Sorrento

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 30, 2018 2:24 pm

We're off to Sorrento for a wedding in September, and basically I want to know where the best pizza is.

We're also planning a trip across to Capri, and we'll have an afternoon and an early night in Naples ahead of a morning flight.

I wouldn't mind trying to fit in a trip to Pompeii, but we're only there for a few days so might have to miss that one until next time.

Any recommendations for food, or great things to do for any of the above are appreciated. We've got access to a car, and will have a 1yo in tow.

Brunshawroad66 · Post by **Brunshawroad66** » Wed May 30, 2018 2:29 pm

I'd give Naples a swerve otherwise yes go to Capri and Pompeii if you have time ... I would recommend the drive over to Positano fantastic views en-route and some nice places to eat when you get there

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 30, 2018 2:36 pm

Brunshawroad66 wrote:I'd give Naples a swerve otherwise yes go to Capri and Pompeii if you have time ... I would recommend the drive over to Positano fantastic views en-route and some nice places to eat when you get there

It may be that we try and fit in Pompeii on the way back up to Naples. I do know it's meant to be a sh*thole, but the night there is non-negotiable.

Positano sounds like a great shout. I might suggest that at home instead of Capri possibly.

Brunshawroad66 · Post by **Brunshawroad66** » Wed May 30, 2018 2:55 pm

I enjoyed going to Capri (quite expensive on the island from memory) but if you have use of a car I would recommend Positano lovely place and lots of restaurants ... Pompeii is impressive it might sound silly but I couldn't get over the sheer size of the place really

Pstotto · Post by **Pstotto** » Wed May 30, 2018 3:18 pm

Vico Equense.

FCBurnley · Post by **FCBurnley** » Wed May 30, 2018 3:21 pm

Dont miss Pompeii. You will struggle to get a bad pizza anywhere. Sorrento is very fifties. Napoli is dangerous. Capri is awesome but touristic. All the Cinque Terra is magical.

ŽižkovClaret · Post by **ŽižkovClaret** » Wed May 30, 2018 3:36 pm

Walton wrote:It may be that we try and fit in Pompeii on the way back up to Naples. I do know it's meant to be a sh*thole, but the night there is non-negotiable.

Positano sounds like a great shout. I might suggest that at home instead of Capri possibly.

Maybe Pompeii then cut it fine for a Naples airport hotel to give as late a start as possible morning after?

9thMay1987 · Post by **9thMay1987** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:17 pm

Capri is a beautiful island with fabulous scenery. The gardens of Augustus simply breathtaking. But also very very crowded and expensive.

If you have the time and want to sample the bay of Naples try the island of Ischea (next to Capri) and perhaps Procida (where lots of workers live and take the ferries to Naples every day.

Ischea is very beautiful, very green, full of therapeutic pools, tropical gardens and where the neapolitans flock in August for their hols.

Pompeii is very easy to reach by train from Sorrento and Herulaneum just outside Naples is another site worth seeing if you like history.

The people of this region are extremely friendly - don't be put off and enjoy.

Goobs · Post by **Goobs** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:27 pm

There is a little village about 2km up the mountain from Sorrento called Sui del golfi (or something similar) and right behind the Hotel Jacarino is a little family run restaurant where they serve some of the nicest food (especially Pizza) that I have ever had and the prices were (this was 8 years ago) ridiculously cheap as well.

expoultryboy · Post by **expoultryboy** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:31 pm

Went 3 years ago and going back in September . In the evening we enjoyed a drink and a bite to eat in the piazza tasso people watching ( when you go you'll see what i mean , its wonderful chaos ! ) . Just off the piazza , there's a street called via san cesareo and another piazza called antonino where there are more good eating places . I know you've got the car , but there's a boat you can get that stops off at Positano for a couple of hours and then onto Amalfi before returning to Sorrento. The views are spectacular . A trip to pompeii is a must and the easiest way of getting there is by train . Have a lovely time and be careful with the limoncello !!

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:36 pm

You could try Herculaneum instead of Pompeii - it's smaller, and the houses are more complete. We had a terrifically enthusiastic guide who wanted to show us absolutely everything, and I think perhaps he did - it took about 3 hours, and the party was half the size at the end that it was at the start because of people dropping out through exhaustion. But you don't actually have to see everything!

