Meet Antonella Moscarella, a lifelong Sorrento resident who has spent decades helping preserve the city’s culture and welcoming visitors to Sorrento.
By Tina Krasniqi
Sorrento, Italy – To many visitors, Sorrento is known for lemons, the sea, and a connecting point to the Amalfi coast. But for Antonella Moscarella, Sorrento is home.
Who is Antonella Moscarella of Sorrento Foundation?
Born and raised in the city, Moscarella has spent nearly two decades welcoming visitors into the Foundation Sorrento, one of the city’s leading cultural institutions. While thousands of tourists come annually searching for the beauty of the coastline, she hopes they also discover the history, traditions, and community that have helped shape Sorrento for generations.
Since joining the Foundation in 2007, Moscarella has watched both the organization and the city grow. What began as an opportunity to assist with one of the Foundation’s earliest exhibitions soon became a career. Over the years, she has seen directors, exhibitions, and cultural programs change while remaining one of the constant faces behind the Foundation.
For Moscarella, staying was never simply about having a job.
“It goes beyond being just an employee,” she said. “One feels at home; a second family, a second home.”
That sense of belonging has grown alongside the Foundation itself.
The Importance of the Sorrento Foundation
Established in 2006, The Sorrento Foundation was created to promote and preserve the city’s artistic, cultural and historical heritage located inside Villa Fiorentino, a historic residence donated to the municipality of Sorrento by Antonio Fiorentino and Lucia Cuomo. The foundation has become a cultural landmark where exhibitions, educational initiatives, performances and community events take place throughout the year beyond its coast. The foundation also serves as a resource for both visitors and residents, welcoming people into a space designed to celebrate Sorrento‘s identity. The foundation also serves as a resource for both visitors and residents, welcoming people into a space designed to celebrate Sorrento’s identity.
For Moscarella, that mission has become increasingly important as the city continues to evolve.
Like many destinations around the world, Sorrento has experienced a dramatic increase in tourism while the city continues to attract visitors from across the globe. Moscarella has also witnessed the challenges that accompany that growth.
She describes over tourism and gentrification as some of the biggest changes she has seen throughout her lifetime. More businesses adapt to meet the demands of tourism, many of the traditional artisan shops and local businesses that are true to Sorrento have slowly disappeared. Rising demand has also made it more difficult for residents to continue living in the city that they call home.
Yet despite these changes, her love for Sorrento has never wavered.
Instead those experiences have strengthened her commitment to protecting the city’s identity through culture.
“Local culture should always be preserved, otherwise everything becomes the same,” Moscarella said.
That philosophy influences the work she does every day at the Foundation of Sorrento.
Through exhibitions culture, events and educational programming foundation works to offer visitors in experience that reaches beyond Sorrento‘s famous scenery how many tourist arrive for the sea shopping and restaurant she hopes they leave with an appreciation for the cities, artist, traditions, and history
“We always hope with our work to help people see beyond,” she said. “Art helps people step away from everyday life and see things differently.”
She believes culture offers visitors another way to understand Sorrento, not simply as a vacation destination, but as a community with centuries of history and traditions where preserving
The foundation's mission
That mission extends beyond tourists.
Throughout the interview, she repeatedly emphasized that the Foundation of Sorrento exist for residents just as much for visitors, whether someone steps into view an exhibit, attendant an event, relax in the gardens, or simply ask for directions at the Foundations Information point, she hopes everyone feels welcome.
“The foundation should remain open to everyone,” she said, describing it as a place where people can spend time surrounded by beauty while connecting with Sorrento’s cultural life.
Looking towards the future, she hopes the Foundation continues expanding its cultural programming while staying true to its mission of preserving local tradition. She hopes future exhibits continue to celebrate both emerging local artists and internationally recognized names, creating opportunities for visitors to experience Sorrento through art, while ensuring the city’s identity remains the center of every initiative.
After nearly 20 years with the foundation of Sorrento, Muscarella still arrives each day with the same purpose that first inspired her to stay.
Many visitors remember Sorrento for its coastline or its famous lemons. She hopes they also leave remembering the stories, traditions, and culture that exist beyond the postcard through her work at the foundation she continues, helping ensure that those parts of Sorrento remain just as unforgettable.