The writers of management platitudes say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. In Sorrento, they appear to have taken this advice to heart in a big way.
There are a lot of lemons in Sorrento. The town is surrounded by lemon groves, their trees carefully protected with netting against giant hailstones.
But they don't only make lemonade. They make all sorts of lemon-flavoured products: limoncello, a liqueur which can be described as a cross between lemsip and paintstripper; lemon ice-cream; lemon sorbet; lemon granita; lemon sweets; lemon biscuits; lemon chocolate; lemon sauce; lemon risotto; lemon profiteroles. You name it, they do a lemon version of it.
If the edible versions were not enough, they also do lemon soap and numerous tourist souvenirs of varying degrees of merit featuring lemons, ranging from ceramics and table linen to fridge magnets. It would be quite easy, if pointless, to have an entirely lemon-flavoured meal, served on tableware decorated with lemons.
I am not that keen on lemons as such, but I tried several of the lemon-flavoured edibles in the interests of research. Lemon risotto is quite pleasant, if a little too like rice pudding for a starter. Pasta with lemon sauce is more interesting, particularly when made with unusual star-shaped pasta. 'Lemon delicious' is a sponge-based dessert with lemon cream, which is surprisingly pleasant, and nothing at all like the synthetic lemon-flavoured desserts I remember from school dinners. A chocolate version of this dessert looks more delicious still. Lemon granite (a refreshing crushed ice concoction) is widely available from Sorrento's gelaterias and from street stalls in Naples, and very welcome in the heat, but overall the quality of granitas in the area does not match that of Sicily, where they are a little more sorbet-like.
Sorrento's gelaterias serve ice cream and sorbets in many other flavours as well as lemon, from the anagrammatic melon to apple, and from amaretto to tiramisu. The oddest flavour I saw was Ferrero Rocher - presumably the Ambassador comes to Sorrento for his holidays. The Bougainvillea has a menu for ice-cream sundaes as thick as a telephone directory.
The bigger gelaterias also serve a waistline-threatening range of cakes. Interesting patisserie is also available in cafes and bakeries. I sampled a delicious pastry with cream and raspberries, from a small bakery in Naples, which cost only 50 cents.
Pizza was of course invented in the Naples area, and it is impossible to beat a genuine Italian pizza made in a proper pizza oven. Whilst purists might argue that real pizza should be topped with nothing more than tomatoes, mozzarella and a sprinkling of herbs, pizzerias offer versions topped with other items including ham, sausage, mushrooms and artichokes. Those looking for a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple will be disappointed.
Pasta is also good. Seafood versions such as spaghetti alla vongole are delicious. For the more adventurous, I can recommend ravioli with almonds and cherry tomato sauce. This is in effect marzipan ravioli in tomato sauce, garnished with a langoustine. It may sound revolting, but actually tastes surprisingly good. The Sicilian speciality of pasta with tomato and aubergine sauce is also widely available, although here it goes under the name of 'Siciliana' rather than 'alla Norma'. After such interesting pasta starters, main courses can seem a little dull, but a plate of mixed fish and seafood from the grill is never boring. The only problem is finding room for the dessert afterwards. If you are planning to visit the Sorrento area, be prepared to gain a few extra pounds.
While you’re in Sorrento...as well as Naples, the local trains can get you to the famous sites at Pompeii and Herculaneum within an hour. If going in the summer, take one morning for each site rather than combining the two; there’s little or no shade, so it’s hot work.
First published in VISA issue 69A (Oct 2006)
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