|
 Borrowing from Greek mythology, the Romans placed the legendary abode of
the sirens (those wicked mermaids who lured seamen to their deaths with
their sweet songs) at Sorrento (Surrentum). Ulysses resisted their call
by stuffing the ears of his crew with wax and having himself bound to
the mast of his ship. Perched on high cliffs overlooking the bays of
Naples and Salerno, Sorrento has been sending out its siren call for
centuries - luring everybody from Homer to Lord and Lady Astor to
busloads of international tourists, who invade every summer.
Between the town walls rest the monuments,
churches and the testimonies of antique
civilizations; walking through the streets
of the historic centre, the antique Greek-Roman
structure is still legible, memory
represented vividly in via Pietà, via S.
Cesareo, via Padre Reginaldo Giuliani and
via Tasso.
Along these antique streets, small dim
lights aligned on the walls of tuff, reveal
the treasures and tell the secrets of the
historic centre. Via Pietà, an antique major
decuman, timidly exhibits the Arab-Byzantine
decorations of the Veniero Palace and the
Correale Palace with its majestic courtyard
with majorica tiles of the 1700's |
