Visit Termini

The perfect spot for close-up pictures of Capri

The roads around Termini offer wonderful
views across to the island of Capri

For great views of Capri out in the Bay of Naples, visit Termini, a village overlooking Punta Campanella at the end of the Sorrento peninsula.

Termini is a delightful hamlet at the foot of Monte San Costanzo, built on a natural terrace overlooking the sea. It provides an ideal vantage point for taking pictures of Capri, just four miles (6.44km) away, and the group of islands further round the bay known as Li Galli.

There is a footpath from Termini leading down to Punta Campanella on the very tip of the peninsula. Visitors who make the descent will discover a 14th century watch tower that was used to look out for approaching Saracen invaders so that the local people could be warned of any potential danger in advance.

On the way down the path, called Via Campanella, there are beautiful views of the ruins of a Greek temple.

In the centre of Termini, there are bars, restaurants, and shops, and in Piazza Santa Croce there is the 16th century Church of Santa Croce. The route down to Punta Campanella starts from just after the church.  

Termini is near Marciano and Massa Lubrense in the hills above Sorrento and it is about half an hour out of Sorrento by car.  It is a stop on the route of the SITA buses that go from Sorrento to Nerano and Marina del Cantone, and the journey takes about three quarters of an hour. 

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Chiesa di Sant’Anna at Marina Grande

Pretty church at the heart of an annual celebration

The church, with its pink and green
façade, is set in its own square

Right in the middle of Marina Grande, set back from the beach in its own little square, is a pretty 17th century church dedicated to Saint Anne (Sant’Anna), the mother of the Virgin Mary.

The Baroque church, with its pink and cream façade, was built on the site of a much earlier church and paid for by the local fishermen. Originally, the church was dedicated to souls in purgatory, but it was later rededicated to Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus.

It is about a ten-minute walk from Piazza Tasso to visit the church. You go through Piazza Vittoria and along Via Marina Grande and as you descend to the seafront, you will catch a glimpse of the green and yellow patterned cupola and the campanile of the parish church.

Walk along the seafront past the Da Emilia restaurant and you will find the church on your left. The entrance door, flanked by two marble columns, leads into the simple interior, which has a single nave and a wooden trussed ceiling. Behind the main altar is a statue of Saint Anne and the church also has sculptures of the crucified Christ and John the Baptist.

The floor is covered in white and grey marble and on the opposite wall of the church, high above the entrance door, is a pipe organ.

The church's green cupola can be 
seen in the centre of this picture 

The feast day of the Saints, Anne and Joachim, who were the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus, is celebrated on 26 July each year at Marina Grande. A few days before, lights shaped like sea shells and sweet stalls appear alongside the long-established restaurants and bars.

It is a tradition that handmade handkerchiefs are sold from one of the stalls, along with a special blessing offering protection to pregnant women, as Saint Anne is also the patron saint of pregnancy and motherhood.

The first Sunday after 26 July, trumpets sound early in the morning to herald the beginning of a large procession, when the statue of Sant’Anna is carried around Sorrento. People come by boat afterwards to join in the celebrations at Marina Grande and eat traditional Sorrento specialities at the restaurants.

The day ends with spectacular fireworks that light up the bay, accompanied by classical music, signalling the end of the festivities for another year.

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Poet Torquato Tasso’s birthplace in Sorrento

Renaissance writer came back to Sorrento later in life

Torquato Tasso, who has come to be regarded as the greatest Italian poet of the Renaissance, was born in 1544 in Sorrento.

Tasso’s most famous work was his epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata (Jerusalem Delivered) in which he gives an imaginative account of the battles between Christians and Muslims at the end of the first crusade during the siege of Jerusalem.

Part of Imperial Hotel Tramontano
was Tasso's birthplace

He was one of the most widely read poets in Europe and his work was later to prove inspirational for other writers who followed him, in particular the English poets Spencer and Byron. 

