of lemon groves and mills that have produced oil and limoncello for generations.
The port for the coast
From Sorrento ferries and hydrofoils leave for Capri, Positano, Amalfi and Naples, alongside bus lines for the coast. It is a comfortable base for exploring the peninsula without giving up a lively, well-served town.
Getting there
The Circumvesuviana from Pompei reaches Sorrento in about 40 minutes, its terminal in the heart of town. The day rounds off well with sea, a pasta-and-lemon lunch and sunset from the belvedere.