Where to eat

What people eat here

Sorrentine cooking is as much of the land as of the sea. The dishes to look for are gnocchi alla sorrentina, baked with tomato and fiordilatte; spaghetti alla Nerano, with fried courgettes and provolone del Monaco, invented at Marina del Cantone a few kilometres from here; and totano e patate, squid with potatoes, a home dish that rarely makes it onto tourist menus.

Among the local products: provolone del Monaco from the Monti Lattari, piennolo cherry tomatoes, and of course the Sorrento IGP lemon — large, with a thick, fragrant pith, which ends up in limoncello, in delizia al limone and, simply sliced, in salad.

Where to go

Marina Grande, the fishing village below the cliff, is the place for fish: you eat on terraces at the water's edge and the catch comes in on the boats each morning.

In the old town, behind via San Cesareo, are the trattorias that work with locals all year round. Out on the peninsula, Marina del Cantone is worth the trip for a long lunch, and the trattorias of Massa Lubrense charge more honestly than the centre.

Practical rules

Fresh fish is priced by weight. It is entirely normal to ask to see it and to be told the price per kilo before ordering: nobody takes offence, and it saves you a surprise on the bill.

In summer, book for the evening, especially for tables on the water. Dinner is late here, from 8.30pm onwards. Many places close one day a week, and in winter some close altogether: out of season, a phone call before you set off is worth it.

How not to get it wrong

Two signals are almost always enough. Be wary of menus with photographs of the dishes and translations into six languages, and of anyone inviting you in off the street: in Sorrento, places that cook well do not need to stop passers-by.

And watch the clock. If a place is full of Italians at nine in the evening, that is a good sign; if it is full at seven and empty at nine, it is serving passing tourists only.