Mondsley · Post by **Mondsley** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:41 pm

Some good shouts on here. Personally prefer Ischea to Capri and Herculaneum to Pompeii but that's just personal choice. Amalfi also worth a visit if you have time. So much to see and do.

HunterST_BFC · Post by **HunterST_BFC** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:54 pm

Def avoid Naples if you can.

Positano is fantastic to visit (tell the ladies not to wear heels

). Very swish.
Use the bus one way (there) and boat back - in that order, you'll understand why when you get there.

I chose to stay in Sant Agnello (a short coast walk from Sorento) a great place with some great locals restaurants if you seek them out.

Agree with dsr Herculaneum instead of Pompeii (both if time allows)

bobinho · Post by **bobinho** » Wed May 30, 2018 4:58 pm

Pompeii is amazing, as is the Amalfi coast in general - stay out of Napoli.

I found a side st pizzeria in Sorrento called "jonny pizza". Don't be put off by the name. The Pizza Tonno was the best I have EVER had ANYWHERE. Had one every lunch time after finding it the second day. Magnificent. Google it when you get there, follow the directions to it and enjoy. It really was outstanding. Thin crust, not too much topping (heavy/loaded topping can leave the dough soggy and a little undercooked) good balance of tomato base, tuna and red onion and seasoned to perfection.

Drooling now...

Eloise Laws · Post by **Eloise Laws** » Wed May 30, 2018 6:04 pm

I second some of these suggestions...
Positano well worth a visit, bus there, boat trip back
Herculaneum instead of Pompeii (if you can only do one)
Loved Sorrento and the surrounding area, hot! Hot! Hot!

jimmy2jobs · Post by **jimmy2jobs** » Wed May 30, 2018 6:04 pm

Having 7 days in Sant A'gnello in the 1st week in August. Never considered for one moment that our
holiday would possibly conflict with our european adventure. Anyway, what will be will be, looks like a beautiful place and
am looking forward to being there.

Croydon Claret · Post by **Croydon Claret** » Wed May 30, 2018 7:01 pm

Don't forget the trip to the top of Vesuvius. You can either book your tickets from a kiosk at Sorrento station or direct from the supplier at Herculaneum station where they set off from.

If going by train you want the "scavi" stops e.g. Pompeii scavi and Ercolano scavi.

As before Herculaneum is the better preserved of the two sites and much less busy.

If you do it early enough you can just about see both, plus Vesuvius, in a single day

Also, found Capri to be dull, at least the bits I saw. We only had time to visit the main town, Anacapri, and it's full of designer shops and not much else. At the opposite end of the island is Villa Jovis which is supposed to be really good, according to Mrs Croydon who went previously

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 30, 2018 8:58 pm

Herculaneum sounds like a goer, I hadn't even realised that's where it was.

I will definitely float the bus there/boat back idea for Positano.

We're actually staying near Jhonny Pizza and saw reviews saying how good it was. It might be my first port of call after unpacking!

My proposed rough itinerary then is arrive Thursday, do Sorrento. Friday Positano. Saturday wedding, Sunday to be decided, Monday Herculaneum then overnight in Naples for 7am flight

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Wed May 30, 2018 8:58 pm

Cheers everyone

Caballo · Post by **Caballo** » Wed May 30, 2018 9:03 pm

jimmy2jobs wrote:Having 7 days in Sant A'gnello in the 1st week in August. Never considered for one moment that our
holiday would possibly conflict with our european adventure. Anyway, what will be will be, looks like a beautiful place and
am looking forward to being there.

Fancy trying to find a TV and watching it together?

Bop · Post by **Bop** » Wed May 30, 2018 10:27 pm

In Sorrento go down the huge flights of steps and get a Peroni in the bar with your feet dangling over the harbour and watch the sea. Get a pizza in the streets below/parallel to the Main Street.

Capri is easy. Time Out guide took us to a restaurant high above the cable car (old Capri or ana -Capri I think) a good 20-30 min walk after the cable car. Stunning views & stunning food. Everyone at each table had the same Time Out guide and were waxing lyrical about the view and food.

Diggs291212 · Post by **Diggs291212** » Wed May 30, 2018 10:44 pm

Naples is rough and the trains from there to Sorrento are full of pick pockets and beggars. Sorrento is beautiful, we went to a wedding there and stayed overnight had a great time.
Pompeii is well worth a visit but wear trainers as your feet get very dirty with the dust/ash and it's a lot of walking.

