Many civilizations have lived in this area: the Etruscans, the Greeks (who gave the city its urban layout that is still clearly visible today in the historical centre), the Oscans, the Romans. Later came the subjugation to Byzantium, the sack by the Longobards, the conquest by the Normans, the good influence of the Aragonese. After a long period of stagnation, the beginning of the 18th century saw a time of cultural, economic and social rebirth for the whole of Sorrento peninsula, at the top during the 19th century.
This was the time when the tourism vocation of the area was born and was established with its inclusion in the so-called "Grand Tour". A journey through the most important Italian sites that every young European noble of the time had to make to complete his cultural, historical and literary formation. Important guests such as Byron, Keats, Scott, Dickens, Goethe, Wagner, Ibsen and Nietzsche, among the most famous, came to stay in Sorrento looking for sun and inspiration.
The same period saw an intensification of traditional activities such as agriculture, sea trade and finally and progressively the tourism industry that is currently the most important sector of the Sorrentine economy.Today Sorrento is a modern city offering high-standard accommodations, rich restaurants selection, italian most famous fashion brands.
Do not miss the prestigious and rich Museo Correale di Terranova, keeping important testimonies of the town history still today.
Since the 18th century, Sorrento is also famous for its great craft tradition of inlaid wood. Some examples of great value can be admired at the Museo-Bottega della Tarsia Lignea located in an ancient palace of the 18th century in the historical centre.
Sorrento hosts important cultural, musical and cinema events, and is the ideal starting point for visiting all the important tourist sites of the area: Capri, Ischia, Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Positano, Amalfi.