Leigh Travel Club

Sorrento is surrounded by spectacular scenery. The location is dramatic with wonderful views over The Bay of Naples and within easy reach of Pompeii, Vesuvious and the Amalfi Coast. It is a pretty, tree shaded resort with an abundance of lemon groves. A jumble of brightly coloured boats ars drawn up in the harbour. From the harbour you can take a trip by ferry-boat or hydrofoil to Naples or the Islands of Capri or Ischia, or any of the towns along the Amalfi Coast. 

Marina Piccola, with bathing platforms over the sea, is close to the resort centre and a good place to cool off. Sorrentos' bathing platforms are accessible by lift. The beach itself is not very nice for sunbathing and is pebbly.

The town has a carnival feel and is full of contrasts, narrow alleyways in the medieval centre with tiny hole-in-the-wall antique shops and numerous restaurants, while the main shopping street, Corso Italia, is lined with elegant boutiques. Just off Corso Italia you will find Sorrentos' train and bus station. It is here that you can get trains to both Pompeii stations, (there is a station at each end of Pompeii town), or buses around the Amalfi Coast.

Dining out in Sorrento is a delight, especially if you love tasting Italian regional specialities. Eating places range from pizzerias to more relaxed seafood restaurants. There are a few discos and piano bars. Both day and night, life tends to centre around Piazzo Tasso. 'The Drains' area comes alive at night. Here there are alleyways leading to cobbled street upon cobbled streetof souvenir shops and traditional Italian boutiques. You can buy 'made to measure' leather sandals at a very reasonable price, beautiful inlaid woodwork, including music boxes. Most of the tourist shops sell wooden 'Pinnochio' toys, from pencils to puppets. Take home some regional delicacies: salami, smoked mozzarella cheese, olives and wine. In Sorrento there are lots of  'Limoncello ' shops.

To compliment the vertical landscape, here is Italys', nearly vertical town. Positano spills down from the cornice like a waterfall of pink, cream and yellow villas. The oldest houses are in the upper part. The daytrippers may walk down to the sea; only the alpinists among them make it back up (fortunately, there is a regular bus service to take you back to the top). The descent ends at Marina Grand, a pebbled beach used by fishing boats.From here you can get a boat to inlets inaccessible by land or take a ferry back to Sorrento or Capri. Marina Grand is lined with bars and restaurants. By the harbour,artists sit with their easels, painting this amazing town. Exclusive and fashionable, few places are as picturesque as Positano. The centre of the town is a pedestrianised maze of cobbled alleyways and steps leading to chic boutiques and craft shops, famous for their bright patterned textiles. The church of Santa Maria Assunta, with it's traditional colourful dome, is a focal point of the town.  

Click Here for Positano Live Webcam

Further around the coast is the traditional fishing village of Amalfi. It nestles alluringly between the mountains and the sea. The old cathedral, imposingly positioned on the Piazza is called Duomo diSant'Andrea. Whitewashed houses hug the cliff face as if piled one on top of the other,this view is best seen from the steep hill on the outskirts of town. Amalfi has several small beaches of volcanic sand and shingle. Some of the hotels feature bathing platforms. Nightlife here is low key. Amalfi is known for its' high quality handmade paper, which has been manufactured here for centuries. It makes a nice gift to take home.

The beautiful village of Ravello is isolated on the top of the hill directly above Amalfi. Here are some of the best views over the coast. For over 100 years famous travellers have visited and fallen in love with the tranquillity of Ravello, still fortunate to have been by-passed by mass tourism, except those who visit on day trips. Its two historic villas, Villa Rufola, which hosts the Wagner festival each summer and the Villa Cimrone, with its wild gardens, should not be missed.

