Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast
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The Amalfi coast is steeped in legend and myth. It is believed that here lived the legendary Sirens, as described by Homer in the “Odyssey”. Li Galli islands in the Gulf of Salerno are shaped just like the Sirens, and Sorrento itself was named by the Greeks as “Syrenusion” or “Syreon” which means “Siren’s land”, because it is believed that here Odysseus met these creatures.
The coast stretches from the South of the Sorrento peninsula, from Punta Campanella to Positano up to Ravello and Vietri Sul Mare. For a fabulous view which embraces the whole area, go up into the hills to a place called Sant’Agata dei due Golfi, where you can experience a breathtaking sight; the hill overlooks both of the Gulfs: the Gulf of Naples, in front of Sorrento, and the Gulf of Salerno, in front of the Amalfi coast.
The Sorrento coastline, facing the volcano Vesuvius, is mostly made of tuff (compressed volcanic ash), and it benefits from a mild climate (summers are never extremely hot, and it’s never icy in winter) which favours agriculture (as testified by plenty of olives, orange and lemon trees: in Goethe’s words, this is “das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn”), a wide variety of palms, and tourism. On the other side of the coast, Positano, the sun rises and the sunshine favours the endless varieties of flowers, like bougainvilleas, wisterias, geraniums, rhododendrons and gentians.
Sorrento is strategically the best starting point to reach the whole of the Amalfi coast: places like Capri, Positano, Furore, Amalfi, Ravello, Ischia, Pompei, Ercolano, Paestum and Vesuvius are all within 50km and can be planned as daily excursions from Sorrento.
Sorrento has almost twelve thousand accommodations (from the five star hotels to camping, B&B, residences, holiday villages, luxury villas, and farm holidays) and it is versatile enough to have both very exclusive high-class locations, and mass tourist attractions, but never tourist traps.
There are few beaches - instead there are many small piers (wooden platforms located on stones at the foot of the cliffs) with ladders to reach the water, beach chairs, umbrellas, pedalos, kayaks and boat rentals.
Sorrento and the Amalfi coast have a rich history dating from pre-Roman times, through conquest by the Turks in the 16th century to the Grand Tour of the 19th century. The best way to appreciate the beauty of the old Roman patrician villas and the towers built by the Saracens is to explore the coast by boat (the most romantic choice is the typical wooden “gozzo”).
Photos courtesy of Amelia PS©
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