Marina Grande, Sorrento

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Marina Grande is the ancient fishing village part of modern Sorrento, and well worth a wander.

It's tucked under (and built into, in some cases) the cliffs at the western end of the town, accessed by a road or (better) by a series of steps down from Via Sopra Le Mura.

There are bars, trattoria and restaurants (all closed when I visited)...no doubt the whole place is heaving in the season, with expensive sun-loungers out on the jetties and prices to match the customers.

But out of season it was possible to get a feel for what life was once like when this was a tiny village. Higgledy-piggledy houses, heaps of nets on the quayside packed away for the winter, fishermen mending nets for the coming season, local lads loudly playing football in the street (and annoying the residents). February is clearly the time to prepare for the season; apart from the net-mending, there was much evidence of painting, renovating and sorting-out everywhere.

And in the middle of it all, the church. A pretty church, worth going inside.

I liked Marina Grande very much out of season. I'm not sure I would like it so much when it is thronged with visitors and sun-worshippers, but it is the money they bring which allows such places to continue existing. Which is fair enough.

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Marina Grande is right out of one of those gorgeous photos of Italy that enticed you here in the first place. A traditional fishing village that appears virtually untouched by the modern world, it's possibly the best spot in Sorrento to exhaust your camera's memory card. Pastel houses, festooned with the day's laundry, march along a deep azur sea with gently bobbing wooden boats of blue and white. The docks and shore bustle with heavy-muscled fishermen hauling nets and crating up catch. Women with children at their heels make their way home with bags of Crayola-colored red, green and yellow produce from the market. Tourists and locals alike lounge on bathing decks sprouting cheerful umbrellas against the heat of the midday sun.

It's a long, steep walk down - and a longer way back up - from Piazza Tasso but this is not to be missed. I can't quite remember what streets/stairways we took but it was probably from Via Marina Grande. Whatever, just ask - as it's one of Sorrento's star attractions so you won't have trouble finding it!

If you have bad knees, I suggest taking a bus down the hill and back. Line D of the bright orange buses that serve Sorrento proper leave from Pizza Tasso to the marina and back about every 20 minutes.

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I was staying at Hotel Ascot. If you walk out of the hotel and right as if you are going down into the main shopping area there is a hospital about two minutes from the hotel. At the hospital there are some steps which take you down from the street onto another street below and if you follow the windy road through a tunnel and down to the bottom of the hill you come to a beautiful little fishing village (Marina Grande) which has a beautiful church and a few souvenir shops and restaurants. I then took the steep path back all the way up to the other side of Sorrento. It is a baeutiful walk and it means you can get some breathtaking pictures of the Sorrento Cliffs.

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This was our favourite spot in Sorrento. Here, away from the traffic of the streets above, you can fancy yourself in a small fishing village. It’s a great place for keen photographers, with loads of local colour – fishermen passing the time of day or mending their nets, locals hanging out their washing from windows on the steep hillside, cats basking in the sun, and occasionally a boat heading out to sea. It’s all a little scruffy, but much more appealing for that.

To get here you follow Via Marina Grande down from the Piazza della Vittoria, turning right down a flight of stone steps through the ancient Greek gateway to the harbour. Once through here the view opens up and you see the harbour below. A few more steps, a few more minutes, and you’re down by the water’s edge. You can turn right to walk out on the jetty where the fishermen linger, or left to follow the bay round to the pretty church and a succession of unassuming restaurants and cafés – see my Restaurant tip.

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This is a perfect little place in Sorrento where tourists seem to be missing! It looks and feels like a small fishing village. Find a pathway down to the bay, lay out on the beach, eat at one of the 5 or 6 restaurants, have a picnic in front of the little yellow church, and just relax...

If you walk towards the Marina Grande from the city center, you will find that part of the area is made of stones dated back to the Middle Ages. You can also find fishing village where fishermen bring in their daily catch and peek into their houses to watch them repairing fishing nets.

If you get hungry, there are some restaurants that serve fresh albeit expensive seafood. There are also great views from the higher areas of the Marina Grande for photo opprtunities & relaxing

Sorrento has two marinas: Marina Grande and Marina Piccola (Big Marina and Small Marina). They are located below the city center and can be accessed by foot, car or public bus. At Marina level you will find public beaches, boat rentals and transportation connections to other destinations along the Amalfi Coast (including Capri, Positano and Amalfi). Tickets are sold directly at Marina level, and there are restaurants and snackbars to fill you up before your boat trip.

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Marina Grande is the small fishing harbour almost at the south end of Sorrento. It's quaint and typical, with pastel coloured houses and lots of small fish restaurants.
It's a fairly steep walk down from the city centre.