A BLONDE VINTAGE

The gateway to the Amalfi Coast, we chose Sorrento, Italy as our home base for our recent adventure to visit the sights along the Amalfi Coast and Naples Bay. A coastal town, facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrentine Peninsula, Sorrento is perched atop cliffs separating the town from its marinas. Mostly known for its truly epic water views along the coastline, it’s also home to cozy cafe-lined streets, lemon groves (ohh the lemons!) and a warm historic center.

Prior to take-off, we debated on what town to stay in. We concluded that the single most important thing for us this trip was to feel like we had a place to “come home to” from our daily adventures. This made the decision pretty simple. Sorrento here we come! The biggest selling point? Sorrento’s easy commutable access to Capri Island and the Amalfi Coast, making it a breeze to get from Point A to Point B without renting a car or feeling stressed.

Arriving

By far the easiest airport to fly into to reach Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is Naples, Italy. From there you have multiple options to reach your final destination. You can either take the ferry, train, bus or arrange a private transfer to Sorrento from Naples.

After a lot of research, we firmly decided that private transfer was the way to go. It afforded us the ability to make a few sight-seeing stops along the way to our hotel in Sorrento and travel in air-conditioned comfort with no worry about luggage. We used the company Transferelax three different times during our trip (back and forth from the Naples airport to Sorrento, Positano and a day excursion along the coast) and they were amazing! Their service was prompt and courteous. They also were super responsive to emails and our inquiries for additional transportation services during our week in Italy.

We arrived at the Naples airport around noon and our driver, Giuseppe was there, sign-in-hand, waiting. From there, he escorted us to the 8 passenger Mercedes van and we took off towards Mount Vesuvius to hike to the top of the active volcano. As we drove, Giuseppe told us all about the region, the volcano, the food, the wine, everything! He was a first rate tour guide and had lived in the area his entire life.

After we hiked Mount Vesuvius, we headed towards a small production winery called Sorrentino Vesuvio to taste wines grown along the slopes of the volcano. There we enjoyed a 6-course wine paired lunch and afterward Giuseppe brought us directly to our hotel in Sorrento.

If you do not plan to sightsee upon immediate arrival into Naples, my next suggested mode of arrival to your hotel would be by bus. Seahorse Car Service offers pick up directly at the airport and drop off at your hotel in Sorrento for 25€ per person one-way.

Frankly, any other method can be complicated, a waste of time and put you at risk for pick pockets while you schlep all your luggage with you.

Where To Stay

Sorrento easily has some of the most beautiful, historic hotels and it’s not difficult to find a hotel to fit all your needs in your price point. For this trip, we had a few criterion; pool, amazing views, a touch of luxury and glamour, historical significance and easy walkability to all transportation access points we’d be utilizing. We chose the hotel below, however if you’d like more guidance on where to stay, consider checking out my Hotel Guide: Sorrento, Italy where I outline other great choices for your upcoming travels!

Hitting all the marks was the Bellevue Syrene Sorrento, a Relais & Chateaux property and it easily proved to be the perfect choice. Set high above the Marina Grande and with views of Mt. Vesuvius, the hotel was opened in 1820, having been originally designed in 1750 as a private residence built on the foundations of a Roman villa (dating back to 2nd century B.C., which was a part of the Roman empire). Every room is unique and enjoys an undisturbed view of the Gulf of Naples.

We chose a Superior Sea View Room, which felt cozy and decadent. We had a balcony which overlooked the water, a nice little sitting area and a good sized bathroom. The beds were dreamy, and the windows had blackout shades so we slept extremely well!

Every morning you’re treated to a sumptuous buffet breakfast served on the terrace of the “Villa Pompeiana” (which is included in your stay). In addition to breakfast, you also have exclusive access to the Club Lounge. The Club Lounge is accessible for all guests staying at the hotel and provides snacks, coffee, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages from 10 am till 9 pm. Basically, if I ever wondered where my hubs Tyler had gotten off to…I only had to go as far as the Club Lounge.

The service and staff is absolutely first class and they truly go out of their way to anticipate your every need. Prior to arrival, I connected with them and they assisted me with securing transportation from Naples to Sorrento, and day trip transportation we had not yet booked. During our stay, the concierge staff went above and beyond to make restaurant reservations and to give us “local” suggestions. They knew us by name, remembered our favorite cocktails and even know how we liked our espresso morning vs. evening. Incredible.