The house where Tasso was born on 11 March, 1544 is in Sorrento’s historic centre, a few streets away from the main square in Via Vittorio Veneto.

The remains of the villa, which was built on the edge of a cliff, now form part of the Imperial Hotel Tramontano.

A plaque on the back wall of the hotel quotes words written by Tasso’s father, Bernardo Tasso, who was also a poet.

Torquato Tasso lived in the villa until 1552 when his father was exiled from Sorrento along with his employer, Prince Ferrante Sanseverino, after they were both accused of being rebels.

Part of the original house where Tasso was born fell into the sea in 1662. Only a room with two arches and balconies overlooking the sea remain. In the 17th century a villa was built incorporating the remains and this eventually became the Imperial Hotel Tramontano, which was opened in 1812.

Tasso’s father, Bernardo, went on to become resident poet at the Ducal Palace in Urbino, enabling his son to study alongside Francesco Maria della Rovere, the heir to the Duke. Tasso was later sent to study law in Padua but he chose to write poetry instead.

Tasso spent years in Ferrara living at the Castle owned by the Este family, where he fell in love with a lady in waiting and wrote love sonnets to her.

He suffered as a result of the jealous behaviour of the other courtiers and this led to him developing a persecution mania and fearing he was going to be poisoned. He also believed he was going to be denounced by the Inquisition.

House of Cornelia Tasso

While still enjoying the patronage of the Duke of Ferrara, Tasso entered a Franciscan convent for the benefit of his health, but later escaped, disguised as a peasant and travelled to Sorrento.

He went to visit his only sister, Cornelia, in her house in the historic centre of Sorrento, situated between the main street and the sea.

You can still see Cornelia’s house, tucked away in a narrow street, Via San Nicola, at number 11. It became known as the Sersale house because Cornelia had married Marzio Sersale in 1558.

Cornelia continued to live in the house with her sons Antonino and Alessandro after she became a widow.

The house can be identified by a pretty little balcony on the front, which is supported by decorative stonework.

It is said that Tasso arrived at Cornelia’s house and pretended to be a messenger who had come to inform her of her brother’s death.

Tasso is believed to have been trying to test Cornelia’s loyalty to him, but her shock and distress on receiving the news was enough to reassure him that she could be trusted.

Despite enjoying happy months with his sister in Sorrento, Tasso found that he missed the court at Ferrara and wrote humbly to the Duke asking if he could come back.

But he continued to be unwell on his return to Ferrara and his erratic conduct eventually led to him being confined in the madhouse of Sant’Anna.

Although Tasso was to enjoy some freedom and was able to travel around Italy again in the last few years of his life, his health started to decline. Tasso died in Rome in 1595 when he was just about to be crowned poet laureate by Pope Clement VIII. He was 51 years of age.

Statue of poet in Piazza Tasso.

To find the house of Cornelia Tasso, leave Piazza Sant’Antonino and walk along Via Santa Maria delle Grazie, which runs parallel with Corso Italia. Continue in a straight line along Via dell’Accademia until it becomes Vico San Nicola. The house of Cornelia Tasso can be found on the right hand side.

Sorrento’s main square, Piazza Tasso was later named after the poet and there is a statue of him there.

Piazza Tasso is the hub of Sorrento, in the middle of the main shopping street, Corso Italia, and looking out over Marina Piccola, Sorrento’s port. Surrounded by bars and restaurants, the square has stops for the local buses and a taxi rank. It is also the resting place for the horses that pull the carriages that can be hired for sightseeing.

Tasso’s statue is set in a pretty little garden opposite Bar Ercolano.

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Sedile Dominova

Last surviving noble ‘seat’ in Campania

The Sedile Dominova is decorated
with colourful frescoes

In the historic centre of Sorrento, among all the shops, bars and restaurants, visitors will come across a gem of 14th century architecture known as Sedile Dominova, which used to be an ancient meeting place for the nobility.

