Situated in the historical site it is the only remaining
testimony in Campania of the old noble seats and dates back to the XVIth
century. It has a quadrilateral form with two corner arches in pirerno
(lava). The end of the walls and the interior of the cupola (1600) displays
XVIIIth century frescoes.
CATHEDRAL IN ROMANIC STYLE
Cathedral of the XVth century. Presents a marble portal (1474) in
Renaissance style surmounted by the Aragonese escutcheon. The church houses
an archbishop throne in fine marbles of 1573, and a wooden marquetry work of
Sorrentine craftsmen and of the Neapolintan school of the 1700s. The
Belltower is of the Romanic era (XI cen.) in the imposing belltower's base.
EX CONVENT OF PADRI TEATINI
The convent today is municipal seat. It is adjacent to the
Basilica dedicated to the Patron Saint ST.Antonino whose remains are
conserved in the crypt since 1700. The portal access is in Byzantinian-Romanesque
form and dates back to the Xth century.
CHURCH AND CLOISTER IN SAN FRANCESCO SQUARE
Architectural work of the XIVth century. The cloister's architecture
presents crossed arches in tufo on two sides and on the other two sides
round arches on octagonal pilasters. The church of ST.Francis dates back to
the XVI century and in the first of the three chapels on the right a wooden
statue depicting Christ on the criss can be admired.
MUSEUM CORREALE DI TERRANOVA
The ground floor of the museum conserves Greek, Roman and Byzantine marbles.
On the upper floors there are neapolentan furnitures of the '600s and of the
'700s, porcellans of Capodimonte, crystals of Boemia, Venece glasses,
pictures and inlaid woodwork collections. It is possible to visit it from
9am to 12.30am and from 5pm to 7pm excluding Tuesdays.
ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM "VILLA FIORENTINO"
It is possible to visit it from 9am to 7pm
RUINS OF VILLA DI AGRIPPA POSTUMO AND OF PORTA ROMANA
It is possible to visit it .
PORTA PARSANO
It is possible to visit them freely.
POLLIO FELICE VILLA
Located in Capo di Sorrento. It is possible to visit it freely.
Buildings and characteristic places of Sorrento
The old town
The only part of the old Greek town still remaining is the defensive
wall located under the road at the Porta Parsano Nuova (new Parsano
Gate) and can be viewed through a grid.
Another small ruin of the Greek wall is located at Marina Grande.
The Roman town was built over the Greek one following the same urban
plain with walls of large isodomic blocks.
These walls stood to defend Sorrento through the Middle Ages.
Rebuilding began in 1551 and was only completed in 1561 after the
tragic Turkish invasion.
Location: via Sersale corner with via degli Aranci.
Museums
Correale di Terranova Museum
The small museum resulted from the great passion for
art by Antonio Correale, Count of Terranova.
On exhibit are paintings of minor artists of the seventeenth century
school of Neapolitan artists and other artists, among whom is Rubens.
There is also an interesting collection of art objects, neoclassic
statues, archiological diggings, majolicas of local artists, and
precious porcelain of Capodimonte.
Location: via Correale.
Historical buildings
Sedile Dominova (Dominova Seat)
This is the only remaining testimony in
Campania of the old noble seats and dates to the XVth century. It
has a quadrilateral form with two corner arches in piperno (lava)
permitting the view of the interior of the cupola and the end walls
with 18th century frescoes. The pilasters and polystyle arches with
their capotals are in archaic style. The 17th century cupola is
formed by green and yellow majolica roof-tiles.
Location: via S.Cesareo.
Fifteenth Century House
The only curious examples of local architecture deriving from the influx of Tuscan experts working
in Naples in the second half of the 1400s are the small building with lodge in Vico Galantarario, the capitals
which can be found in Neapolitan staircase in Via S. Arcangelo a
Baiano and those of the Pontano Chapel with the only variation of
leaf placed inside out.
Location: via Calantariano.
Part of the House of Tasso
The Imperial Tramontano Hotel incorporates
two rooms left from the house where Torquato Tasso, author of
Jerusalem Liberated, was born in 1544
Location: via V.Veneto.
House
of Cornelia Tasso
At number 11 Via S. Nicola is the Fasulo House, once
the Sersale House. Cornelia Tasso, Torquato's sister, lived here.