RVclaret · Post by **RVclaret** » Wed May 30, 2018 11:00 pm

Ignore everyone saying avoid Naples - it is the best city in Italy.

There is a famous pizzeria (for being the oldest in Naples, the home of pizza) called L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele.

Aside from that, the pizzeria's on the bay side are all awesome.

The views of Naples/the whole bay from Posillipo are amazing, certainly worth a drive up those windy roads to get there.

9thMay1987 · Post by **9thMay1987** » Thu May 31, 2018 6:12 am

Agree with RVclaret Naples is a fabulous city in the raw.

Great sites,smells,scenery and food.

As for driving, never, I am sure neapolitans believe if the horn wasn't honking the engine would cut out.

HatfieldClaret · Post by **HatfieldClaret** » Thu May 31, 2018 6:49 am

After a week in Sorrento I never wanted to see another lemon again, they even put it on pizzas.

Took some while to get over lemons,

Putneyclaret · Post by **Putneyclaret** » Thu May 31, 2018 11:53 am

Two reccomendations:

In Sorrento PortaMarina Seafood; great food, good value for Sorrento and fantastic location https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... pania.html;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In Naples, Da Pellone for pizza but go early https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... pania.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Fully agree with reccomendation for Herculaneum; smaller than Pompeii and arguably better preserved. Leave the car behind and take the Circumvesuviana train as the traffic can be horrendous.

Agree with Hatfiels re lemons.

TVC15 · Post by **TVC15** » Thu May 31, 2018 11:58 am

My family is from Naples and like most cities it has its nice bits and it’s really not nice areas. There is a lot of crime and you just need to weigh up whether it’s worth getting caught up in the wrong area when you are only there for a few days and have so much to see in Sorrento.

I haven’t done Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast but will definitely be doing that in next couple of years so good to see all the recommendations.

Kropotkin · Post by **Kropotkin** » Thu May 31, 2018 1:22 pm

In my opinion Naples is the most misunderstood city in Italy: yes, be careful in some areas, but generally it's astonishing - absolutely worth a walk through the central, touristy areas.

Most parts of the Amalfi coast are stunning - but it does take ages by car or bus - three hours from end to end in April, out of season. Doing this by boat is pricey, but quicker and more spectacular. Driving is slow and tiring everywhere - especially on the Sorrentine peninsula.

Capri is stunning, but pricey - and the advice about the islands to the North of the bay is spot on. Vesuvius is really good - and you can drive up to compulsory (?) National Park car park, then take a taxi, walk or bus up to the next stage. A fair trek (too much for a toddler), but not expensive and amazing views and a fascinating spectacle.

Pompeii is good, but get in and out by the Circumvesuviana train : Herculaneum is less busy and smaller.

The pizza everywhere ranges from good to genuinely outstanding: look for the crowds of Italians and follow them. Seafood is stunning too, and the local wines are good and distinctive. Gragnano is a local red, but like a prosecco - with the fizz from the volcanic soils. As everywhere in Italy, beers are often poor.

These are opinions based on 10 years of working in the region a week or more each year (until we inadvertently got too close to the local men of honour and decided to stay away for a while). We went back in April for the first time in 9 years - and still love it.

boffbfc · Post by **boffbfc** » Thu May 31, 2018 7:11 pm

Have to disagree with most on here, went to Naples, Sorrento and Capri last year and Naples was by far my favourite. Yes its a bit raw and run down but it feels like 'real Italy' whilst the other two feel very catered towards tourists (though they are both very nice). Crime may be an issue in Naples but I didn't witness any of it, on the contrary the people of Naples were by far the most accommodating and friendly of any of the Italian places I have visited.

Stalbansclaret · Post by **Stalbansclaret** » Thu May 31, 2018 7:40 pm

Agree that Naples is absolutely fine to visit and the pizzeria recommended by RVclatet, where you have to queue outside, is the real deal.

Top Claret · Post by **Top Claret** » Thu May 31, 2018 8:58 pm

Best garlic bread I have ever tasted was in Sorrentino, proper ferkin tackle

Alanstevensonsgloves · Post by **Alanstevensonsgloves** » Thu May 31, 2018 10:11 pm

All these 'holiday recommendations' threads need to be saved together somewhere surely. They are a goldmine of info.

