Ciao tutti! Mi chiamo Audrey e sono una studentessa americana in Italia.
Hello, all! My name is Audrey, and I am an American student in Italy.
While in Sorrento for a month studying Italian language at Sant’Anna Institute, I will be interning for About Sorrento. I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity to share my experience of my time abroad here.
I have never been to Italy before, so as a first time visitor, I am eager to experience the rich life and culture of the quaint town of Sorrento.
During this time, I will be continuing the My Point of View Sorrento series that the wonderful previous intern, Gianna, began. This is a series that will share the experience of visiting Sorrento through the point of view of a visitor/ foreigner.
My First week in Sorrento
After a whirlwind of travel, I had my very first meal right on Corso Italia (the main shopping street here in Sorrento) at Ristorante “Il Giardino”.
After my fill of pizza margherita and bruschetta pomodoro, my very first day in Sorrento came to an end.
I spent the next few days walking around Sorrento and visiting the beach on Marina Grande to familiarize myself with what will be my home for the next 5 weeks.
A notable experience was browsing through the many shops Sorrento houses.
After starting the day at the pasticceria, “Le Sirene”, with a cappuccino (as per the unspoken ‘rule’ I learned about only ordering a cappuccino before 11am) and a cornetto con crema (a cream-filled croissant), my friend and I walked from shop to shop.
We kept seeing the Italian horn symbol on jewelry and in windows and asked a local shop owner what it meant.
He shared that it is called the cornicello, and it is meant to protect against malocchio, or the evil eye. It’s so interesting to learn about each cultures’ version of promoting good luck or protecting against evil. Four leaf clovers and horseshoes are common symbols in the United States.
At the end of the week, I ventured outside the city center for the first time to visit Bagni della Regina Giovanna, a popular swim spot.
I would recommend walking if you are able because the views on the way are amazing.
The walk from Marina Grande to Bagni della Regina Giovanna takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
However, the Circumvesuviana bus can also be taken there.
The site itself is beautiful, but also historic. It was first a Roman villa in 1st century B.C. and later in the 14th century was a well-liked spot of Queen Giovanna D’Angiò, who the site is named after.
After hiking back to Corso Italia, I stopped by the paninoteca “A’Marenna”, which was highly recommended by my family in the United States and my classmates here in Sorrento.
Ciao! Ci vediamo!