It was a building where the important men of Sorrento would gather to discuss politics and make decisions about the affairs of the city and it is the last surviving Sedile (seat) in the whole of the Campania region. 

Sedile Dominova is on the corner of Via San Cesareo and Largo Padre Reginaldo Giuliani. It has an elegant loggia, open on two sides, decorated with colourful frescoes of Sorrento’s coat of arms and the heraldic symbols of the nobles who used the building, which have been faithfully restored over the centuries. The building is topped with a 17th century cupola tiled in green and yellow.

Members of the Workers Society
of Mutual Support playing cards

It was built between 1319 and 1344 for a faction of nobles who wished to break away from the group who used to meet at the Porta Seat. This was located on one side of what is now Piazza Tasso, only a few minutes walk away from where the new seat was built.

Hence the name Sedile Dominova, which translates as sedile (seat), domus (house) and nova (new).

The building is now used as the headquarters of a Workers Society of Mutual Support and you will see members of the society playing card games sitting at tables in the loggia overlooking Via San Cesareo. However, visitors are welcome to have a look round inside the building.

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Chiesa di San Francesco Sorrento

 Historic church in a stunning setting

The simple white façade of Chiesa di San Francesco next to Villa Comunale in Sorrento conceals an ancient church with a fascinating history. 

Sant’Antonino, the patron saint of Sorrento, founded a place of private worship there in the eighth century.

The old carved wooden entrance door. 

In the 14th century, Franciscan friars transformed it into a much bigger church and dedicated it to their founder, Saint Francis of Assisi.

The building, in Piazza San Francesco Saverio Gargiulo, was later renovated in the baroque style and embellished with stucco decorations.

The façade was updated in 1926 for the seventh centenary of the death of San Francesco but the beautifully carved 16th century wooden door was retained.

Inside, the church has a single aisle with three chapels on each side.

Among the treasures to be discovered are a wooden statue of San Francesco with Christ crucified, donated to the church by a local family in the XVII century, and a 1737 painting depicting San Francesco receiving the stigmata, by Antonio Gamba, a pupil of Francesco Solimena.

Some of the elements of the 14th century building were uncovered during later restoration work, such as two old frescos representing Sant’Antonio of Padua and San Giacomo.

The baroque interior of the church.

During the 14th century, municipal documents and the seal of the town, which was considered so valuable it was kept in a box that could be opened only with four different keys, were kept in the sacristy of the church.

Some ancient items were found during the 20th century restoration work and were given to the Correale Museum.

Next to the church is a campanile topped with an onion shaped dome and a door at the side of the church leads into the 14th century cloisters. These are considered to be one of Sorrento’s finest historic attractions and are often used for weddings and art exhibitions and concerts.

The cloisters are next to the Villa Comunale, gardens filled with trees and bougainvillea, well away from the main road and the traffic.

It is one of the most peaceful parts of Sorrento and the rectangular open area in the middle provides an ideal space for seating wedding guests or a concert audience.

The 14th century Cloisters of San Francesco.

The Villa Comunale has a terrace with a panoramic view over the bay of Naples making it a perfect backdrop for wedding photographs.

The cloisters are one of the oldest monuments in Sorrento that can still be visited today and represent a fusion of architectural styles as they feature two different types of arches.

Valley of the Mills

 Rare ferns now cover area that used to be full of life

Sorrento has many surprises and amazing sights, but the unusual Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), only a short walk away from the main square, Piazza Tasso, has been captivating artists and photographers for more than 100 years. 

If you leave Piazza Tasso and walk up Via Fuorimura, past the bars and restaurants on either side, you will come to a deep gorge, close to the Hotel Plaza, that you can view from the road above. 

Ruins of the old mill

The Valley of the Mills is an astonishing, natural phenomenon caused by a volcanic eruption about 35,000 years ago.

The valley gets its name from an ancient wheat mill that once provided the entire area with its wheat requirements and was still working in the early 1900s. You can see the ruins of the mill, now partially covered with vegetation.