Pstotto · Post by **Pstotto** » Thu May 31, 2018 11:01 pm

Vico Equense is not a tourist town, but like a little suburb. I can't remember much about it or why we went there as it's 40 years ago, but we were in a group and the pizza that came was the size of a table. It was just an ordinary place but obviously what the locals used, so authentic. I suppose it's a bit like Italian fans from AC Milan putting posts on their sites about where to get the best pie and peas when they visit us in the Europa league.

I hate pizza so I had a steak, but it looked amazing.

By the way, I had the best minestrone soup of my life in Sorrento.

Oooooooh and the best lemon sorbet ever in Capri. There's a famous villa (San Michele?) at the top of the island worth the terrifying journey up and it was near there that the divine substance was imbibed.

Pompeii was so hot, all I could think about was cola.

HunterST_BFC · Post by **HunterST_BFC** » Thu May 31, 2018 11:39 pm

Chan' 5 by chance has a 3 x ep on Pompeii at the moment / catch up.

Not the best - But still worth a view imho. (i.e. not by Mary Beard).

A side note for some reading material if visiting...

Robert Harris - Pompeii (great read - as he generally is).

Spike Milligan - Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall (shorter read - funny - honest..... he was stationed there in the war while suffering shell shock - guess what happened... all true).

ten bellies · Post by **ten bellies** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:52 pm

Dinner at the Foreigners Club. Book a balcony table for fabulous views of Vesuvius over the Bay of Naples.

starting_11 · Post by **starting_11** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:08 pm

RVclaret wrote:Ignore everyone saying avoid Naples - it is the best city in Italy.

There is a famous pizzeria (for being the oldest in Naples, the home of pizza) called L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele.

Aside from that, the pizzeria's on the bay side are all awesome.

The views of Naples/the whole bay from Posillipo are amazing, certainly worth a drive up those windy roads to get there.

Just looked that up. I saw it on a James Martin program once.

Two pizza... with cheese or without

Looks really good

quoonbeatz · Post by **quoonbeatz** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:52 pm

world pizza making festival starts today in naples

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018 ... e-in-grani" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bobinho · Post by **bobinho** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:54 pm

Ignore RV saying Naples is the best city in Italy, it isn't.

It is merely an opinion, and this is mine, which means neither of us are correct.

I don't know what IS the best city in Italy, but of the seven or eight I have been to, it's very close to the bottom. I just didn't feel comfortable there.

RV clearly likes it. I didn't.

Foods good tho… but it's Italy, so of course the food is good.

dougcollins · Post by **dougcollins** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:28 pm

Best (and cheapest) pizzas are in Naples. No question.

Da Gigino is probably the best in Sorrento.

Pstotto · Post by **Pstotto** » Fri Jun 01, 2018 10:16 pm

Oh... Pizza making? I always thought Naples came to international attention via wet t-shirt competitions.

duncandisorderly · Post by **duncandisorderly** » Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:14 am

Go to Pompeii and witness the first ever cartoon death, almost 2000 years before cartoons were discovered.
https://www.indy100.com/article/pompeii ... ad-8379226" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

jimmy2jobs · Post by **jimmy2jobs** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:16 pm

Been scouting Sorrento today and noticed a fair number of English/Irish bars. Anyone recommend one which will have a reasonable chance of showing Thursday’s Europa league classic.

Ooogeorgeorgeoghani · Post by **Ooogeorgeorgeoghani** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:26 pm

jimmy2jobs wrote:Been scouting Sorrento today and noticed a fair number of English/Irish bars. Anyone recommend one which will have a reasonable chance of showing Thursday’s Europa league classic.

After reading the full thread I couldn't believe I had not been to Sorrento, lovely Italian food and drink, then you tell me there are a number of English and Irish bars !!!

jimmy2jobs · Post by **jimmy2jobs** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:47 pm

Relax. My “fair number” terminology actually equates to “one or two” namely “Chaplins” and “the English bar”.

IndigoLake · Post by **IndigoLake** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:48 pm

Thought this was a link to a new player

ClaretEngineer · Post by **ClaretEngineer** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:51 pm

Used to do a banging Breakfast Pizza and Spaghetti Rotondo.

piston broke · Post by **piston broke** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 6:15 pm

On your spare day you could go N. 18miles to the Royal Palace of Caserta. Italys Versailles.
If that’s your thing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Caserta" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THEWELLERNUT70 · Post by **THEWELLERNUT70** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:52 am

The pizzas were great there when Giovanni of The Manor Barn fame used to own it