Nature

The Sorrento peninsula between sea and hills

Celebrated by the ancients, remembered by writers, poets and travellers from the eighteenth century to the present day with sentiment and longing, the Sorrento peninsula ("the land of the sirens", "land of classical sobriety, of limestone, of blue sea") is the triumph of nature in the alternation along the coast of beaches, jagged rocks, grottoes hiding fragments of ancient villas, and on the hills, around the small villages (i casali), the bright colours of citrus groves (the famous Sorrento lemons), vines, olive trees and an incredible variety of flowers.The itinerary starts from the panoramic square of Santa Croce a Termini, a hamlet of Massa Lubrense, and climbs up to Mount San Costanzo to visit the hermitage with the chapel dedicated to the saint, 'protagonist' of very popular processions. After crossing the suggestive area called Pezzalonga, it follows a stretch of Via Campanella, which according to tradition, like the tower of the same name, owes its name to the memory of a prodigy, to link up with the ancient Via di Minerva. The road, some of which still has its original Roman paving stones, approaches the coast, part of the Punta Campanella marine protected area, and reaches the medieval Punta Campanella Tower, one of the area's watchtowers and defences. From here, with a little daring and a lot of care, you can descend towards the Grotta delle Sirene, in a sea of unforgettable colours, where the suggestion of myth takes shape in the enchantment of nature.

Number of stages
5
Overall length
9.4 KM
Average journey time
7 Hours
Recommended mean of transport
Auto/Moto

Itinerary map

 

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Itinerary stages

Step number 1
1
Villa San Marco

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Villa San Marco

Archaeological excavations on Varano hill, the area where the Roman Stabiae (Castellammare di Stabia) stood, began in the 18th century at the behest of the Bourbon kings. In contrast to Herculaneum...

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Step number 2
2
Villa Arianna

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Villa Arianna

About 2,500 square metres of the villa (explored by Bourbon tunnels between 1757 and 1762) have been excavated, only part of the total area. It is the oldest villa on the coast, built through succe...

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Step number 3
3
Villa of Agrippa Postumo

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Villa of Agrippa Postumo

The entire coastline of Sorrento in Roman times is occupied by the imposing villa (1st century BC) built into the tuffaceous rock overlooking the sea. The foundations of the maritime constructions,...

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Step number 4
4
Villa di Villazzano

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Villa di Villazzano

The Roman villa, attributed to the Augustan period, occupies almost the entire area of the Capo Massa promontory. A splendid and luxurious villa, the home of a wealthy landowner, it consists of a d...

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Step number 5
5
Pollio Felice’s villa

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Pollio Felice’s villa

At Capo di Sorrento, a panoramic point on the Sorrento cliffs, imposing ruins indicate the presence of the villa, which stretched over an area estimated at about 30,000 square metres. Like other vi...

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Step number 6
6
Villa Jovis

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Villa Jovis

In the last period of his reign (27.37 A.D.), the Emperor Tiberius chose Capri as his permanent residence and ordered the construction of twelve villas on the island, each consecrated to an Olympia...

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Other points of interest nearby

Museum of wooden marquetry
Sorrento Museum, non-profit and/or collection gallery
Mario Maresca Naval Museum
Meta Museum, non-profit and/or collection gallery
Villa Fiorentino
Sorrento Villa or palace of historical or artistic interest
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Sorrento Church or religious building
Square and church of Santa Croce
Massa Lubrense Street