Because many artists have painted pictures of the abandoned valley and photographers have captured it from every angle it is known what it would have looked like in the last century.

The springs and stream that fed into the valley also worked a saw mill that provided artisans and carpenters with cherry, walnut and olive wood to work on.

Local woman would bring their laundry to wash in the public wash tubs there and the valley was once full of life, as can be seen in some of the old paintings.

Valley seen from the road above

When Piazza Tasso was built in 1866 the valley was cut off from Marina Piccola, which it used to join up with, and was gradually abandoned by people. The only access to the valley now is through an old gate.

Blocking the valley’s access to the sea has created a humid microclimate in which plants have thrived, in particular a rare type of fern.

The atmospheric ruins and the lush vegetation seen from above now provide unusual holiday photographs for visitors to take back with them.

Sant’Agnello

 Popular resort just a short walk from Sorrento

The small resort of Sant’Agnello, just outside Sorrento in the direction of Naples, is very popular with visitors. Many holidaymakers like to base themselves there and visit Sorrento during the day, returning to its peaceful atmosphere in the evenings.

You can reach Sant’Agnello from Sorrento by walking along Corso Italia, passing Piazza Lauro and Viale Nizza, until you reach Piazza Sant’Agnello. You will see the yellow-painted façade of the Chiesa Santi Prisco ed Agnello, dedicated to San Prisco, a fifth century bishop from Nocera in Campania, and Sant’Agnello, a sixth century monk from Naples, who is now the patron saint of the town.

Church dedicated to Sant'Agnello's patron saint

You can also reach Sant’Agnello by leaving Sorrento along Via Correale, passing the Museo Correale di Terranova, and turning right along Via Aniello Califano. You pass the Church of Santa Maria della Rotonda and then join Via Bernardino Rota. After you pass the Grand Hotel Cocumella you can descend to the beach of Marinella, where you can hire sun loungers and enjoy the beautiful view over the bay of Naples.

Sant’Agnello was made famous by the American novelist, Francis Marion Crawford, who was born in 1854 in Bagni di Lucca in Tuscany.

A prolific novelist, Crawford became known for the vividness of his characterisations and the realism of his settings, many of which were places he had visited in Italy.

He chose to settle in later life in Sant’Agnello, where he even had a street named after him, Corso Marion Crawford, which is another way to get down to the sea from Corso Italia.

In 1883 Crawford lived at the Hotel Cocumella in Sant’Agnello, the oldest hotel in the Sorrento area. He then bought a farmhouse nearby, from which he developed the Villa Crawford, an impressive clifftop residence that is easily identifiable from the sea.

Crawford died at the Villa Crawford after suffering a heart attack in 1909. The villa, which was donated to a religious order by his descendants, has since been refurbished as a guesthouse.

The Hotel Cocumella, where Crawford stayed during the 1880s, is in Via Cocumella, just off Corso Marion Crawford. Over the centuries it has welcomed writers such as Goethe, Mary Shelley and Hans Christian Anderson, along with many artists, statesmen and noblemen who visited it while they were on the Grand Tour.

The aromatic lemons of Sorrento

 Visit a genuine 'agruminato' in centre of resort

Lemon products are everywhere to be seen in Sorrento, from perfumes, soaps and candles to sweets, biscuits and the resort’s famous lemon liqueur, Limoncello.

Sorrento is famous throughout the world for the quality of the lemons produced in the town and along its peninsula, which are large, oval in shape and have a distinctive perfume. They are known to have been cultivated in the area since Roman times.

Lemons growing in Sorrento

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Sorrento for a while, you can visit a genuine agruminato, lemon grove, near the centre of the resort and enjoy some quiet time.

I giardini di Cataldo in Via Correale is a citrus garden typical of the Sorrento peninsula. Once part of a much bigger agricultural estate, the 11000 square metre lemon grove was rescued by the municipality of Sorrento at the beginning of the 21st century. The land was saved from development and it remains a working citrus garden, while being open to the public to visit.

