Two of Sorrento’s main shopping streets lead from Piazza Tasso: Corso Italia, a busy thoroughfare lined with elegant restaurants and boutiques; and pedestrian-only Via San Cesareo, a narrow lane of shops overflowing with an array of products made with local Sorrentine lemons and other artisan goods. The square is named after Torquato Tasso (a statue dedicated to the Renaissance poet stands in one corner of the piazza), and its main attractions include the baroque Santuario della Madonna del Carmine and Palazzo Correale, an 18th-century palace built around a home owned by the aristocratic Correale family. Be sure not to miss the dramatic scenic overlook from Piazza Tasso, with views over the gorge below and Mediterranean sea beyond.
Most small-group walking tours and shore excursions to the city center begin in Piazza Tasso before moving on to explore the maze of tiny back streets in the historic district or heading down to Marina Grande, the sleepy fishing village on the water’s edge below town. Sorrento is just over an hour from Mt. Vesuvius and the Pompeii and Herculaneum archaeological sites, making it the perfect base for a private day trip.