Her famous brother lived here too for a little period. In the
entrance hall is a vault decorated with stems, military trophies
and inscriptions from 1615 in memory of the poet.
Location: via S.Nicola, 11.
Correale Palace (XIVth century)
The facade of this building exhibits valuable
acute-arched mullioned windows in dark tufo in various shapes and
designs, with small arches and lobed rose-windows. There is a
beatiful large window with an overhanging pointed arch which rests
on polystyle piers upheld by corbers and crowned by Gothic capitals
of acanthus leaves; in the keystone of the arch the coat-of-arms is
incised. The portal is characteristically Neapolitan arch with
Durazzesque Catalan patterns and was used from the 1300s all through
the 1400s.
Location: via Pietà.
Veniero Palace (XIIIth century)
Despite the alterations which it has undergone over
the Centuries this building is of exceptional raruty and worth as it
rapresents the late Byzantine and Arab faste uniquelly drafted in
compositive organic continuity. The three large arched windows on
each floor are surrounded by wide fillets in grey and yellow tufo,
two narrower fillets, used ad floor markers, underline the two rows
of windows and round tiles, like small rose-windows with majolica
paterae in the center, alternate at the apertures with a slightly
raised contour at the base of the plaster. The inlaid tufo
decoration develops a succession of lozanges with the exception of
the central window whose frieze follows a zig-zag motif.
Location: via Pietà.
The Correale House in the Tasso Square
In the main square, once called largo of the
castle, exactly at the corner where Via Pietàbegins, another
Correale Palace is located. The inscription on the portal's marble
scroll ornament bears the date 1768 but it is known that as early as
the XVth century a house belonging to this family stood here and was
later totally transformed by the 17th century reconstruction.
Location: piazza Tasso.
Porta Seat (XVIth century)
In the corner which Via S. Cesareo forms with the
Tasso square, where the Sorrentine Club is now located, there once
stood a Seat, called Porta because it was originally built near the
city's main gate in the area then called Largo del Castello.
After the abolition of the Seats it was first turned into a prison
and then a guard-house for the urban militia and finally a meeting
place for the Sorrentine Club. Location: Tasso square corner with via S.Cesareo.
The cathedral of Sorrento was built in the eleventh
century and reconstructed in the fifteenth century, continuing the
style of Romanesque architecture. It houses works of Neapolitan
artist of the seventeenth century. The cathedral is part of a
complex that hosts the Bishop and has always been considered an
important point of reference for all the Catholic community of the
entire peninsula. Of particular interest is the bell tower with its
clock, which is a symbol of the entire structure. Easily recognized
are the elements of the Romanesque period seen on the ground leven
of the buildings, while the circular clock in policromatic ceramic
enriches the entire structure.
Location: corso Italia.
Church of the PietÃÂÂ
The Church stands next to the old monastery and was
built in Baroque style. It was enlarged in 1752 under the Archdeacon
Nicolò Cortese as written on the plaque at the entrance. The shiny
stucco walls are adorned by two small temples upheld by two columns
with pictures of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Margeret of Cortone
(1600s) in the center.
Location: via Pietà.
Church of the Annunciation
The origin of this Church is antique although the
date of its foundation is not known. It was probably built on the
remains of the temple dedicated to the godess Cybele. From 1391 in
this church the Agostinian fathers of the congregation of St. John
in Carbonara from Naples officiated. The Church was conceded by
their request in 1811 to the co-patrons of the Chapels on condition
that they took on all maintenance expenses.
Location: via Fuoro.
Church and Monastery of St. Paul
The Church is attached to the old monastery of the
Benedectine nuns of St. Paul dating to the IXth century. It consists
of one aisle with circular vault and lunettes and is enriched by
decorations, stuccoes, 17th century paintings and a majolica floor
over brickwork. Also noteworthy is the small belvedere belltower and
the cupola in majolica.
Location: via Tasso.
Church of the Rosary
Commonly referred to as the St. Rosary it was
probably built under the empire of Costantine the Great (310) over
the remains of an old pagan temple called pantheon. It was
Sorrento's cathedral from the XIIth to the XVth century.
Location: via Tasso.
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
Completed in 1739, it has two unique altairs in
local tufo rock. On the main altar is a 17th century wooden staue
reproducing the Virgin of Sorrows. The fasade, also in tufo,
preserves the elegant lines of the 17th century baroque.
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