Things To Do

We packed our week in Sorrento with visits to areas outside of town, including Pompeii (See my Pompeii Travel Guide here), Capri (See my Travel Guide to Capri, Italy here), & Positano for an overnight (See my Travel Guide to Positano, Italy here), but despite those excursions, it was still important to us to enjoy Sorrento, for Sorrento. The below “Best of Sorrento” list will guarantee you leave with the feeling that you did it all!

The Best of Sorrento, Italy

Take an Italian Cooking Class at Villa Ida 

We decided to take a class at Villa Ida, a family run cooking school which is a short ride through town. The class was hosted at their private residence which is set amidst beautifully manicured gardens and 100 year old orange and lemon trees.

Initially, I questioned booking this class because it was rather pricey (130 Euro per person), but I am so so glad that we went for it. Our day started off in the beautiful garden near the pool with refreshments. We then proceeded inside to cook, some of the things we made included fresh gnocchi, meat-sauce, eggplant parmesan, fried zucchini flowers and lemon tiramisu for dessert. Afterwards, we met Charlie (who was the patriarch of the family) who showed us his wine cellar, and offered a tasting of all of his wine. We learned about his family, their businesses in the area and the history of the land.

Dinner was served in the garden, and we were invited to leisurely enjoy ourselves while Charlie made sure our glasses were never empty!

This is a must-do experience and one of our favorite days during the trip.

Enjoy Aperitivo Hour at Excelsior Vittoria

As you enter the hotel grounds, you’ll feel as though you’re walking through a dream and it’s unreal how you’re transported to a whole other world. As if it couldn’t get any better, the view from the Terrazza Vittoria is unparalleled and regarded as one of the most iconic terraces in Sorrento facing the sea and Mount Vesuvius. Make sure you plan to come here one evening for a cocktail during “Aperitivo Hour” to enjoy the sunset. It was a highlight during our trip and we wished we hadn’t waited till our last evening to enjoy the experience.

Visit a Limoncello Factory

With lemons lining the main streets of Sorrento and groves absolutely abundant, you cannot help but stumble upon limoncello shops around every turn and on every block. In fact, it’s the second most popular liqueur (it falls behind Campari, see my recipe for the Aperol Spritz here!) and Sorrento is the birthplace for the popular beverage. You truly cannot escape it, so embrace it.

We decided to visit a small factory called Sapori e Colori Sorrento one evening to understand how they actually make this wildly popular product and we loved every second. The visit was inspiring and honestly we discovered how VERY easy Limoncello is to make at home with the right ingredients. Don’t miss this!

People watch on Piazza Tasso

Piazza Tasso is the central place and square in Sorrento and is named after the poet Torquato Tasso. It isn’t just the shops which elude to the importance of fashion in Italy.. it’s the people watching and this is the perfect place to relax and take it all in. The simplistic yet highly stylish way of dressing (it’s all about quality and comfort!), is one to admire so make sure to set aside some time to do just that!

Eat Neapolitan Pizza

Right there alongside all the limoncello shops, is a pizza place on every corner. Indulge. It’s totally worth it and you will not regret it. We tried a handful of places and quickly decided that Pizzeria Ahum was our absolute favorite. The pizzeria is set in a neighborhood and void of pretty much all tourists, which made it feel more authentic. We grabbed a bottle of rosè, some burrata as an appetizer and two pies. It was heaven.

Enjoy gelato at Antica Gelateria Sorrentina

Every evening after dinner we would walk the little streets, window shop and enjoy a cup of gelato. Quickly we found our favorite little joint, Antica Gelateria Sorrentina, mostly because of the quality, but also because the owner was so warm and welcoming. You will not be disappointed making this your regular gelato spot while staying in Sorrento!

Day Trips From Sorrento

Use the below travel guides to help plan your day trips from Sorrento, Italy!

Travel Guide to Capri, Italy

Travel Guide to Positano, Italy

Travel Guide to Pompeii, Italy

As always, I hope you enjoyed this Travel Guide To Sorrento, Italy. Let me know if you have any lingering questions in the comments below!

XO,

M

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