Capri is a chic island basking in the Bay of Naples. Over the centuries, this elegant isle has drawn the rich and famous to its sun kissed shore. Gracie Field and Rudolph Nureyev are just two of the celebrities who lived here. Nestling between the gulf of Naples and Salerno, Capri is stunningly beautiful with its cliffs that descend rapidly to the sea and vista of gardens bedecked with fragrant subtropical vegitation. The main town can be reached by taking the finicular cable lift which runs every fifteen minutes from the main marina. Once there you will find a mazw of alleyways and squares with the popular La Piazzeta, frequented by the many famous celebrities. Buses run from Capri town up to Anacapri. This little town offers a restful charm. For wonderful views over the island, take the chairlift from Anacapri up to the summit of Monte Solaro.

On the down side, Capri is a very expensive island to visit, and we found that food and drink was more than double the price on the mainland. It is advisable to take a packed lunch with you. During the summer months Capri may well be absolutely packed with tourists. The organised trips can be expensive but you can easilly take a ferry or hydrofoil and do it on your own. Hotel prices here are also way above average.

BLUE GROTTO  You can take a boat from Capri to this natural beauty spot. The entrance to this cave is quite low, and if there is any swell, you may get a nasty bump on the head. Best to visit early morning when the sea is calm. But once again-- your hand will be forever in your pocket. 

Vesuvius is neither the highest nor most dangerous volcano, but the catastrophic eruption that buried POMPEII and HERCULANEUM has made it one of the most famous. On August 24th AD 79 Vesuvius had been belching out smoke and debris for several days. Early that morning, however, its basalt plug collapsed, unleashing the full force of the volcano. A huge cloud blotted out the sun, raining dust, stone and lava on the surrounding countryside. POMPEII was buried within hours, and some of the 2,000 inhabitants were killed by falling rocks and asphyxiating ashes (most of its usual population of 20,000 had already left). That evening, the volcano's internal walls disintegrated, sending further torrents of ash over the town ( HERCULANEUM was engulfed at this point by a flood of superheated mud).

Vesuvius today - What you see today when you look up at the volcano from the Bay of Naples is actually the truncated cone of Monte Somma.It is 200m (655ft) deep and has a diameter of 600m (1970ft). Since AD79, Vesuvius has erupted around 100 times, the last in 1944. The next cataclysm is long overdue.

Reaching the crater - There are several ways to get a closer look at Vesuvius. The easiest is to take the Circumvesuviana, a railway which runs in a broad circle around the volcano (2hours), or take the railway to Ercolano, where buses leave the station for the cafes and souvenir shops at Vesuvius' former chairlift station (seggovia). From here it is 30 minutes to the summit. Wear stout shoes. Views into the crater and over Naples are breathtaking. You can walk around the crater (2hours), but watch out for the crumbly paths and rickety fences.

Pompeii is simply incredible. Here is a city frozen in time and embalmed in ash since Vesuvius erupted in AD79.

The city remained forgotten until around 1600, when the study of ancient texts suggested its existence. Excavations began in 1784 and have since revealed most of the site. Bodies were unearthed along with their houses, a temple, works of art and everyday objects. The site is huge, and even spending a full day here leaves many stones unturned. Below are just a few of the places to visit.

AMPHITHEATRE - could accomodate 20,000 people

HOUSE OF VETTI - a large house decorated inside with lavish frescos. Outside,  statues and fountains.

HOUSE OF MEANDER- in the gardens, a party of looters were discovered, when the site was excavated. They had been asphyxiated,    and still had swag in hand!

FORUM- the centre of Roman civic life (This is the first area you encounter when you go in by the western entrance). Its surviving buildings include the Basilica (a business centre and law courts).

ANTIQUARIUM- is where you will find the body casts taken from the volcanic ash, figures whose contorted shapes graphically illustrate the horror of that fateful morning.

TERME STABIANE- the towns earliest bath houses. Alongside runs VIO DEL LUPINARE, one of the towns main red-light districts. A small brothel at one end has several bed stalls and frescos depicting the services they offered.

Click below for Amalfi Coast video