A good place for an afternoon drink is the Circolo dei Forestieri, otherwise known as The Foreigner’s Club, at 35 Via Luigi de Maio, www.circolodeiforestieri.com, which is just a short distance from Piazza Tasso.
The tables overlooking the sea have fantastic views of Vesuvius, Capri, the Bay of Naples and the craggy coastline around Sorrento.
A G&T costs €7 here is a little more than usual but it’s worth it for what must be one of the greatest views in the world. The club also houses the tourist information office.
Typically I finish my evening with a coffee or a digestif at one of the lovely Art Deco bars in Piazza Tasso, Sorrento’s main square.
The larger of the two is Il Fauno at 13 Via Torquato Tasso, faunobar.it Built in 1950 it’s one of the most beautiful bars I’ve ever been in. Domenico, one of the managers, saw me taking photos and gave me a short tour of the building in English.
The lights are made of hand-blown Murano glass. The floors are polished multi-coloured Terrazzo and pretty ceramic tiles decorate the walls and the bar.
Across the front of the bar is a mosaic by the Spilimbergo school showing the Sorrento coastline.
And another on the outside wall depicts Vesuvius erupting.
The display cases in the bar area contain, amongst other things, collectable bottles of rum and whisky from Samaroli, a very famous Italian bottling company, founded in 1968 and based in Bologna.
Domenico told me that the owner was continuously evolving the bar.
Indeed I was sad to see the fridges had been changed from my last visit. Loved the old ones (pictured).
The more petite Bar Ercolano is just over the road. It’s essentially an oval Art Deco booth with an external bar and a small terrace where customers are protected from the sun by overhead awnings.
It’s much smaller but no less characterful than its larger neighbour. Both are great places to sit with a drink and watch the world go by.