Staff from I giardini di Cataldo look after the land, pick the fruits from the citrus tees and produce liqueurs, marmalades and sweets from them.

You can stroll under the pergolas of chestnut wood poles, enjoy the smell of the lemons and see how they are cultivated.

Limoncello on sale in a Sorrento shop

Limoncello, which is made from an infusion of lemon peel and alcohol, is now produced in other parts of Italy as well, but connoisseurs consider the best limoncello to be made from lemons grown in Sorrento and out along the peninsula. Capri’s lemon groves are well regarded too.

Limoncello should be served very cold and is usually enjoyed after a good meal. Salute!

I Giardini di Cataldo are at Via Correale, 27 in Sorrento. For more information, visit www.igiardinidicataldo.it.

Il Pozzo Ristorante Sorrento

 Restaurant has served Sorrentine specialities since 1967

In the heart of the historic centre of Sorrento, this excellent restaurant, Il Pozzo, has been serving typical Sorrento dishes to locals and visitors for more than 50 years.

Il Pozzo is on the corner of Via Tasso

Il Pozzo is in Via Tasso, which is a turning off Corso Italia opposite the Duomo. The restaurant at number 32 serves all the popular, local specialities, using the freshest possible ingredients, such as fish caught from the bay earlier that day.

Pizze are cooked in the restaurant’s wood fired oven and many of the pasta dishes use fresh pasta made by hand. For example, there is the scialatielli ai frutti di mare, which is a dish made from hand cut strips of pasta served with a sauce of seafood and tomatoes.

The restaurant is particularly renowned for its gnocchi alla sorrentina, small potato dumplings served with a rich tomato sauce with mozzarella and basil, finished off in the oven.

Il Pozzo, which means ‘the well’, has tables outside under an awning and a spacious room for dining inside with air conditioning.

Delicious gnocchi alla sorrentina

During the winter Il Pozzo is open from 12.00 to 15.00 and from 18:00 to 24:00. During the summer the restaurant is open from 12:00 to 24:00. Its closing day is Wednesday.

To book telephone +39 081 8774876 or email info@ilpozzoristorante.it 

To look at the menu visit www.ilpozzoristorante.it

Chiesa dell’Annunziata Sorrento

Art treasures lie behind simple facade 

The imposing Chiesa dell’Annunziata is up a short flight of steps from Piazza Veniero, off Via Fuoro in the centre of Sorrento.

The stone-fronted church has ancient origins but the exact date it was founded is not known. It is thought to have been built at some time during the 12th century on the site of an ancient temple, which had been dedicated to the goddess Cybele. A first century altar once discovered in the church is now in the Museo Correale in Sorrento.

The facade of the Chiesa dell'Annunziata in Piazza Veniero,
just off Via Fuoro in the centre of Sorrento

Highlights of the many works of art inside the church include a 17th century wooden crucifix and an 18th century painting of the Madonna and Child by Filippo Andreoli, which is in the centre of the ceiling.

Above the decorative main altar in a niche is a 17th century statue of the Madonna della Consolazione.

A canvas by Paolo De Maio, signed and dated 1741, depicts the Annunciation, the event in the Bible after which the church is named, when the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus.

The church also has many beautiful works by artists from the 18th century Neapolitan school of painting.

The six side altars belonged to different Sorrento families who at one time had the right to be buried in the church.

In the 14th century there was a monastery attached to the church and Augustinian friars from it would officiate at the services. The friars handed the church over to its congregation in the 19th century.

The church is a short walk from Piazza Tasso along Via San Cesareo and Via Fuoro until you reach Vico il Fuoro, after which you turn into Piazza Veniero.

It is well worth a look inside and is open to visitors from 7.30 to 11.00 and from 18.00 to 20.00.

Sorrento Cathedral bell tower - Il Campanile

Ancient columns still support old Sorrento meeting place

Standing three storeys higher than the other building nearby, the Cathedral’s Bell Tower is a landmark in Sorrento.

