Floriana Park

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana

by Balam

The origins of this product date back to the introduction of the buffalo in Italy. There are many hypotheses on the period of intoduction and start of the tradition of Italian breeding. The buffalo has origins in eastern India although the hypothisis of a native Italian Buffalow is reinforced by the retrieval of fossils in the roman countries.
The term "Mozzarella" derives from the operation of "stumping by hand" practiced in the final phase of the working of the mozzarella. The Borboni dedicated themselves particularly to the breeding of the buffalo, in particular in the real estate of Carditello, where in the middle of 1700 they started a cheese factory

In the zone of Volturno and Sele, today the ancient bufalare (buffalo graze) dating back to those times can still be found.
The characteristic of buffalo mozzarella is of course the raw materials employed, the fresh buffalo milk, of which approximately 4,2 liters are necessary in order to produce a kilogram of mozzarella, and the particular working that consists in the operation of the spinning. The spinning by hand consists in working the paste of the cheese till end of maturation with hot water until making it "spin", in order to obtain the particular consistency of the final product.

For the spinning a cookware and a wooden stick are used, raising and continuously spinning the fused paste until obtaining a homogenous paste. At the end there is the mold preparation, that still today, many, execute by hand with the traditional "mozzatura", that the cheese producer carries out with the thumb and the index of the hand. The mozzarellas therefore produced are then left to cool in bathtubs containing cold water and finally salted. It’s also allowed the smoking, an ancient and traditional natural process of working, but in such case the denomination of origin must be followed by the wording "affumicata" (smoked).

Circumvesuviana

by Martin_H

The Circumvesuviana is the urban rail network around the Bay of Naples. Sorrento is at the end of one of the branches and the time taken to get to or from Naples is about 70 minutes (mainly due to the number of stops).
This trainline has the advantage of stopping at Pompeii (Pompeii Scavi) and Herculaneum (Ercolano) so makes getting to these sights very simple and quite cheap.

Explore the "Secret" Alleys

by longsanborn

Sorrento is not very large and you can stroll around and explore the pretty alleys lined with shops selling numerous things typically sold to tourists. There are many lovely and practical items being sold that you could hardly resist them - the bright colorful ceramics, lemon-motif fabrics, glass and leather goods, italian wines, olive oils and balsamic vinegars, limoncellos, cheeses, spices, etc.

When you get tired of walking, browsing or shopping, you can stop for some coffee/wine, have a quick/long lunch and people-watch at the numerous cafes and restaurants around there.

Ahh... what a life! Nothing much to do but to walk/stroll, browse/shop, eat/drink on a beautiful sunny day in southern italy!

Be sure to wear a good pair of walking shoes because the cobblestones can be really hard on your knees and legs.

Chiesa del Carmine

by GUYON

The Church del Carmine is beside the Correale Museum which is the local art museum.
It presents chinas, furnitures and things having been owned by Tasso. There are also Napoliran paintings and archeological remains.
Open 9AM to 2 PM excepted on Tuesday.

Maybe I will come back...........

by leics

I'll be honest..........I didn't deliberately choose to visit Sorrento for itself. The first trip in 2008 was to see Pompeii, and Herculaneum, and other ancient sites. I didn't fancy staying in Naples, so Sorrento presented itself as a possibility because of the Circumvesuviana train, and the local bus services.

As I visited out of season (as I prefer) I found a really nice and very reasonably-priced hotel: the Hotel Savoia (my second trip was based in an equally nice and equally well-priced hotel, the Mignon Meuble). And because I usually travel out-of-season I wasn't too surprised to find that many places in Sorrento (restaurants etc) were closed, but that is something to be aware of if you plan to visit in winter.

So what did I think of Sorrento? Well, for a place so obviously geared up for tourism and day-trips it maintains its own character very well, I think. Maybe this wouldn't be so obvious in high season, but I did like the way it felt like the ordinary working town it clearly is.

I liked the Medieval street pattern which still remains, and the narrow alleyways, and the deep clefts which separate chunks of the town. I liked searching out the Roman remains incorporated into the bell-tower and the Cloisters of St. Francis, was fascinated by the votive objects in the crypt of the Basilica S. Antonino and found a little of the original ancient Greek defensive wall under the Medieval structure at Porta Parsano Nuova.

But there's not a vast amount to see in terms of history; a leisurely day visit would easily cover all the main sites. And I'm not a shopper, so I wasn't particularly interested in browsing the limoncello shops, or the beauiful marquetry on show, or the shops which sell 'typical' products. But I know thousands are, and the income they generate is vital to this area, so I have no objection to so much time and effort being devoted to the tourist trade.

I ate some good gelati, some excellent cakes from Paticceria Monica on Via Fiuorimura (it had huge queues of locals on S. Antonino's day, so must be good), had perfectly satisfactory salads/pizza in a local bar. I wandered the streets, explored a couple of churches..........and spent most of my time elsewhere, one way or another.

So, what I think I'm saying is this:

For me, being not really interested in the 'usual' touristy stuff, in spending money or in wandering aimlessly, Sorrento out of season provided a convenient and pleasant base for my explorations. It had everything I needed, and some pretty stunning views. I suspect I wouldn't like it in summer, no doubt entirely stuffed with crowds and coach tours.

But that's me: thousands of others will, no doubt, have entirely the opposite opinion!

The second trip was for me to introduce my friend to the area (took her to Rome last year). Freezing cold in February 2009, with snow on Vesuvius and a landslide reducing our planned Amalfi coast bus ride to a Positano visit......but she enjoyed herself.

And I realised I'll have to go back another time, to see Naples properly, and Herculaneum again, and some other Roman sites....and maybe ven get up Vesuvius.

Probably next February. I'll take more clothes with me and that way I can be certain the weather will be warmer! :-)