Sunny Sorrento

Last year I treated Rob to a surprise trip to Sorrento, a beautiful, Mediterranean town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy, for his 30th birthday (it was a big one!) Half of my family are from Italy, but I’d never been to Naples or it’s surrounding area and had heard great things. I also really enjoy going somewhere neither of us have been before, so we can discover it together for the first time. We went in April, just before it’s official summer season and although it was still busy, it wasn’t crazy touristy and as a result we were able to have a relaxing week strolling around the small town filled with antique stores, old school artisan food stalls and quaint restaurants. The weather was also more up our street as we aren’t very good in the heat. We had a few days of patchy rain, with moderate temperatures the rest of the time. Sorrento has an elegant charm and it’s focus on local cuisine took me back to my childhood visiting relatives and eating authentic Italian food.

We spent our week strolling around the area, discovering Neapolitan pizza and pasta dishes and trying different Italian wines. As the weather improved towards the end of our stay, we had a brilliant time sitting by the water, reading, soaking up the sun and also walking along the cliffs amongst the grand, romantic Italian villas and views of Mount Vesuvius and Capri.

Transport

We flew from Stansted to Naples airport. When we arrived, we were able to find the station for the CurreriViaggi Coach Service pretty easily. We’d prebooked our tickets for the coach via their website and had no trouble boarding. The tickets were super cheap and the trip took just over an hour, although it can be longer due to traffic in the region. I was tempted to hire a car, but was so pleased that I didn’t - the trip takes you through some very narrow, winding roads! You also get a lovely view of Mount Vesuvius on the way.

Food Tour

If this is your first visit to the Travel Slugs, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing that we are ALL ABOUT THE FOOD. We’d been recommended by a friend (thanks Martin!) to check out a local food tour, given by an American guide who settled in Sorrento many years ago. We booked an early morning tour our first day as a way to get some insider information on where to eat during our holiday and also to get our bearings around the place. Walking tours are so good for that.

We met our host Tamara in the town centre after breakfast (we tried not to eat too much before we went and thank goodness we didn’t!) We were joined by a really lovely group of Welsh ladies having a ‘girls holiday’ and as we walked around, Tamara gave us insight into the history and culture of the town while we stuffed ourselves with street food, gelato, limoncello, hams, cheeses and pizza before visiting a tiny, rustic restaurant where we all sat together for a lunch of gnochhi alla sorrentina, a super yummy delicacy of the region, washed down with many glasses of cold white wine! Highlights included the sfogliatelle, a shell-shaped filled pastry we sampled at a local pastricceria, visiting lemon groves where they make the traditional limoncello and the gelato! Tamara also gave us tips on where the locals go to eat and for drinks in town, which we followed for the rest of the trip. We’d definitely recommend this tour - you can check it out here.

Day trip to Pompeii

As history buffs, we were super excited to visit the ancient city of Pompeii, which was famously destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved UNESCO World Heritage site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore. We took the local train there and had pre-booked a 2-hour group walking tour to get the most out of our visit. When we arrived, we discovered that we were the only ones who had booked, so it turned into a private trip - molto bene.

The city itself has to be seen to be believed. So much detail had been preserved by the ash and pumice and it was honestly like walking into a movie set. We managed to learn a lot about the importance of Pompeii, not just to Italy but to the world as a significant port city, and what had happened during the eruption. If we’d just booked the entrance fee and walked around ourselves, we wouldn’t have understood the significance or meaning of many of the buildings either; from the baths to the market places that still stand today.

Again, we’d like to recommend the tour if you’re looking to visit the ruins and get an overview and taste of the city’s story. For more information and to book, visit here.

Lauren Loves

I adored introducing Rob to Italy via Sorrento. I’d been trying to think where I could take him as a surprise and I just kept coming back to italy… maybe it’s my roots. It’s definitely home to some of our favourite food and I thought that we should go somewhere beautiful to unwind, instead of a busy city for a change. Unlike the Italy I was used to it was very touristy, but because we visited in April it was at an acceptable level for me and we knew how to avoid that side of things and head to the local spots for food. I loved the food tour - but also really liked our walks around the cliffs and sea. It was romantic and relaxing and we both returned home feeling refreshed and well-fed!

Robert Loves

An amazing birthday gift to go away for the week and enjoy the Italian cuisine. It was one of the first holidays where we didn’t go to a big city so we really took the opportunity to mooch around and relax. It was good to explore Pompeii on one of the days to get our cultural fix. There was a point when we were out having a drink on a terrace where we’d gotten some nibbles with our apertifs. The local pigeon population smelled that we weren’t locals and went in for the kill. We remember this with a chuckle from time to time.

Where did we stay?

We stayed at Hotel Leone, a quiet, comfortable hotel about 20 minutes walk from the centre. It was basic, but friendly and they’ve since opened a swimming pool.

What did we eat?

So many places! Most of our trip was spent eating very large meals and then going for post-lunch naps… Below are some of our favourites:

• Fuori 51: a wine bar where you get to try different wines from the wine dispensers on the wall. Very fun. They also offer a variety of cheese and charcuterie plates. We had a lovely date night there after dinner.
• 0’Parrucchiano: This was the restaurant I booked for Rob’s birthday and I was so, so pleased that I did as it was the perfect place for our first night in Italy together. During my research online it stopped me dead with it’s photos of the beautiful interior candlelit garden, and it was as breathtaking in real life. The menu offers classic Sorrentine cuisine and has been famous for over 100 years for their cannelloni, which they claim was invented here in 1870.

Top Tips

• Take the bus to and from Naples airport. Taxis are much more expensive and the train isn’t direct.
• Try to stay away from touristy restaurants (easier said than done in Sorrento!) We would pop our heads in somewhere to clock how many Italians were in there. If we could hear italians chatting away, we knew we were in good hands. Also, avoid the restaurants with people outside trying to get you in - a sure sign.
• Try the traditional Naples cuisine; their very thin pizza, gnocchi alla Sorrentina and, of course, their limoncello.