Day 3 of my Sunny Escapes Trip travel diary took me to Sorrento – one of the most famous views in Italy. Read more about what to expect in this charming little town.
I started my day with an early train trip from Naples to Sorrento. It’s important to note that the Central station in Naples has two levels – upper lever is Naples Central with fast trains and mainline train connections to places like Rome, and Naples Garibaldi which is for local trains (like Circumvisuviana, the Metro lines and Campania Express). Delays of the local trains are quite common, so I was prepared for some waiting. I had a Campania Express ticket and everyone such ticket had a space in the first carriage of the train and we had a guide for the ride.
The trip took about hour and a half with a stop at Pompeii. The trip costs about £12. I pre-booked my ticket on the TrainPal app.
I arrived at Sorrento and quickly made my way to the main viewpoint of the town – Villa Cumonale. This is the most famous place in Sorrento and it gets quite busy, but if you go slightly down the stairs, you can get amazing photos without the crowds. Everywhere you look, it’s very beautiful!
I sat at a local restaurant and had a Margherita Pizza, which was very delicious (the tomato sauce was very fresh and full of flavour). If you are travelling on a budget, however, be aware that the tap water and pieces of bread they brought to the table were not complimentary and they charged for it. In the end, they tripled the tip I wrote that I was willing to give them, which explained why they tilted the card machine in a way I couldn’t see the number on the display. They ended up changing me double for the pizza I ordered and if you are calculating money for food, this is something you need to be aware of (although other places may not be doing the same). The pizza was worth it, though!
This area of Italy is known for its lemons and I highly recommend you try the lemon sorbet!
Another advise I would give is that if you are using a local train and plan a connection with a mainline train, leave yourself plenty of time. My train out of Sorrento broke down shortly after we left the station. When I saw the driver jumping on the tracks, I knew something must have been quite wrong. However, they took us back to Sorrento, moved us all to another train and we arrived back at Naples with about 45 minutes delay.
I had a coffee and boarded the train to Formia. This is mainline train, leaving from the upper level of Naples Central in the direction of Roma Termini.
I immediately fell on love with Formia! The colours, the flowers, the views…! The air is fresh with the town positioned between tall mountains and the sea. I walked around and found that this is a very lovely little town. My AirBnB was great – clean, on a quiet street just few steps away from central Formia. The host was very welcoming and ensured I had everything I need before he handed me the keys and showed me my private garden.
Formia is definitely a hidden gem!
