Sorrento walking tours and shore excursions almost always include a stop at the lovely Cloister of San Francesco, an open-air garden filled with bougainvillea and ivy climbing over arcades of soft tufa stone and rubble from early pagan temples. In summer, art exhibitions and concerts take place in the charming space, which is also one of Sorrento’s most popular wedding venues.
Visit the cloister during a small-group tour of the resort town’s highlights, or join a day trip that includes Sorrento along with historic Amalfi Coast fishing villages.
The Cloister of San Francesco is a short walk from Piazza Tasso and other important attractions. You can take the elevator up to the clifftop from the port below, and cross the Villa Comunale gardens to the church and cloister opposite.
If you’re in Sorrento in the high season summer months, stop by the serene cloister and church for a quiet break from sightseeing and souvenir shopping.
In the 14th century, Franciscan friars converted an oratory into a church with baroque elements and a simple white facade that was rebuilt in 1926. Inside, several richly decorated chapels adjoin the single nave, and in 1992, a bronze statue of St. Francis by Roman sculptor Alfiero Nena was placed outside. Linking the church to the monastery, the cloister dates from the seventh century and unites various architectural styles, from Arabic to medieval.
