Italy hosts a number of small cities; one among them is the city of Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. There are many historical places in the world, but few are like Sorrento. There is much evidence of the ancient Greek and Roman influence in the architecture of Sorrento and this has been preserved in the development of the town.

Many of the older sights have been well preserved and even with the advances of modern living, the roots of the past are still evident throughout this wonderful city. In essence, Sorrento is a gateway between the past and the present. It has been a place that has been the source of philosophy and technology combined.

The town is easily accessible from Naples and the Pompeii. It also over looks the bay of Naples. With its breath taking views, and beautiful green hills, this has been a land of resting and pleasure right from the time of the Roman rule. The Romans were so enthralled by the beauty of the place that they chose this land to be their holiday destination for their Patricians.

Tourists from all over the world plan their excursion in the land to Capri, Pompei, Ischia, Amalfi, Ercolona, Positano, and the Vesuvius.

Mythology states that the land was named after a creature half woman and half fish called Sirens. The name later evolved to be Sorrento. These creatures sang for the sailors in the deep seas.

The city of Sorrento has also gone to huge lengths protect the sites of historical interest from the effects of weather and the pollution damage. This is something that can be seen in the sites of the ancient past that have been uncovered from as far back as 1000 A.D. that were once the foundations to modern thinking.

This makes the city of Sorrento a hot spot not just for tourists, but also for those that are seeking to learn more about where we came from and in some ways the direction of where we are heading to.

The beauty and the greenery of the place has drawn a number of people to Sorrento; among them were poets, men of literature, painters, musicians and in the recent years photographers of high esteem.

To name a few, people like Goethe, Stendhal, Lamartine, De Bouchard, Ibsen, and Douglas of literature have been here. Musicians and painters who were inspired by the place are Rossini, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Wagner, Pinelli, Lindstrom and Fernet. The most noted among them being the Soviet Writer Maxim Gorky.

With the inflow of tourists the place saw a boom in the growth of villas and hotels for residential purposes. It is believed that there are more than some fifteen thousand accommodation facilities for tourists alone in the small city.

There are many places of interest in and around Sorrento that are not to missed. The Basilica of Saint Antonino (dedicated to the Saint Antonino where he is laid to rest, is the place of preserve of some ancient paintings and has pieces of an ancient

Majolica tiled floor), is a cathedral built in the fifteenth century with ancient wood work. Others include the Sedil Dominova (a monument where meetings took place to discuss the developments of the city), the Saint Francis Convent, Marian Grande, the Correale Museum, The Sorrento Cape and the Marina Puolo.