The English writer Norman Douglas memorably praised the beauties of southern Italy. His descriptions, written in the mid-twentieth century, have not dated and the landscapes he loved are as ravishing today as they were then: "Descending through the loveliest groves of olive, pomegranate and orange to Meta, where the church of the Madonna del Lauro is said to occupy the site of a Temple of Diana, the road enters by a deep ravine the great plain of the headland, passing through every sort of delicious grove and garden at last into the city of Sorrento, which in all ages has been famous for its health, its beauty, and its wine."
La Tonnarella, though close to the centre of Sorrento, is utterly detached from the bustle of the city, perched high on a spur of rock overlooking the Bay of Naples. Named after the typical fishing nets used to catch the local tuna, it was originally built as the summer villa of a local family and has been sensitively converted into an attractive 24-room hotel retaining many of the old architectural details and exquisite ceramic tiles. The rooms are cool and elegant, some with spectacular sea views, balconies or terraces. There are suites with Jacuzzis or hydro-massage pools. All rooms are bright and comfortably decorated with antiques and hand-painted maiolica tiles on the walls and floors. There is an elevator descending into a narrow ravine filled with colourful, fragrant wild flowers - a pleasing Ian Fleming-like flourish - that takes you to La Tonnarella’s secluded private beach. The excellent restaurant has a panoramic terrace overlooking the bay to Mount Vesuvius. The chef uses local ingredients to great advantage, including seasonal lobster, shrimps, calamari, tomatoes, zucchini and lemons. The wines are expertly chosen, the terrace a perfect place to drink them and contemplate the words of Norman Douglas:
"Certainly there is something secret - how shall I say? - something sacred and withdrawn about Sorrento, so that you are not surprised to learn that of old, with its territory, all this piana was consecrated to Minerva, whose especial sanctuary was the great and famous temple set upon the promontory which bore her name, Minervae Promontorium, and which we today call the Punta della Gampanella, because Charles V erected there a Martello tower and hung a bell in it, which it was the business of the watchmen to strike with a great mallet, and thus to give warning of the approach of the Barbary pirates, who constantly raped all this coast."
La Tonnarella - Via Capo 31 - Sorrento 80067
Manager: Mr. Giuseppe Gargiulo.
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