Opera lovers visiting Sorrento should take the opportunity to visit the magnificent San Carlo Opera House in the heart of Naples. 2024 offers a wonderful programme of ballet, classical concerts as well as operas including La Bohème and Madama Butterfly. You can view the full programme at the official website. This video will give a flavour of what you could enjoy during your visit.
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San Carlo Opera Website.
Ballerì offers a range of ballet flats hand crafted in Naples with the finest materials. Creative designs by the owner, Gaia de Lizza, encapsulate the colours, traditions and styles reminiscent of the Neapolitan Riviera to match the mood and occasion of the day, be it playful, chic or just chilling out.
The quality of materials and workmanship together with innovative designs lift these flat shoes to a higher level. The Ballerì collections offer a choice suitable for all holiday activities and occasions, from beach party to restaurants or classical concerts. Ballerì has extended its range to include accessories as well as shoes for all seasons. This video provides a glimpse of the collections available instore and online. Ballerì has boutiques in Sorrento and Naples and our recent review provides some background information.
Balleri Sorrento
Corso Italia 187
80067 Sorrento
Ballerì Naples
Via Carlo Poerio 97
Naples
Ballerì Online store
If you were to walk the ‘paths of the Gods’ above the Amalfi coast and find yourselves in the 5* Caruso then you could be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon their resting place. It does not require much imagination to visualise the Gods sitting on the edge of this pool pondering the fate of us mere mortals below. As you walk through the hotel and its gardens you half expect to meet toga clad guests around each column. It is impossible not be intoxicated by this blend of historical and natural surroundings which has made many mortals reach for pen and paper to attempt description. There is a viewing point just beyond the pool where you stand with the village of Scala to your left climbing up and up to the blue sky and to your right the valley drops down and down into the blue sea. The perfect spot to sip a Caruso Bellini made with the juice of fresh local peaches. Salute!
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Belmond Hotel Caruso Website
Few people know that beneath the busy streets of Naples lies an extraordinary subterranean art collection, open to any curious traveller for the price of a metro ticket.
Toledo station, designed by Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca and curated by Italian art critic Achille Bonito Oliva, has been described as “the most beautiful subway stop in Europe”. Wrapped around the entrance hall is an ornate mosaic designed by South African artist William Kentridge, depicting the Naples Procession led by San Gennaro. Figures from Italian history and blood-red musical scores are woven with maps of the city’s first underground rail system: all tiled by hand in the style of the Cosmati masters.
Materials and colours in Toledo station move down through black asphalt to ochre and finally azure, representing the earth’s strata. Descending the escalator, you can gaze up through the cavernous Cratere di Luce (Crater of Light) to the sunshine above. Moving walkways between platforms double as immersive installations. Ponder giant portraits from cultures around the world in The Human Race by Oliviero Toscani; walk on water through By The Sea…You And Me, shimmering oceanic panels by Texan artist Robert Wilson.
At the kaleidoscopic Università station, Egyptian architect Karim Rashid has created a thoroughly psychedelic commute. In this steel hall of mirrors, pink and purple walls glisten like pulled sugar. 3D shapes animate as you walk by, exploring the language of our new digital era. Beyond the turnstiles you’ll meet Rashid’s Conversational Profile, polished black pillar-sculptures in the futurist style of Bertelli’s famous Continuous Profile of Mussolini. And at the exit stairways, each step shows a slice of a screenprint homage to Dante and his beloved muse Beatrice.
If you’re visiting the Museo Archeologico Nazionale on your trip, go via the Museo station to see Mimmo Jodice’s mesmerizing, torchlit photos of ancient bronze statues. A perfect opener for the Farnese Hercules that greets you, fresh from killing his lion, in the museum’s atrium.
A highlight of the Quattro Giornate station on Line 1 is Marisa Albanese’s celestial Combattenti (Fighters). Sitting weightless above the escalators, the sculptures are dedicated to the women of the Italian Resistance—their unsung strength during the WWII uprising of Naples in September 1943.
There are currently 14 ‘art stations’ distributed along lines 1 and 6 of the Metro network, featuring more than 180 works by 90 international artists and architects.
Two new stations, dedicated to the city’s archaeological treasures, are currently in planning. Duomo station will be built around the excavations of a 1st-century temple and athletic race track; Municipio will showcase, among other precious artefacts, the preserved skeletons of three Roman ships.
This video, produced by Rai Cultura in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and tourism, provides a real insight into the story behind “the art stations of the Naples metro”.
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List of art stations:
Line 1: Garibaldi, Università, Toledo, Dante, Museo, Materdei, Salvator Rosa, Quattro Giornate, Vanvitelli, Rione Alto
Line 6: Mostra, Augusto, Lala, Mergellina
More information about the art stations, including online guides, can be found on the official website.
Samantha Edwards
Most Played | Copywriting + Creative
www
Corso Italia is an Italian brand that adapts the tradition of Neapolitan tailoring to the needs of modern life. Its latest range of clothing and accessories can be viewed online and ‘tried on’ at its outlet on Sorrento’s high street. Yes, Corso Italia on Corso Italia.
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Corso Italia Online store
Situated just 10 minutes walk from the centre of Sorrento this 5* Superior hotel stands on a cliff with large gardens and spectacular views. Classical decor and furnishings including traditional craftsmanship, marbled staircases, hand painted tiled flooring, fine antiques and paintings. The Ambasciatori is part of the Manniello Group which also includes the 5* Royal, 4*Superior De La Ville and 4*Superior Capodimonte.
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Ambasciatori Website
158 Studio is located in the heart of historic Sorrento and brings together a collection of contemporary jewellery from leading Italian designers including Co.Ro.Jewels, Cristina Fava, Francesca Bianchi, Vitti Ferria Contin, Dario Scapitta and many more. Patterns and textures found in natural and man made materials provide the inspiration for many of the pieces on display.
