Monuments and natural beauties of Sorrento
THE BASILICA OF S. ANTONINO
It was built in XI century on a former oratory dedicated
to S. Antonino (of IX century). In the past this church
was also the centre of a heretical movement. The middle
nave of the church has a painted ceiling with rose-windows.
In the middle there is a painting portraying S. Antonino
during an exorcism.
There are also interesting paintings by Giovanni del
Po portraying important events of the story of the town.
Others interesting objects are the relics of S. Antonino;
a crib of 1700; a silver statue portraying S. Antonino.
SEDIL DOMINOVA
The Domus novae (Dominova) was made in XVI century and
it is the only ancient noble seat in Campania.
It is in Renaissance style with a quadrangular portico
and a small meeting room where noblemen of Sorrento met
to discuss political issues. The building is decorated
with frescoes and with the coats of arms of the
most important noble families of Sorrento.
THE CATHEDRAL
The cathedral was built in XI century and has beencompletely
restructured in XV century in Romanic style.
The bell
tower is the original one. The cathedral has three
floors and Roman architectural elements. The shape is
that of a Latin cross. The pulpit has elegant marble
columns and panels; there is a wonderful organ of 1897;
the wooden choir stalls is carved portraying the Apostles
and other Saints; there are several interesting paintings
about martyrs and saints.
.VILLA COMUNALE
The gardens of the Villa Comunale were created to replace
the ancient gardens of the monastery dedicated to Daint
Francis. The gardens offer a beautiful view over the
sea, from here you will admire the Gulf of Naples dominated
by the Vesuvius. There are two bronze busts portraying
two important people for Sorrento, celebrated in this
way by the town: Bartolomeo Capasso and F. Saverio Gargiulo.
CHIOSTRO DI S. FRANCESCO -  CLOISTER
OF SAINT FRANCIS
Near the churchm in the convent dedicated
to Saint Francis there is a beautiful cloister from the
XIV century supported by octagonal columns with arches
in Arabian style. Now the cloister is the setting for
music concerts and art exhibitions.
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VIA S. CESAREO
In the ancient heart of the town there is a beautiful
road, Via San Cesareo, sided by the most elegant palaces
of the town, from the XVII and XVIII centuries.
They are a beautiful example of Baroque style with their
elegant portals.
PIAZZA TASSO
 Sorrento
has narrow streets and quiet squares, like Piazza Tasso
which is brimming with excellent restaurants, bars and
cafés. There are many trendy shops from
one-off boutiques to top names.
This square is the heart of Sorrento and it was dedicated
to the most famous person born in Sorrento:
Torquato Tasso. This famous Italian poet was born in
1544.
In the past this square was called 'Largo Castello'
because there was a castle of XV century ('castello'
is 'castle'). The castle was pulled down in 1843.
PORTA DI MARINA GRANDE
This is the ancient Greek entrance to the town and it
still keeps its original structure. Saracen pirates entered
the town crossing this entrance in 1558 and sacked it.
MARINA GRANDE
 This
is the biggest bay in the Gulf of Sorrento, and it has
always been the port of the town. Now there are the most
famous shores of Sorrento, with their lively colours
THE CORREALE MUSEUM
 This
museum is in the palace that once belonged to the noble
family of Naples, the Correale family. It was inaugurated
in 1924 and contains many important objects, such as
Capodimonte porcelains of XVIII century and paintings
of the famous Posillipo school. At the
ground floor there is a section dedicated to findings
from excavations in Sorrento and on the Sorrento Coast,
such as pots, tombs (IX to VI century b.C.) There is
also a beautiful collection of fans made between XVIII
and XX centuries and a rich library with original works
by Torquato Tasso.
THE GEORGE VALLET ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
This museum is situated in Villa de Sandro di Fondi.
In this noble palace decorated with frescoes from the
XVIII century and surrounded by a beautiful park, there
are findings from the excavations on the Sorrento Coast,
dating back to Neolithic period up(Neolithic necropoli
of Gaudo) to the IV century b.C.
THE ' BATHS OF QUEEN JOANNA' - POLLIO FELICE’S
VILLA
In Capo di Sorrento there are the remains of a wonderful
Roman villa which belonged to Pollio Felice and described
by the poet Publio Papino Stazio (45-96 a.C). This villa
is also known as the 'Baths of Queen Joanna' because
population thought that queen Joanna II of Durazzo (who
behaved in a very scandalous way) had her bath completely
naked in a hidden creek of Capo di Sorrento.
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