The red and yellow stone of the tower can be seen from many street corners in the historic centre of the town and also from points along the Via del Capo and the Via Nastro Verde out along the Sorrentine peninsula.

Cathedral's bell tower

The two lower storeys of the tower probably date back to the 11th century when the Duomo was originally built. But the three upper storeys were added in the 15th century, when the Duomo, which is dedicated to San Filippo and San Giacomo, was rebuilt in Romanesque style.

The bell tower was later given a decorative, blue majolica clock.

From very early in Sorrento’s history, the bell tower has played an important part. The ground floor space under the archway from Via Pietà was used as a meeting place by the people of Sorrento in medieval times. Later, a castle was built in the open space that we now see in Piazza Tasso, and the people used to congregate there for meetings.

Although the castle was demolished a long time ago, the columns that still hold up the bell tower at ground floor level are believed to be a collection of old Roman columns or early Byzantine columns.

Ancient columns support campanile

Therefore, the base of the bell tower existed very early on in Sorrento’s history, long before the Duomo was built and the popular seaside resort that we know today, grew up around it.

Sorrento beaches

Sorrento has a reputation for being a seaside resort without any good beaches, but there are some great places for swimming and sunbathing just out of town if you know where to look.

Many of the hotels in the centre of the resort have their own stretches of beach for the use of guests. But if your hotel doesn’t have its own beach there are small strips of beach accessible from the centre of town for people who don’t have time to explore further afield.

Take the lift from Villa Communale to Marina Piccolo, at a cost of one euro, to access the beach next to the harbour and other areas of pebbly sand set out for sun bathing and swimming, such as Leonelli’s Beach, Peter’s Beach, Marameo Beach and Bagni Salvatore. But they can be crowded during the summer and the hire charge for sun beds and beach umbrellas is likely to be higher than the cost at beaches outside the centre.

Bathing platforms in the cenntre of Sorrento.

You could also walk down Via Marina Grande to Sorrento’s other port, where there is a stretch of public beach as well as a wooden bathing platform with sun beds and umbrellas for hire. Down at Marina Grande you are handy for some good bars and fish restaurants.

If you head south west out along the Sorrento peninsula you will come to several good beaches.

To see stunning views in different directions across the bay of Naples, visit the point of land protruding from the Sorrento peninsula known as Punta del Capo. To get there leave Sorrento along Via del Capo in the direction of Massa Lubrense. You could walk, taking in the view over Marina Grande along the way, but it is uphill and can be hard work in hot weather. Or, you could take the Linea A (Line A) orange bus to Capo di Sorrento from Piazza Tasso, which takes about ten minutes.

Get off at Capo di Sorrento, where there are a few shops and a bar, and you will see a signpost pointing to i ruderi romani (Roman ruins). It is a pleasant walk down to the sea along Via Punta Capo past the church of San Rosario.

The beach at Marina Grande

You will come first to a natural triangular pool with an archway of rock over it, which is known as il Bagno della Regina Giovanna (Queen Joan’s bath). The clear shimmering water of the pool is popular for swimming and snorkelling. On the tip of Punta del Capo are the ruins of a large Roman villa which would once have had grand rooms with panoramic views of the bay and access from the sea for visitors arriving by boat. You can sunbathe and swim in the sea off a narrow strip of rock nearby where there is a bar and access to toilets.

A lovely stretch of public beach can be found at the old fishing village of Marina di Puolo further out along the peninsula.

To get there, take the Linea A (Line A) bus to Capo di Sorrento and get off at the stop for the Hotel Dania, from where you can make your way down to the beach along an old path.

Turn off Via Capo down Calata Puolo and then turn left again to go down some gradual steps and along a narrow path past olive groves and a vineyard until you reach the intersection with Via Marina di Puolo. You will pass a car park (the nearest point to the beach that you can drive to if you come from the main road) before going down a steeply descending, winding path to reach Marina di Puolo.

