Sorrento is a small town in Campania, southern Italy and a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself,Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
We stayed here over New Year's 2011 and had a great time. The town square had a giant christmas tree and a fireworks display literally 10 feet away from it (which for a safety conscious American, put me on edge a bit). The town is easily walkable and a convenient base for exploring the Amalfi Coast. The only drawback is that for tourists relying on trains for transportation, the Circumvesuviana line is quite filthy and it takes over an hour to get from Naples to Sorrento. Overall though, it is close to Pompei and offers a great view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. I definitely recommend staying at Hotel il Nido. It is out of town a bit (10-12 mins by car) but the hourly shuttle service makes up for it. It is family run and the people there are so helpful. Unbeknownst to my family at the time, the Amalfi coast buses were not running on New Year's day, when we planned on making the trip. One of the owners of the hotel called his friend at the car rental place and got us a special deal, also making a few out of the way shuttle bus trips just for us. I would come back to Sorrento just to stay with them again.
