Sorrento

Just when pilgrims hair-pinning their way along the Amalfi Drive think things couldn’t get much more delightful, astonishing Campania gives Sorrento; a kaleidoscopic burst of medieval homes all dressed in hues of vermillion, bisque and bittersweet and draped abruptly over the precipitous cliffs of the Sorrentine Peninsula. Hey, how else could this sunny enclave just across the bay from Naples woo the romantic likes of Byron, Keats and Goethe? And it’s continued wooing since too, with rich eulogies and pastiches now making Sorrento a veritable jewel in the Italian crown; a place synonymous with the Roman nouveau riche, oozing La Dolce Vita and—unfortunately—bursting at the seams with tourists from spring to September.

Unsurprisingly, it’s the views here that are the number one attraction. However, travellers eager for more than just the Amalfi cliffs and the hazy outlines of Vesuvius and the Capri Isle are invited to wander the tight-knit streets under the gaze of the Duomo, or at the behest of a Sorrento tour guide spouting tales of Neapolitan kings and Byzantine battles alike. Then why not cool off in the Med at Marina Piccola before heading to the trattorias (this is Italy after all), for stacks of parmigiana, gnocchi and limoncello infused with citrus slices fresh off the trees.