Il Lecceto in spiaggia - What do beaches in Sorrento look like

2013-07-08


Standing high on its tuff stone plateau, Sorrento is fringed by three beach areas. From black lava pebbles to finely grated black sand to tuffstone cliffs half-tucked on under the sea, everything is possible. 
In the southern-most corner of Sorrento, bordering on Massalubrense territor, you can enjoy a public track of beach including some private ones managed by the adjacent restaurants. Here, my favorite is Da Cataldo's.

Marina Grande, with fishermen boats drawn up on a stretch of public beach
Very colorful village, amidst the church of Sant'Anna facing the beach
The Church of Sant'Anna
Marina Grande is a beautiful fisher village that looks it is not really connected to the Sorrento part towering above the steep tuffstone cliffs. You can reach Marina Grande by a winding road, descending down through tunnels, so even cars can reach this part, or by a narrow passageway including stone stairs leading straight down to the beach.
The San Francesco Beach area is located between Marina Grande and Marina Piccola
Second, there is Spiaggia San Francesco, bordering on the ruins of the Roman Villa Agrippa Postumo, a grandson of emperor Augustus. This beach area can be easily be reached by an elevator located at the Villa Comunale.
And third is the artificially created swimming zone, where hotels have access, and this is probably the most restful place to be in summer, beyond the Marina Piccola. But even at the Marina Piccola, you can find a small stretch of a pebbles beach which is public.
A stretch of a small beach of black lava sand, in the midst of Marina Piccola !!
So for now it is the tuff stones that reach down to the shore, and where the hotels just above have carved out plateaus of various kinds and wooden and steel peers where the guests can take the sun and a swim. And this is how my favorite place looks like: It is actually a small evergreen oaks copse set almost at sea level, bordered by vanilla-scented oleanders with huge pink and white flowers.
You either take the elevator down to the beach area, or stairs cut into the almost vertical tuff stone cliff. In the background, you can see the harbor of Sorrento
Prickly agave and Mount Vesuvius in the background. Below, you can see the greyish-black lava stones
And here we have arrived at the beach which here at Hotel Royal is the most extensived area. Neighboring hotels also carve out plateaus at the foot of the tuffstone wall. And above is Sorrento town.
Hotel Royal is situated above, and it is nice - though hot - to walk a few steps up path secured by a wooden railing
A huge fig tree
White oleanders, agaves in the foreground and a grenadine tree
Mount Vesuvius and a sweetly smelling (a bit like vanilla) oleander shrub with huge blossoms (about 6 cm in diameter)
The beach zone itself looks like this: piers decked out with wood, supported by the black stone cliffs. The ground itself is rather soft and pebbly.

... and on the level above the deckchair zone, the lecceto is situated
View towards the Sorrento harbor, Marina Piccola. From here, the boats to Capri and Napoli leave
At the level above the swimming zone, the lecceto - the evergreen oak copse is located. Always nice to retreat there once in a while. With the hot sun, the vanilla scent of the oleanders is permeating the balmy air.
The wood at the beach ..
Oleanders frame in the trees 
Evergreen oaks have small, long and thick dark-green leaves
The beach bar seen from under the trees
Also, a Beach bar offers snacks and tea all day long lined with colorful pot flowers and palms.
Yellow summer flower patches on the stone terrace
Late afternoon view
Bougainvillea
If you would like to go for a swim, it is recommended to do so from the stairs leading down into the water from the wooden pier. You should not climb on the algae-overgrown cliffs, as sea urchins live there, but usually no meduse. And you really get an excellent view of the harbor which is just across. With the boats arriving and leaving, waves are churned into your direction, and if you love to ride the waves, this is even an additional challenge to do so.

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