After three and a half weeks in northern Italy, it was time to fly south to Naples, on the Mediterranean coast. For the next 9 days, as I explored the Campania region on a Grand Circle adventure, I’d be based in Sorrento. Actually, I had two or three days on my own before the tour began. I chose this particular trip for two reasons: (1) because I’d heard so much about the beauties of the Amalfi coast; and (2) because I wanted to see the ruins of Pompeii, located not far from Naples.
Campania stretches down southern Italy’s Mediterranean coast. According to research I did before leaving home, it’s Italy’s most densely populated region, with the population concentrated around Naples, the regional capital. Here’s a quick review of the region’s history.
Etruscans invaded the region and established an inland settlement in the 9th century BCE. They were followed by Greek colonists who founded several colonies along the coast, including Neapolis (“new city”), today’s Naples, in the 8th century BCE. About 300 years later, much of Campania, including the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, was conquered by an Italic tribe called the Samnites.
After the Romans defeated the Samnites in the mid-4th century BCE, Campagna became a popular holiday destination for the Roman elite. This included the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were destroyed by eruptions of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79CE.
After the western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, control of Campagna passed back and forth among Byzantines, Goths, and Lombards for several centuries. It became part of the Kingdom of Naples when the Normans unified southern Italy in the 12th century. From the 13th to the 19th century, the Kingdom of Naples was ruled by a succession of French and Spanish dynasties. Under the leadership of Garibaldi, the movement known as the Risorgimento brought an end to foreign rule and Campania became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Due to its fertile volcanic soil, Campania has long been a productive agricultural area. Major crops are lemons, nuts, artichokes, grapes, figs and other fruit, vegetables, and olives. Agricultural products such as buffalo mozzarella, pasta, and olive oil comprise a large percentage of the region’s exports.
Along with agriculture, tourism contributes greatly to Campania’s economy. Tourism is especially important in Naples and along the Amalfi coast. The manufacturing sector of the region’s economy includes aerospace, pharmaceuticals, railway transport, automotive parts. However, Campania’s unemployment rate, which has recently hovered around 15%, remains higher throughout the region than in the north of Italy. An additional economic problem in some parts of Campania continues to be organized crime.
Immediately after landing in Naples, I was whisked away by a pre-arranged driver to Sorrento, a little over 30 miles from the Naples airport. Until I looked carefully at a map, I wasn’t exactly sure where Sorrento, my new temporary home away from home, was located. Looking at a map, I discovered that it’s not on the Amalfi coast. It’s on the north coast of a peninsula that juts out in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Naples. The Amalfi coast is the south coast of the peninsula. While Sorrento faces the Gulf of Naples, the towns on the Amalfi coast face the Gulf of Salerno.
As we drove along the busy highway, my driver, who was in his early 20s, kept up a constant conversation in English. He pointed out Mount Vesuvius and said that he and his girlfriend were hoping to visit the United States. And where will you go? I asked. To Orlando, to Disney World, he replied. I guess if you grow up with Mount Vesuvius in your backyard and you’ve always been surrounded by thousands of years of history, Disney World might seen exotic.
When we approached Sorrento, he pulled over to the side of the road so I could take a few photos looking down at the town.
In contrast to many of the towns on the coast, Sorrento isn’t built on a steep hillside. Its town center is located on a wide plateau about 50 meters (165 feet) above sea level.
Staying at the same hotel for nine nights meant I could completely settle in. Once I unpacked, I headed down towards the bustling main square, Piazza Tasso. The broad piazza is surrounded by cafes, shops, and historic buildings. A statue of the 16th century Sorrento-born poet Torquato Tasso stands on one side of the square.
I have to admit that my first impression of Sorrento wasn’t very positive. I don’t know quite what I expected – probably palm trees, Mediterranean beaches, and certainly no people were in the picture. But on this sunny Saturday afternoon, all I could see in Sorrento were tourists. They were clogging the sidewalks, taking up all the outdoor café tables, and stubbornly standing in the way when I wanted to take a photo. I gritted my teeth as I walked up and down the pedestrian streets leading off the piazza, passing one shop after another selling lemon-themed tee-shirts, lemon-themed tea towels, lemon-themed umbrellas, lemon-themed socks, lemon-themed everything.
The only way I’d survive nine days in Sorrento was to block out the tourists and focus on the sights, such as the Cathedral’s bell tower, which rises up serenely in the midst of all activity at ground level. The base of the tower dates back to Roman times although the façade is only about 100 years old.
I found a temporary respite from the commercial scene in Sorrento’s Cathedral of San Filippo and Giacomo (Saints Philip and James). The current Romanesque style building dates back to the 15th century.
Food was constantly on my mind and I checked out the menus of all the restaurants I passed in the pedestrian area. At 6pm, I sat down at a table in Restaurant Tasso. I was the sole diner since it was much too early for Italians or other Europeans to eat dinner. Sorrento seemed like the perfect place to satisfy my craving for pasta with seafood. The dish I ordered, called scialatielli ai frutti di mare, arrived in a big bowl overflowing with clams, mussels, and cherry tomatoes. The homemade pasta was thick and chewy and the sauce clung to it perfectly. I later found out that this type of pasta is a local specialty. It’s made of a dough containing milk, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. No wonder it was so delicious.
Over the next couple of days, I continued to explore Sorrento on my own and found that despite its overflowing crowds in certain areas, it was quite a pleasant place. I also took a couple of independent side trips before the Grand Circle tour officially began. In my next post, I’ll tell you about my adventures (and misadventures) in Positano and Capri.
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