Lemon-scented Sorrento

Why go?

Balanced and quite literally on the soaring limestone cliffs of Italy’s Amalfi coast, with uninterrupted views of Mount Vesuvius in the distance, Sorrento is undoubtedly a holiday town. The gentle hues of its sherbet-coloured buildings, stacked up the rockface and into the hills amid tall cypruses, olive groves, lemon trees and plum orchards, have attracted many a film crew.

Stroll the pedestrianised streets and you’ll find everything from leather to huge local lemons, while the jagged coastline, dropping straight down to the Mediterranean sea, offers plenty of spots for swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing.

What to do?

Start with a walk down to the Marina Piccola, where everything happens. Fishermen quietly cast for mullet and anchovies off the pier, while ferries buzz in from the islands of Capri and Ischia, just off the coast.

Watch the world go by with an ice-cream in your hand – or simply sunbathe on the floating decks created for the sun-worshipping Italians. From here, several flights of stone steps wend their way uphill to the old town, a puzzle of streets lined with pink and primrose buildings, where market stalls sell lemons and tomatoes and shoe makers craft scandals in every imaginable style.

Piazza Tasso, lined with cafés, is where everyone sits outside with an espresso and watches the street theatre – boys and girls zoom past on scooters and the occasional spat breaks out, Italian-style, between moped rider and car driver.

Sorrento’s main museum, Museo Correale, has Italian treasures from the 17th and 19th century Naples, and the ornate interior of the Duomo church is equally impressive.

A stroll away, the medieval cloisters of the Chiesa di San Francesco look straight out across the sea to Mount Vesuvius.

Take a 30 minute boat trip to Capri, where you can ride a cable car up to the summit of Monte Solare and see Sorrento and the entire Bay of Naples stretched out in front of you.

Don’t miss the ‘Path of the Gods’ – a series of dazzling scenic walks criss-crossing the hills around Sorrento.

Take a trip to Pompeii, the world’s largest archaeological site, and catch a glimpse of what everyday life was like 2,000 years ago

Learn to make a traditional Neapolitan pizza with the chef of the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (www.classic-collection.co.uk) or learn to cook with Mozzarella di Bufala and fresh vegetables at Inn Bufalito’s kitchen school (www.innbufalito.it).

Where to stay?

The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (www.classic-collection.co.uk) on Piazza Tasso is the oldest, most elegant hotel in town. Built in 1834, it has seen everyone from Luciano Pavarotti to Princess Margaret come down for breakfast. You’ll feel as though you’ve been whisked away to a bygone era as you dine in the grand ballroom, whose frescoed ceiling, bursting with cherubs, dates back to the 1800s.

Maison La Minervetta (www.laminervetta.com) is a more modern affair, clinging to the cliffs with spectacular views of the bay, while Bellevue Syrene (www.bellevue.it) has its own sunbathing platform.

Where to eat and drink?

There is no denying the practicality of Sorrento’s lemons; not only are they larger than life but they are used to make everything from lemon ice-cream, lemon chocolate, lemon soap, and of course limoncello.

You have to have ice-cream every day and the best place to try it is at Gelateria Bougainvillea (www.bougainvillea.it), where its handmade by Nino and Gianluca Cioffi in over 70 flavours.

You can take an ice-cream making class at Gelateria David on Via Marziale – just stroll into the shop to organise a time. There are cheese tastings at Inn Bufalito (www.innbufalito.com) on Via Fuoro, which serves Sorrento-style cheese fondue, local salsicca (sausage) and buffalo meat carpaccio.

Try some of the local pasta with rock fish sauce or gnocchi alla sorrentina – with tomato and mozzarella, at Michelin starred Ristorante Il Buco, (www.ilbucoristorante.it) in the Marina Piccola, or head to Il Giardiniello on Via Accademia for classic pasta fagioli, (with white beans).