Sorrento Shopping

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This is a special shop in Sorrento - it is a magical place all year round. Great vintage glass pieces. Great vintage light fixtures. Furthermore, for the chic woman there are purses and vintage jewelry. Great gifts and new special items all the time... and of course the owner Michele Aiello is an artist in his trade of finding special things.

What to buy: Italian vintage glassware, light vintage fixtures, vintage purses and jewelry, great summer beach vintage bags, special presents, great signs for presents and much more

What to pay: Vintage in Los Angeles is overpriced .....here is the place to buy it.... and great little presents for everyone $5.00 to $450.00

This agricultural shop for the Fattoria Terranova is located in the Piazza Tasso. Great location for the display of produce and food items grown and made in the Sorrento area. The actual farm is located about 8 km from Sorrento in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi. From Sorrento, keep on the SS 145, continue for Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi: travel 7 km and you will have arrived. Do not enter the town! Continue for a kilometer on SS 145, which then becomes Via Nastro Verde, and turn right on Strada Provinciale 4 (or Via Nastro Azzurro). Travel 400 meters and turn left on Via Pontone. You have arrived! The holiday farm Fattoria Terranova is at number 10. Worth the visit.

What to buy: Olive oils, Limoncello, many jarred items with my favorite, Baba alla Crema di Limoni. Made in the region and able to carry through customs of any country. Of course, if you are staying in Sorrento and have access to a stove, then the garlic, peppers, parsley, basil, and pastas are also good purchases. The basic Italian staples.

What to pay: The average price is based on what you buy. A jar of Baba alla Crema di Limoni was only about $9.00. Produce was competitive with markets.

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Sorrento has a larger selection of items, at more affordable prices, than most other areas of the Amalfi coast. From a few euro to draining your 401 (if airfare hasn't already done so) you'll be able to find that perfect something to haul home. So what are the local specialties?

First of all, you're in the Land of the Lemon - Sorrentine lemons taste like no others on earth and are iconic to this region. You'll see lemons on, or in, everything - soaps, cookies, plates, linens, scarves, decorative tile, candy, hats and anything else you can think of. And of course there's the quintessential alcoholic beverage of Sorrento: limoncello. It's pure sunshine in a bottle - with a very decent kick. You can find it in sizes ranging from a sip to supersized and most shops will ship.

Other good buys are handmade sandals and other leather goods, items crafted of inlaid woods, and coral jewelry. Prices can vary - the same box of cookies might be a euro or so less expensive at one shop vs another - so shop around a bit before handing over your credit card. I also recommend doing your browsing at night when the streets around Pizza Tasso close to traffic (see "Evening Passeggiata" tip under Things to Do.).

Note: A couple of the photos were taken on Capri but the items are similar to what you'll find in Sorrento

Very-very polite ladies. Try to speak italian. They are really helpful.

What to buy: Well, I found lots of items in stock. Items that were not there at the same shop in Naples. Since it was the sales period Naples runs out of the best clothing very soon, since it's a bigger city. But in Sorrento, I did find really great bargains both for women's clothes and bags. Try it!

What to pay: Max Mara (sale): 260 euro for a tailleur (wool and cashmere). 80 euro for a beautiful and very original twin-set (wool). 35 euro for a great 100% silk scarf. New collection: 300 euro for a pair of marvellous spring boots.
Furla (sale): 135 euro for a big pony skin handbag. Nannini (sale): 130 euro for an all-leather (nappa) big handbag.

What to buy: Shopping in Sorrento is fab. You can buy painted ceramics, leather goods, and lots of local speciality goods like Limoncello and inlaid wooden jewellery boxes. I noticed they were obsessed with cats in Sorrento and you could buy anything with cats on. Also Pinnocchio is seen a lot in shops here and Murano glass jewellery is popular. There are many Limoncello shops which will allow you to taste before you buy and see how the Limoncello is made.

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I bought a couple of adorable dishes but was spoiled for choice there were so many lovely ones and so hard to fit in the bags.

I also bought pasta, herbs, chillies and dried tomatoes. I like to give edible gifts.

Thanks to Pawtuxet for advice on Sorrento & shopping.

What to buy: Lots of lovely ceramics, Limoncello and super foodstuffs of all varieties.

What to pay: As much or as little as you want

From what we saw, shopping for souvenirs seems to be a favourite occupation for visitors to Sorrento. The narrow streets are lined with shops all selling very similar things, although the quality was variable. Among the items I saw were silk scarves, ceramic wall decorations, leather goods, linen (e.g. table cloths and napkins), beauty products scented with lemon, oddly shaped bottles of limoncello (e.g. in the shape of Italy), scented candles and food products from the region (many involving lemons). As it was November there were also a lot of lovely (and some less lovely) Christmas decorations.

We only window-shopped so I can’t say anything about the prices.

This little shop caught our eye when we first arrived in the Piazza Tasso because of its colourful display of dried chillies. The shop is tiny and lined with shelves packed with a wealth of local produce, all beautifully presented. In the centre an old tree grows up through the floor and is decorated with local herbs.

What to buy: We were tempted by almost everything but in the end settled on a packet of limoncello biscuits at €4.00 and a small jar of lemon marmalade at €2.50. The biscuits were delicious (the marmalade is yet to be sampled). The shop also had fresh pasta an a wide variety of shapes and colours, various flavoured oils, olives, different jams and preserves, olives and herbs. There were also beauty products such as soap and lotions scented with lemon or lavender.