My mom and I hit up the Sorrentine Peninsula on our Italian holiday.
I struggled a bit when deciding where to take my mom on her first proper trip to Italy. She only had a week in total and I wanted to make sure that she saw as many different things as possible without completely exhausting herself or us having to spend an inordinate amount of time on transportation. Rome was a given — her flight arrived in and departed from its international airport and most of the city’s sights are known the world over. I thus planned for three days in Rome and pondered what to do with the remaining four. Should we go north or go south? I pulled up a map of Italy on online and started weighing my options.
Source: Lonely Planet
Direction: Amalfi Coast
In the end, I made the executive decision to head south to the Amalfi Coast, a region of Italy I know and love. It was to be a homecoming of sorts; I spent five highly enjoyable days there with Liebling back in 2010. The reasons I chose to come here over, say, Florence, were manifold: I know the area pretty well, it’s relatively close to Rome (2-3 hours on the train), the region boasts a ridiculous amount of sunshine, and the towns along the coastline are super photogenic. I also knew that I wanted to take my mom to nearby Naples and Pompeii, so I trusted that there was no way we would be bored for lack of things to do.
The Road to Sorrento
We based ourselves in Sorrento, just like Liebling and I did during our 2010 sojourn. We purchased tickets at Rome’s Termini train station and took the slow train to Naples (we bought the cheapest ticket available — 12 euros for a one way journey) . Once at Napoli Centrale we debarked and switched to the Circumvesuviana regional train (under 5 euros one way) and sat back for the hour long ride to Sorrento, privy to stunning views out the window the whole way. Let me tell you, I love this town. It is small, it is quaint, it is colourful. Things and people move slowly here. The concept of siesta (called riposo in Italy) exists strongly in these parts: most places close down in the afternoon for at least two hours. There’s not much going on here in terms of historical or cultural sights, and that’s perfectly okay. Put plainly, Sorrento is just pretty and a great place to lie low and relax for a few days. I felt it provided a welcome reprieve from our hectic time in Rome.
The small alleys are densely packed with markets and shops selling everything from fresh fruit to leather goods (the latter of which my mom and I happily overdosed on).
Limoncello, the Italy liqueur made primarily from lemons, is produced in high quantities here, so shops selling it, as well as many other goods made from lemons (think chocolate, soap, and candles), were seemingly at every corner. My mom and I ducked into a few on our first afternoon, invited in by friendly vendors eager to show off their wares and make a sale. My mom tippled a wee bit as there were generous offerings of the drink to sample.
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Where we stayed
Hostelbookers arranged three nights for my mom and I at the Diana City B&B, a small guesthouse located at the end of Sorrento’s main drag. Our room, equipped with a vertigo-inducing balcony, was spacious and boldly decorated. The bathroom, always a source of worry for me, was luckily large and clean. A 15-minute walk from the train station and a mere 5-minute walk from the markets and main square, the guesthouse was, without a doubt, extremely well placed.
In reading TripAdvisor reviews, however, I discovered that the property was directly in front of a hospital, and a fairly recent review complained of noise, which was worrying. However, despite our room directly facing the emergency ward’s driveway, we heard nothing for our entire three night stay. Another thing to be aware of is that the second “B” in Diana City B&B doesn’t stand for “bed and breakfast”, but for “bed and bed” (yes, that confused me also!)– the guesthouse doesn’t offer breakfast service but they do leave a basket of complimentary treats in your room for your consumption daily. Very cute!
It’s not fancy, but it is fresh, clean, and does the job at an incredible value — it’s only 85 euros ($110 USD) a night for a double room, which is a very good deal in expensive Italy. I definitely recommend this place.
Perfect Base
I was a guest of Hostelbookers and Diana City B&B but opinions, as always, are mine.
35 Comments
Beautiful pictures of Sorrento! You and your travel blog are an inspiration!!
I thought Sorrento was a nice place to visit and a great staging spot to ferry to Capri. Had a nice dinner there on the way back to Positano for the night. Sorrento is great to visit many of the surrounding spots worth visiting in the Amalfi coastlines.Thanks for sharing!
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