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About the origin of Sorrento the historian Diodoro Siculo, relating
to a legend, asserted that the town was founded by Liparos, son of
Ausone, who was the king of the Ausoni and son of Ulysses and of the
witch Circe. According to this legend, the origin of the town dates
back to an ancient Italic population, that of the Ausoni, which
accounted for one of the most ancient ethnic groups.
Sorrento after Eruption of the Vesuvius of 24th August 79 A.D.
On 24th August 79A.D. the town was seriously damaged by the
earthquake, caused by the eruption of the Vesuvius which destroyed
the towns surrounding the area such as Pompei, Herculaneum and
Stabia.
Sorrento as a holiday resort
During the first half of the Imperial age it became a very popular
seaside resort among the wealthy patricians, who considered the
entire Gulf of Naples, from the Flegreian Plains to Sorrento, an
ideal place to spend the summer months and the otium periods.
Therefore several Villae Maritimae were edificated in this
area: magnificent lodgings, each with a landing place from the sea,
spacious private residences, sometimes also farms where oil and wine
were produced with the crops belonging to the dominus. Horace
of Sorrento
The fame of Sorrento is also commemorated by Horace and Stazius, who
in his work Silvae praised the beautiful sights and in
particular the Villa of his friend Pollio Felice. Sorrento in
420 A.D.
Sorrento had an archiepiscopal site around 420 A.D., and after the
fall of the Roman Empire it was subjected to Byzantium. It was in
vain besieged by the Longobard. It became a free Dukedom and had to
defend itself from raids by the Saracens; it struggled against
Amalfi, one of the powerful Maritime Republics, to claim its
independance.
Sorrento from 1133 to 1656 In 1133 it was conquered by Ruggero the
Norman and from that moment its fate was tied up to that of the King
of Naples. On the 13th June 1558 it was plundered by the pirates,
who had been assisted in this by a slave, who by the legend,
betrayed his fellow citizens and opened the city gates to the
robbers. This episode persuaded the Sorrentines to fortify the walls
sorrounding the town and this work was completed in 1567. One of the
most critical times for Sorrento took place in 1648, when a riot
broke out against the Spaniards, headed by Giovanni Grillo. With the
support of the inhabitants of Piano and Massa Lubrense, he tried to
seize the government of the town where the nobles were faithful to
the Spanish power. The big plague epidemic of 1656, shocked the
population further on. But notwithstanding these series of negative
events, Sorrento continued to be an outstanding centre among the
province's towns.
The Kingdom of Ferdinand II Under the rule of Ferdinand II the road
leading from Castelammare to Sorrento was opened. In 1861 it was
officially incorporated to the Kingdom of Italy, by means of a
plebiscite, which established the annexion of theKingdom of the two
Sicilies to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Already in XVIIIth century
Sorrento was rediscovered as a pleasant holiday resort when itbecame
the destination of a refined and intellectual tourism. Among
itsillustrious guests we recall above all Lord Byron, John Keats,
Walter Scott and Goethe. Finally it must not be forgotten that
Sorrento was the country home of Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), author
of the Gerusalemme Liberata and regarded as one of the greatest
poets of the XVIth century.
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