Sorrento sits on top of a cliff, and the whole town is aware of the drop. It lies on the northern side of the peninsula that separates the Bay of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, about fifty metres above the water, with Vesuvius filling the view across the bay and the island of Capri visible from the headlands. Lemon groves, some of them netted against frost, cover the slopes behind the town, and the lemons are the foundation of limoncello, the sweet yellow liqueur that is sold in every shop. According to myth, this is the coast of the Sirens, who lured sailors onto the rocks with their singing.
The town centre is built around Piazza Tasso, a busy square named for the sixteenth century poet Torquato Tasso, who was born in Sorrento, and the old lanes around it are lined with shops selling inlaid wood, lace and ceramics. Small cloisters, such as the one at San Francesco, offer quiet corners, and the marinas below the cliffs, reached by steep stairways, have small restaurants and ferries to Capri and Naples. A tradition of craft, and a strong tourist trade since the days of the Grand Tour, have shaped the town.
For the rider, Sorrento is the start of the Amalfi Coast road, the SS163, sometimes called the Nastro Azzurro or blue ribbon. It heads over the spine of the peninsula, then twists along a cliff for about fifty kilometres through Positano, Praiano and Amalfi toward Salerno. The road is narrow, hemmed in by walls and rock, with tight hairpins, blind bends and buses that need the whole width of the road at some corners. Scooters and cars weave in and out. Traffic in July and August can be dreadful, and in peak periods local authorities have limited access by number plate on certain days, so check before you go. Leave early in spring or autumn, and the road is far more enjoyable.
Sorrento has fuel stations, workshops and endless places to eat, from pizza to grilled fish. The best views are from the terraces of the old cliffside hotels, and an evening walk along the cliff-top gardens at sunset, with Vesuvius turning purple across the bay, is the best way to end a day.