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SORRENTO
50km
(31 miles) S of Naples, 256km (159
miles) SE of Rome, 50km (31 miles)
W of Salerno.
The Romans had decided that the legendary home of the Sirens,
of Odyssey fame, was situated at
Sorrento. Ulysses managed to
escape the call of the sirens by
closing his, and his crews, ears
with wax. But since then this
enchanting city, on the edge of
high cliffs overlooking the bays
of Naples and Salerno, has been
sending out its own siren call for
centuries luring not just sailors,
but everybody from Homer to Lord
and Lady Astor and to the busloads
of international tourists, who
come regularly every summer.
In
summer the streets are as noisy as
a carnival, and the traffic is
really bad, more so since there
are no traffic signals in such a
bustling city! The din will make
you rush to buy ear plugs when you
go to sleep at the hotels on the
"racing strip," Corso
Italia. Tthough perhaps, you
could stay at a hotel on a cliff
side in Sorrento, with a view of
the sea and paths or private
elevators to take you down.
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