Campervanning in Sorrento

We’ve made it down to our new home just north of Naples. To say there’s a north south divide is a slight understatement. Emilia-Romagna boasts beautiful renaissance towns, with well kept parks and open spaces. Here in Campania there’s a much more laid back approach with crazy driving, lots of litter and plenty of stray dogs. There’s more similarities with parts of Africa than north Italy. Some of the other Brits out here have said “You’ll cry when you arrive, but then cry when you leave.” I can understand why. If we hadn’t be forewarned about some aspects it could be a bit of a culture shock but having spent time in places that are a little rough round the edges, I know we’re going to love it, it has a fantastic atmosphere and is so well located to explore some of the best Italy has to offer.

So it was for that reason we decided to hit the ground running and we spent our first weekend on the Sorrento peninsula. Having spent the last week driving lots of miles we didn’t want to spend too long on the road, so being an hour and half away Sorrento was perfect. We booked in to a campsite, packed the van and were on the autostrada before we knew it! We went straight to Sorrento where we found a fantastic car park on the edge of the town, in a secure, independent supermarket. Which as it turned out was the best supermarket we’d found since being in the country!

The next couple of hours were spent winding our way through the town following a self-guided walking tour which we found on Sorrento Insider. Having walked Via della Pieta and Corso Italia, the wide central boulevard lined with fashionable boutiques, the route took us in to the historical centre of Sorrento and along my favourite street, Via San Cesareo. This narrow street is paved with smooth flagstones worn with years of use, the tall buildings on either side are a delightful mix of tiny artisan workshops, restaurants and boutiques selling either leathergoods, clothing or a huge array of lemon themed souvenirs. Every so often the street opens up and you’re offered an unexpected view of the gorgeous Duomo bell tower or the Sedil Dominova; a beautiful 14th century loggia with absolutely incredible frescoes adorning the inside of its cupola.

We then took in the glorious coastal view from Villa Communale, a large terrace hugging the cliff top, before winding down the old, cool streets to Sorrento’s Marina Grande, it’s little fishing village. Passing under the historic town gate you pop out just above this picture perfect little harbour. Normally this would be full of tourists at this time of year, all flocking to eat at one of the little seafood restaurants on the harbour front. However, apart from a handful of locals we had the place to ourselves. We decided to eat at Taverna Azzura, a family run seafood restaurant dating back to 1930 where the fish just doesn’t get any fresher! We shared the classic caprese salad, then both opted for that day’s special of crab filled ravioli in a creamy prawn sauce. Delicious! Washed down with some white wine and complementary, homemade limoncello. The walk back up the steep cliff seemed a lot harder than it should it have done!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the campsite, a delighful little agricampeggio ten minute drive up the hill from Sorrento. It’s called Oasi Verde and an oasis it certainly is. It’s accessed off a main road in to a small farmyard where the road just suddenly drops down a very steep drive in to an idyllic lemon grove nestled in to the hillside. There’s 8 pitches amongst the lemon trees, olive trees and vines, some with picnic benches and some with BBQ’s. We set up camp and relaxed with the scruffy farm dogs for company.

The next morning we were woken by the battle cries of the various local cockerels dotted about the hillside all eager to announce the imminent sunrise. The ‘crow off’ was then replaced by the beautiful chorus of birds punctuated with the odd dog bark and moped whine. We left early and headed for a little village called Nerano, where the wider, busier roads gave way to narrow, winding, quiet roads as we dropped down to park in the village. From here we hiked the 6 kilometres to the Bay of Ieranto, whose name derives from the Greek word ieros, meaning sacred land. The Sorrentine peninsula is known as ‘The land of the Sirens’ and according to legend this furthest point is where these mythical creatures sang sailors to their doom. The path hugged the cliff for the first part of the walk before reaching a rocky outcrop which offered absolutely gorgeous views along the coast. The path then dropped down in to a valley where it wound itself through row upon row of olive trees which in their regimented lines looked out of place in the otherwise rugged, wild landscape. The shaded grove offered some cover from the already hot sun and as we walked down the hillside the only sound was of birds chirping and the distant lapping of the sea. The path forked with an option to go down to the bay’s small beach where there were already a handful of people snorkelling and sunbathing. We opted to go down to the left to the large abandoned mining buildings that looked like they’d just been stuck to the cliffs above the water line. From here we could appreciate how crystal clear the blue water was and as it is a protected coastline with no motorised boats allowed, the whole area was immaculately unspoiled. As we dangled our feet in the refreshingly cool water we sat listening to the sounds of the water and the low hum of chatter coming from the group of older village men on the beach, obviously partaking in their Saturday morning ritual.

The walk back up took us up the ‘miner’s stairs’ which were a set of rocky steps precariously clinging to the steep cliff face. With views across to Capri offering a good excuse for regular breath-catching rests, the climb wasn’t too arduous and I felt quite good. As we neared the end of the trail at Nerano, the number of people going the other way increased so it was a good move to get up early and get on with it.

We left Nerano and drove back along the winding coast road to Massa Lubrensee, another picturesque town hugging the cliffs with a pretty, little marina at the foot of the hill. Having walked 12 miles we put our feet up for a bit that afternoon and that evening treated ourselves to a fantastic pizza in Sorrento at Pizzeria da Franco’s on the edge of town. A casual restaurant that turned out to be a great find as the locals poured in, to either eat in the restaurant or collect takeaways. It was a great way to end a lovely day.

The following morning saw a leisurely start before packing up and heading back. Perfect timing as the road in to Sorrento was full of cars and mopeds with locals making for the beaches. We only scratched the surface of this famous peninsula but having it so close by means we can easily pop back to explore more. Now for some settling in to the community and developing a routine!