Look across
Above the Bay
Cliffs above the water, lemon groves behind, and Vesuvius across the bay pretending to be asleep.
Explore SorrentoNearby—More from this destination.
This 360° panorama was captured on the cliff road above Sorrento, looking along the coast and out across the Bay of Naples.
The camera stands at the roadside on the top of the headland, with a low wall and a railing between it and a drop that goes straight down to the water. It is an unglamorous spot - a strip of gravel, a couple of parked cars, palms in round beds, a cut tufa face on the inland side - and the view over the railing is the entire point. Sorrento sits along the coast in front of you, and the thing you cannot get from a photograph of the town is what it is standing on: a continuous vertical cliff of yellow-brown volcanic tufa, dropping the full height from the last row of houses to the sea with nothing in between. The bay runs away beyond it and the hills of the peninsula close the back of the view, hazy and grey-green under cloud. This is a band of a panorama rather than a full sphere, which is all this vantage point ever offers.
Over the years, Sorrento has earned a reputation as a starting point for exploring a number of nearby attractions. Many visitors are discovering that Sorrento is an appealing destination in itself. Beyond the stunning façade, there are many things to do in Sorrento, including visiting local museums, monasteries, and frescoed churches. First and foremost, Sorrento is a city of pleasure, where slowing down for a leisurely meal is just as rewarding as a day spent sightseeing. There are many historic inns, family-owned restaurants, and local bars for sampling authentic cuisine and Italian wines.
Sorrento is a coastal city, and has many options for boat tours and fishing trips for those who want to gain a different perspective of the city. It is also a great place to hop on a ferry from, whether you just want to see the town from the water or go to one of the ferry destinations, from Naples to Ischia to Amalfi. There are also many museums worth visiting, including the Museo Correale, the Mineralogy Museum, and the Museum of Villa Fondi. Like many other Italian destinations, some of the best places to go are churches and monasteries. In Sorrento, visitors will want to see the frescoed Chapel of Santa Lucia and the cloisters of San Francesco.