You will find a shop, a few restaurants and a hotel with its own private area of the beach when you get down there. There is a good stretch of grey, volcanic sand open to the public. You can hire sunbeds, deckchairs and umbrellas from the resident bagnino, who can usually be found near the restaurant Da Raffaele. Along with his helpful staff, he provides good customer service and keeps the beach in good order.

A lone swimmer at the beach at Marina di Puolo

When you enter the sea, it is shallow for the first few metres. Once you have crossed a pebbly area, you will find it is soft under foot and the water is pleasant for bathing. 

After your swim you will enjoy having lunch outside one of the restaurants along the sea front enjoying the view while you sample the fresh fish and local wine. You can see Vesuvius and the coastline across the bay. To the right is the rocky end of Punta del Capo and to the left there is a promontory of land known as Capo di Massa, which is surmounted by the remains of a 16th century look out tower.

Marina di Puolo can be crowded on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer when many Italian families head for the beach. But on weekdays it is a pleasant place to escape to.

Further along the peninsula you will come to the pretty, seaside village of Marina della Lobra, with its sandy beach that is rare for the area.From the town of Massa Lubrense, you can walk down to the seafront along a winding road. When you reach Marina della Lobra, there are restaurants and bars, a beach that is free to the public and places where you can hire boats.

During the summer, you can take a boat trip from the harbour to explore the coastline and get a closer view of Capri and the Amalfi coast. A few buses run between Marina della Lobra and Massa Lubrense, so check the timetable if you would prefer to ride back up the hill rather than walk. 

The local Linea A (Line A) buses operated by EAVBUS run all the way out to Massa Lubrense from Sorrento during the summer. The SITA coaches that connect Sorrento with resorts such as Positano and Amalfi further along the coast call at Massa Lubrense all the year round. The journey from Sorrento to Massa Lubrense’s main square takes about 15 minutes.

Further out along the peninsula, accessible by car or bus, is Nerano, which has a lovely beach down at Marina del Cantone, near the tip of the Sorrentine peninsula.

Marina del Cantone looks out over the gulf of Salerno and is situated between the bay of Ieranto and Recommone. Its pebbly beach is ideal for sunbathing and you can hire sunbeds and beach parasols. The clear water of the sea in this part of the bay makes it perfect for swimming and snorkelling.

You can walk from Marina del Cantone along a panoramic path to the beach at Recommone, which takes about ten minutes. You will pass a 15th century watch tower which was built to look out for pirates and invaders.

Down at Marina del Cantone you will be able to book boat trips to the other coves along the coast, to the three islands out in the bay known as Li Galli, or, to visit the Grotta Azzurra, (blue grotto) on the isle of Capri. If you arrive at Marina del Cantone by car you will find a parking area near the hotels, shops, bars and restaurants just above the beach.

Going north east out of Sorrento in the direction of Castellamare di Stabia you will pass several towns with beaches.

The nearest is at Sant’Agnello,where you can access the sandy beach at Lido Marinella, which has good facilities and restaurants.

Further along, there is a long expanse of beach known as Meta Alimuri, which has made the town of Meta, near Sorrento, a popular seaside resort in its own right. Meta lies between Piano di Sorrento and Vico Equense on the main coastal road going in the direction of Naples.

A road leads down to the beach from the town, making it accessible by car or on foot. There is a good stretch of grey volcanic sand with free access, even though some Meta hotels have their own private sections of beach. From the beach there are lovely views across the Bay of Naples

There is a bar and restaurant down at the beach, deck chairs and sun umbrellas can be hired and there are opportunities to rent boats.

The Line A bus from Sorrento to Meta Alimuri will take you close to the beach or you can travel on the Circumvesuviana train to Meta and walk down to the beach from the station. If travelling by car, you will find parking close to the beach.

There are also beaches at Vico Marina and Marina di Equa, which can be accessed from the town of Vico Equense, further along the coast.