City of Sirens

Map of Sorrento Vacation, Travel and Hotel Information

Just as the beautiful, sultry sirens that once sang to Odysseus and his Greek sailors, so Sorrento, their mythological residence, has drawn visitors from the ancients to the multitudes that vacation here every summer.

Our fascination with Sorrento is grounded in mythology and ancient literature. The Romans believe Sorrento, then Surrentum, was home to the infamous sirens, the beautiful, seductive witches who lured sailors - most famously the Homeric protagonist Odysseus - to their deaths with their enchanting voices. This attraction to the beauty and mystery of Sorrento has persisted through the millennia to the present, from the toga-clad ancients to today's visitors who are no less enthralled. Sorrento, perched on an almost fortress-like cliff, has everything one would expect from a city on the Amalfi Coast: exquisite food and wine (particularly pizza!), rich Roman history, and beautiful surroundings. The reason Sorrento is distinct, however, is that a contagious energy permeates it: couples walking hand-in-hand, friends laughing over a drink, old men animatedly discussing politics, and loads of vespa motor-bikes buzzing through the streets. To the unfamiliar eye, Sorrento might seem an insane chaos, and it very well might be so. But this vivacity can only be a consequence of one thing, the still very-present spirits of the sirens who once lived in Sorrento.

Learn more about Sorrento's History & Culture >

Shopping in Sorrento

Furniture: If you can carry it back to the States, go to Gargiulo & Jannuzzi, a remarkably famous purveyor.
Embroidery and lace: cheap and excellent in Sorrento.

Food & Drink in Sorrento

• Gnocchi alla sorrentina: potato gnocchi paired with a fresh tomato sauce, basil, and fiordilatte mozzarella.
• Greco di Tufo/Falanghina: local dry white wines.
• Taurasi/Lacryma Christi/Falerno: local dry red wines.
• Limoncello: local lemon liquor, best as an after-dinner drink.
• Nocino: Local walnut liquor, best as an after-dinner drink.
• Sofgliatelle: Italian puff pastry dessert.
• Marzipan: sweet almond paste used in cakes and pastries.
• Gelato: Italy's fabled ice cream.
• Profiteroles: Pastry filled with cream and covered in chocolate sauce.