Why Sorrento is a Great Place to Run (and How I Found a Park Full of Lemons)

I am one of those people who packs bulky running shoes for vacation. Not aspirationally, either. I actually use them.

For someone who loves to run, a trip is not an interruption of my routine so much as an upgrade of the scenery. There is something magical about seeing a city at your own pace, before the day officially begins. It is the same place everyone else will experience by noon, but you get the quiet, golden-hour version all to yourself.

I nearly always run when I am on vacation, or honestly anytime I travel. A morning run in a new destination helps me shake off the jet lag, sync up with the new time zone, and get my bearings before I have even had my first cappuccino.

Not Every City Wants You to Run

Some destinations make it easy to run outside, while other places do not.

I’ve experienced both in Italy. In Rome, I woke up early and had the run of the city, jogging past the popular sights before the crowds and the traffic turned everything into a beautiful, chaotic mess. Positano was a different story. The narrow walkways, cobblestones, and steep inclines made my run more like a hike.

Enter Sorrento – Running Italian Style

Making Sorrento my home base while exploring the Amalfi Coast was a smart travel decision. It gave me easy access to incredible restaurants and the marina, and it turned out to be a far easier place to run than Positano or the other small coastal towns.

I will admit I was a little worried at first. Sorrento has its share of narrow, cobblestone streets, and I prepared myself for another stair climb. But Sorrento also has Corso Italia, the main shopping street, which runs nearly a full mile from end to end. Adding in a sidewalk I discovered along the way, and I was logging at least three miles every morning without battling hills, dodging Vespas, or weaving around other humans.

3 Tips for Running in Sorrento

1. Start early, then start a little earlier. The earlier you head out, the better. I headed out around 6:30 a.m., just after the sun came up, and had the streets nearly to myself for a while. It was also the most charming front-row seat to the city waking up. Cafe owners arranging place settings at outdoor tables, the first tourists and locals slipping into their favorite espresso bars for their morning ritual, and that smell of freshly baked cornetti drifting through the air. I did not run past a single bakery without giving it a longing glance.
2. Limit Airpod use. I almost always run with my AirPods, but Sorrento in the morning still has cars, Vespas, and delivery trucks dropping off the day’s supplies. I kept mine off so I could actually hear what was coming.
3. Follow the runners, then make your own path. On my first morning, I spotted a few other runners and trailed them at a respectable, non-stalker distance. It was a great way to learn the route and get a heads-up on where I might need to pause. By day two, though, I was leading the pack. I veered off in a direction I noticed the day before, and it led me straight to a park full of lemons…which just fueled my obsession. If that is not a sign to make lemonade, I do not know what is.

So here is my official verdict: Sorrento is a lovely place to run if you start early and remain aware. You get the cobblestone romance without too many hills, a mile of runway courtesy of Corso Italia, and a very real chance of stumbling into a lemon grove…and because this is Sorrento, I’d expect nothing less.

Best of all….if you start early, Sorrento will share with you a version of her city that most travelers sleep right through giving you a great memory…..and we all know the best souvenirs are the ones you cannot fit in a suitcase.

Ciao!