Why Sorrento should be your next Italian gastronomic getaway

Perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, Sorrento’s location has long been part of its appeal. A historic centre of narrow alleyways and medieval architecture only adds to the allure with hotels, restaurants and gift shops secreted among its warren of streets.

Long after Roman emperors favoured it as a retreat, the town became a stop on the aristocratic Grand Tour and its popularity grew immensely in the 19th century, when Byron, Keats, Goethe, Dickens and Nietzsche all spent time here.

Visitors spend lazy afternoons sat in piazzas, at beach clubs at the base of the cliff, close to the harbour, or simply indulging in the seafood, gelato and local wines that Italy traditionally excels at.

And while it’s well placed as a base for exploring Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast, there are enough reasons to stay local. The town’s Museo Correale art museum is housed in a patrician villa and beyond the town centre there are coastal hikes, secluded beaches and ever-present lemon groves to explore.

The experience

Italy might be a fastidious country when it comes to cuisine and tradition, but there are almost 400 Michelin-starred restaurants and plenty of experimental, inventive chefs making their mark with dishes that challenge — or play with — those customs. Terrazza Bosquet’s executive chef Antonino Montefusco is one such chef. Sorrento-born, he draws on the region’s culinary heritage and uses local ingredients, notably from the property’s gardens. And his training in some of Europe’s top kitchens gives him a platform for this creativity.

As the lights twinkle on the other side of the Bay of Naples, the sumptuous setting and panoramic views might suggest a fussy, formal experience but what you actually get is a sense of theatre — and a menu that shows food can be fun and serious at the same time. Service is attentive and welcoming, perfectly judged so that waiters only seem to appear when you need something.

With a choice of four tasting menus, there’s plenty of opportunity for Montefusco to show off what’s grown on his doorstep, or coming from local suppliers. Intricate starters, such as baby octopus with chickpeas and pea soup or red mullet with chicory salad and anchovies, offer colour and flavour in abundance. The same could be said of a pasta dish served with smoked potatoes, chives and caviar — a scattergun of orange, purple, green and white on the plate.

But the showstopper is a lemon sorbet that pays homage to Sorrento’s famed lemon groves. It’s made in front of you with liquid nitrogen, cloudy smoke billowing across the table as the whole spectacle draws to a close.

The hotel

Celebrating its 190th anniversary this year, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria occupies a prime position in Sorrento — three adjoining buildings sit proudly atop the cliff, overlooking the harbour. The spectacular views are obviously a given but, set in five acres of private gardens, it also offers a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the centre despite being just set back from Sorrento’s main piazza.

The hotel doesn’t wear its traditional Italian decor heavily, with light colours, marble and intricate, high ceilings creating a breezy, Mediterranean atmosphere. And with just 81 elegant rooms, the property never feels busy — walking through the grand corridors and public rooms, you almost feel like personal guests of the Fiorentino family, who have owned and operated the hotel since 1834.

If the restaurants, bars, pool, spa and grounds themselves don’t occupy you completely, the private lift down to the harbour can see you whisked off to Capri within an hour — private boat optional, of course.