Famous seaside resorts, the charming little town of
Sorrento is on a terrace steeply above the sea: it is one of the most spectacular places of the Campanian coast. Because of its wonderful position and mild climate aided by the presence of the surrounding hills and the harbour, Sorrento is named
the gentle , already famous in the past as a resort of Roman There they built many houses, and it became the exclusive venue of elite tourism from the XVIII century. The position well above the sea and the absence of a genuine sea (port and the two beaches,
Marina Piccola and
Marina Grande , picturesque coves with a beach and a small port, are only accessible by steps and narrow alleys) far from being a disadvantage, determine the character completely original city that also offers views of beautiful outside even on the coast, the surrounding hills lined with olive and orange trees and the deep blue sea.
The beauty of the site has certainly fed the tradition that the name of
Sorrento comes from the myths of Homer's sirens which recalls the sublime in the
Odyssey . It is true that the site of the city, probably founded by Greek colonists, was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Dominated by the Syracusans and then by the Samnites, Sorrento was occupied by the Romans in Ill. century BC. and became Municipium two centuries later. Under the empire it was, as we said, the resort of Roman nobles who built not only houses and gardens but also temples, baths and harbour structures. Became bishop in 490, it undergoes various dominations (Goths and Byzantines) and in 1133 it passed into the hands of the Normans and remained subsequently linked to the Kingdom of Naples.
The year 1544 was very important for Sorrento as the famous writer Torquato Tasso was born there. In contrast, in 1558 the city was sacked by the Saracens. As a result of this terrible episode, an imposing walls and defensive towers were built around the city. Not far from Torquato Tasso Square, occupied by two buildings, one dedicated to the author of
Jerusalem Delivered and the other in Sant’Antonino, the patron of the city, is the Dome.
The building of medieval origin, was rebuilt in the fifteenth century and subsequently revised. The right portal marble, whose architrave is decorated with the arms of Aragon, was in the second half of XV century. Inside, sober, with three naves, it contains bas-reliefs in marble dating back to the XIV and XV centuries, a bishop's throne in 1573 and a beautiful wooden choir, which shows exemplary addresses of the inlaid wood work of Sorrento.
In the vicinity of the cathedral, you can find the
Sedile Dominova , a square-shaped building dating back to the fifteenth century with two arches surmounted by a cupola in majolica of XVII: it was the meeting place for the most representative families of the noble Sorrento.
Along the beautiful streets of the city, one arrives at the Basilica of S. Antonino, where the tomb of the patron saint of the city.
Daniele Davide, Manager of Tredy Sas company in
Sorrento wrote this article.