Some of the creations are miniature sculptures and works of art in their own right. Everyday materials are transformed into decorative pieces with colours, shapes, patterns and textures emphasised to create a unique fashion accessory. The latest technology using 3D printed Nylon brings lightness and flexibility to others.
More traditional materials of gold, silver, pearls and gem stones are also used to produce a range of contemporary fashion jewellery suitable for all occasions and moods. There is a wonderful diversity of innovative designs, each one a statement piece reflecting the personality of the person who wears it. What statement would you like to make?
158 Studio
Nicoletta Passarelli will be pleased to show the latest designer collections during your visit to Sorrento. Until then you can view and purchase items on line.
More examples are on display on Instagram and Facebook.
158 Studio
Via San Francesco, 21
Sorrento
A good eye and very steady hands are essential requirements for making inlaid boxes. This video shows the process from the design on paper to finished product. Our feature on the Art of Inlay provides more information on the traditional craftsmanship of intarsia from small souvenirs to grand pieces of furniture.
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Stinga Tarsia Website
Marcello Aversa creates beautifully intricate clay sculptures which include village scenes as well as traditional Nativity and other religious themes. They represent moments of religious significance and everyday activity, capturing emotions of those portrayed in settings from centuries past. This video by Daniele Lancieri provides a glimpse of the artist at work in his studio. There are no English captions but the images tell the story and our feature provides more information about Marcello.
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Marcello Aversa Website
This beautiful 17th century luxury villa enjoys a panoramic position overlooking Positano. The property, enriched by works of art and a wonderful garden, is a unique gem and has already been chosen in the past by celebrities such as Armani, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and Madonna for their Italian vacations.The historic centre and the beach can be reached on foot in less than five minutes. Full details on this and other properties can be found on the link below. In the meantime, we’ll let Danilo take you on a personal tour of this amazing rental property.
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Romolini Immobiliare Website
This video blends the breath-taking setting of Ravello with preparations for an outdoor concert at the Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium high above the Amalfi coast. Concerts take place from April to November and the Ravello Festival programme of events can be seen on their website.
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Fondazione Ravello | Ravello Festival
Website
Enjoy the dramatic and breath taking scenery to be experienced on a walk along the Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli dei), high in the Lattari mountains overlooking the Amalfi coast. The background music brings an added dimension to a landscape of myths and legends.
This is one of number of videos produced by Giovanni Visetti who is a professional walking guide and cartographer with unrivalled knowledge of this area. Although recently retired his website still provides an incredible source of information including detailed maps for walkers.
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Giovanni Visetti
Main website
Path of the Gods details.
Established in the 1950’s Sandali Siniscalchi produces customised handmade sandals including ‘Swarovski Elements’. A wonderful fashion souvenir that not only makes you look and feel good but takes you back to Sorrento everytime you slip them on.
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Sandali Siniscalchi
83 Via San Cesareo & 203 Corso Italia
Website and online store
Gian Mario Russo, owner of the 5* Bellevue Syrene, presents the fascinating history behind the hotel which stands on roman remains from the 2nd century BC.
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Bellevue Syrene Website
Relais & Chateux Website
This is the official video from Relais & Châteaux which is a collection of gourmet restaurants, boutique hotels, resorts and villas.
This promotional video for Exclusive Cruises provides a tantalising glimpse of the Amalfi coastline and its islands. The picturesque towns of Positano, Furore, Amalfi, Praiano, Atrani, Marina del Cantone and Capri all nestled between the dramatic cliffs and hidden coves waiting to be explored. We leave the rest to your imagination.
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Exclusive Cruises
Website
This promotional video for Sorrento was produced by Fondazione Sorrento and Athena Produzioni srl. It includes aerial views of Sorrento and other towns along the Peninsula.
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Fondazione Sorrento
Athena Produzioni srl.
Chef Carmen is a trained Master Chef with many years of experience and passion. The school was featured in the American Food Network’s “Recipe for Success”, as one of the most successful cooking vacation in the South of Italy and is considered to be a leader
Chef Carmen offers cooking classes for visitors to Sorrento with a range of traditional Neapolitan meals in a very relaxed and informal atmosphere with humour, patience and boundless energy making the experience even more enjoyable.
Here we see her making a Fettuccine alla bolognese from the kitchen of her Cooking School in Sorrento. Buon appetito!
Chef Carmen Cooking School
Corso Italia, 321
Sorrento
Website
We first discovered Autori Capresi in June 2012 during a passiagata through the narrow streets of historic Sorrento. The shop entrance exuded coolness and drew you in from the sultry street air to appreciate a wonderful selection of exquisite and unique hand crafted clothing using the purest and lightest linen. The owner, Antonio Truppa, and his family are passionate about their linen and the production of high quality customised clothes and accessories.
Carefully selected hats, belts, scarves and sandals complement the linen colours and styles to keep you looking and feeling cool. There are outfits for all ages suitable for ‘lay back casual’ to ‘smart casual’ occasions. Perfect for your Neapolitan Riviera vacation and irresistible presents for the grand children!
Not surprisingly such originality and quality have attracted a worldwide following with visitors becoming members of an exclusive client base. Demand from the Sorrento and Capri outlets together with customised orders from existing clientele means there is no online store. All the more reason to add Autori Caprese to your ‘must see’ list during a visit Sorrento or Capri.
Editor’s Note
Autori Capresi launched their new website and online store in January 2023.
Here it is!
Further examples from the Autori Capresi collections can be seen on facebook.
Sorrento: Via P. R. Giuliani 21
Capri: Via Fuorlovado 5
