Sorrento is one of the prettiest places I’ve traveled to with it’s colorfully painted narrow walkways and cobbled streets. Though I only spent one day there a few years ago, I will always remember the vibrant fruit carts that line the pathways, the stunning viewpoints leading down to the sea and most importantly the best gelato I’ve ever tasted!
This time in town, I was visiting as part of a week long trip in the Amalfi Coast and along with my friend Emma we decided to spend a couple of nights sleeping in Sorrento after a short stay in Positano and Ischia (two locations I’ll be covering also ;)). So to kick start the series of short and sweet Italian guides, here’s a snapshot of Sorrento.
The Beach
On my first visit to Sorrento I didn’t get to see the beach area, I arrived by the marina so gazed out at the water upon my entrance and exit but no glimpse of where you could actually spend the day sunning by the sea. Turns out I absolutely love the set up of the beaches in Sorrento. Rather than the classic sand meets sea style lounging areas there’s a collection of rocky piers with sunbeds.
The piers are private so you have to pay to rent the space for the day, we paid 16 Euros (standard) for a bed and 4 euros for a towel. Sun umbrellas were an extra fee of 7 euros. Once you’ve paid for you beds though you are set up for the day. You can order food and drinks to your side and there are toilet facilities and showers etc not to mention the handful of steps that lead straight down to the sea, footsteps from where you lay. If you are travelling in the heat of summer (like we did) the sea will literally invite you in with it’s enticing sparkle and if you make a dash for it quick enough there are some rather neat floating beds in the water where you can sunbathe whilst splashing yourself cool….THE DREAM.
The Mediterranean is quite choppy in the Amalfi area so the rocky platforms are amazing at calming down the waves to create crystal clear swimming pools between the cliffs edge and the vast expanse of water. I had flown to Italy straight after visiting Komodo in Indonesia and had to remind myself that the enviable Turquoise glisten I was seeing in front of me was in actual fact in Europe!
Where We Ate
The Amalfi coast is famed for having postcard perfect views but it’s also known (as is the entire country of Italy) for it’s delicious food. Pizza, Pasta and Gelato……the three staples when it comes to dining in Italy, in my opinion.
For the best pasta with an additional sprinkle of seaside romance head to Trattoria Emilia. It’s located in the Marina and you’ll know you’ve found it as soon as you walk by, the restaurant is always lively and packed with people. That being said, it was still possible to rock up and ask for a table without a reservation.. Perched on the coast the restaurant is locally famous for seafood but the pasta there is the best we had during the entirety of our Italy trip..
If Pizza has you more excited then look no further than Ristorante L’Albate – not only was this the best pizza I had during my trip, it was the best pizza I have ever had! Again the secret is already out with this one so it’s always really buzzing and busy, we managed to get a table outside immediately but some people who were trying to get a table after us were seated indoors and upstairs. It’s totally worth the wait regardless of where you end up dining.
Where we stayed
We booked into a perfectly sweet Bed and Breakfast called Casa Lucia for our two night stay and it had everything we needed. The room was size-able with an open balcony overlooking the pretty view of the town, the outside space was rustically decorated with lose lemons and straw swinging hammocks to laze in. Breakfast was served in a cute cafe style room next to the large impromptu pool and the location was perfect, it was within walking distance from everything and yet nice a quiet for the evenings so we could sleep well.
A short and sweet round up, just like our trip!
Sabrina x
