Sorrento, Jewel of the Neapolitan Riviera Quiz

Answer: Campania

Sorrento is situated in the lovely region of Campania, southern Italy. Campania has an area of 13,595 km² and its capital city is Naples. Lombardy is in northern Italy and is Italy's most densely-populated region; its capital, Milan, ranks second only to Rome as Italy's most popular city for tourism. Umbria, in central Italy, has Perugia as its capital. Tuscany, with its beautiful capital Florence, is also located in central Italy.

Sorrento is well-placed for visiting the historical and cultural sites in the area including the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the city of Naples and many more. The beautiful islands of Capri, Ischea and the lesser-known Procida are easily accessible by ferry or hydrofoil, and the famous 'Amalfi Drive' is also well worth experiencing.

Answer: Naples

Naples Airport, located in the Capodichino district, is well placed for an onward journey to Sorrento, either by train on the Circumvesuviana line (after having taken the shuttle bus to the Naples Stazione Centrale), or by bus or taxi. The journey is a little over an hour on the train and takes a similar time by road, although at peak times it can take considerably longer. If you intend to drive, hire cars are readily available at the airport.

Answer: Corso Italia

The Corso Italia is the main road of Sorrento. In addition to being the main thoroughfare for traffic, the part of the road that runs through the centre of town is home to many exclusive designer shops. Sorrento is generally very good for shopping; in addition to fashion there are several shops selling local crafts such as quality hand-made leather goods, ceramics and the inlaid woodwork for which the area is renowned.

There are also several excellent restaurants and good night life to suit all ages and tastes.

Answer: Correale

The Museo Correale di Terranova, situated on Via Correale, was founded in 1902 from legacies bequeathed to the town in the wills of two brothers, Alfredo and Pompeo Correale. The brothers were prominent citizens of Sorrento and the last of their family. Spread over three floors, the museum is packed with many valuable antiquities including furniture, Neapolitan art, porcelain, glassware and local crafts.

Pompeo Correale died in 1900 and his brother Alfredo two years later. The gardens of the museum comprise a little-known but beautiful walk through lemon groves, terminating in a lovely sun terrace with breathtaking views over the Bay of Naples.

Answer: Vesuvius

Pompeii and Herculaneum were the two largest cities destroyed in the 79 AD eruption, but many smaller towns of the area were affected too. The whole area is teeming with archaeological sites, most notably Pompeii and Herculaneum, but Torre Annunziata, for the Villa Poppea at Oplontis, and Castellamare di Stabia are also well worth seeing.

Vesuvius is classed as an 'active' volcano, meaning that it is capable of further eruptions in the future. Equipment is in place to ensure it is monitored constantly to give warning should an eruption be likely and evacuation of the area become necessary. The last sizeable eruption was in 1944, but this was not on the same scale as the massive eruption of 79 AD.

Answer: poet

A child prodigy, in many ways Torquato Tasso had a sad life and endured many hardships, due largely to the mental illness he suffered from in adult life. He was born in Sorrento in 1544 and died in the cloister of Sant'Onofrio, Rome, in 1595 just prior to being crowned as Poet Laureate by Pope Clement VIII. His most famous poem was 'Jerusalem Delivered', about events during the First Crusade and the Siege of Jerusalem.

The construction of Piazza Tasso commenced in 1866 and was a major building project of the time. A marble statue dedicated to Tarquato Tasso is centrally placed where his image looks out over the square.

Answer: chilled after a meal

Limoncello is traditionally served very cold, after a meal, so cold that even the small glasses it is served in are chilled in the freezer before the drink is poured. It is one of the most popular drinks of the region and available in many highly decorative bottles as souvenirs. Originally exclusive to the Sorrentine and Neapolitan area, it is now available in many countries.

It is quite easy to make at home, consisting of (shop-bought) vodka, lemon zest, sugar and water. There are several good recipes for making your own Limoncello on the Internet, but do bear in mind it is obviously very important to comply with local licensing laws!

Answer: False

For many years Giambattista de Curtis used to spend six months of the year at Sorrento. By all accounts he loved it there and had many friends in the town. He was born in Naples in 1860, and was actually an artist, sculptor and poet, although he and his brother used to work on songs together.

His best-known song, 'Torna a Surriento', is believed to have been written in 1902. This is a very well-known song which has been recorded by many artists, among them Gigli, Caruso and Pavarotti. Giambattista de Curtis died in Naples in 1926. There is a bust of him on a large marble plinth displayed prominently in Sorrento near the approach to the station, to mark his ties to the town.

For many years it was claimed that Giambattista de Curtis wrote 'Torna a Surriento' to honour the visit of the Italian Prime Minster of the time to the town, but other records show the song had been in existence some eight years earlier.

Answer: Tear of Christ

Lachryma Christi wines (sometimes spelled 'Lacryma Christi') are produced from vines grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. It is said that when Jesus wept on hearing of Satan's expulsion from Heaven, the vines grew up in the place where His tears had fallen.

Lachryma Christi wines are very popular in the Neapolitan and Sorrentine regions and are available in red, white and rosé varieties. The wine was apparently a favourite of the artist Salvador Dali. It is also mentioned in various literary works, among them 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Dumas.

Answer: Circumvesuviana

The Circumvesuviana trains, as their name implies, travel all around the area of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. They are not extravagantly equipped, but they are punctual, clean, safe and inexpensive. There are six lines and they all share the terminus of Naples, Sorrento being the last stop on Line 1. Train travel is generally very easy all over Italy; it is well-signed and accessible, even if your Italian is fairly limited.