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What to see
Sorrento offers to its visitors many natural places where they can admire fantastic landscapes and panoramas; but, beyond to the natural beauties, Sorrento is rich of beauties and of cultural historical importance.
Piazza Tasso
In the main square, once called Largo of the Caste, the Baroque Church del Carmine opens up: in its interior it is kept an interesting painting by Onofrio Avellino; in the same Piazza Tasso, the Palazzo Correale is located with its magnificent majolica cout dating back to 1772 (the inscription on the portal's marble scroll ornament bears the date 1768 but it is known that as early as the XVth century a house belonging to this family stood here and was later totally transformed by the 17th century reconstruction.
Duomo
Walking on the elegant Corso Italia until the Largo Arcivescovado, the Duomo (cathedral) opens up, which has beeen rearranged several
times during the centuries; in romanic style it dates to the XVth century; the site door is from the same period (1474) and in
Renaissance style.
In its interior some valuable paintings by artists from the Neapolitan school of the 1700s; an archibishops
throne in fine marbles (1573) and a wooden marquetry work of Sorrentine craftsmen of the beginning of the 19th century.
Basilica of Sant'Antonino
From the Tasso square, the via De Maio takes to the church of Sant'Antonino, placed in the square bearing the same name.
The basilica was built in the same area of a preexisting private chapel rising nearby the tomb of the Saint who, on the occasion of the Longobardic invasion, came here to seek refuge.
Its origin dates back to the XI th century although there was already an oratory dedicated to St. Antonino here in the IX th century.
Valuable paintings by Giovanni Bernardo Lama and Giacomo Del Po can be found inside the building.
Highly interesting is also the ex-voto collection, offered in its greater part by sailors who escaped shipwrecks.
One can also assume that the two cetacean ribs visible in the entrance, are a unique ex-voto offered by an an unknown sailor.
The crypt, which was rebuilt in 1753, houses the tomb of Sant'Antonino who is the Patron Saint of the town.
Villa comunale
Positioned on a sheer drop, it has a wonderful view of the bay of Naples; not far from Tasso square it's located close to the church of San Francesco, with annexed convent and the gracious cloister with interlaced arches of the 14th century.
Chiostro di San Francesco
The monastery's origin dates back to the first half of the XVth century.
The cloister's architecture presents crossed arches in tufo on two sides of the portico, expressing the style of the late 1300s and substituted on the other two sides by round arches on octagonal pilasters.
Various elements of pillage are present as in three corner columns reutilized functionally after being taken from pagan temples.
Sedil Dominova
In front of the bell tower annexed to the cathedral, the Via Reginaldo Giuliani opens up and leads to the Sedil Dominova (15th century), one of the two loggias where the representative of an aristocratic party used to seek advice.
The city coat of arms as well as those of the various families of the Sorrento aristocracy are displayed in its interior; it has a quadrilateral form with two corner arches in piperno (lava) permitting the view of the interior of the cupola and the end walls with 18th century frescoes.
The pilasters and polystyle arches with their capotals are in archaic style.
The 17th century cupola is formed by green and yellow majolica roof tiles.
Correale museum
The museum was set up from a private foundation by the Correale brothers Alfredo and Pompeo, the Counts of Terranova.
They were the last descendants of an old Sorrentine family and in their wills they made provision for Villa Correale and the arts collection housed there to be turned into a museum bearing their name.
The collections are laid out on three floors in 24 rooms plus the attic, which has recently been renovated for use as an exhibiting area.
At the ground floor you can find romanesque items together with Sorrento intarsia of the 19th century.
At the first floor, furnishings and paintings of the 18th century can be admired together with Oriental chinawear of the 17th and 18th century.
At the second floor, one can look at the collection of paintings by 'Posillipo school', painting by foreign artists and an interesting clocks collection of the 18th century.
At the third floor, the italian and foreign chinawear and majolica dating back to the 17th and 18th century are exhibited.
Regina Giovanna
At Punta del Capo the remains of an imposing Villa Romana (roman villa of the 1st century) are still visible.
According to the tradition, this is the villa where, as Stazio mentioned in his poems, Pollio felice lived through his blessed idleness.
The restricted basin, enclosed by rocky walls, which was reachable through a narrow opening connecting to the sea, was the villa little port.
Punta Campanella
Termini, a small village located 330 meters above the sea level (10 km away from Sorrento), is the starting point for pleasant excursions to 'Punta della Campanella'; this is the name of the outermost area of the Sorrento peninsula, which comes from a bell placed on the top of the Minerva Tower and whose ringing used to warn people against the arrival of pirates.
The tower presently houses a light, and it was commisioned by Robert of Anjou in 1335.
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