A Sorrento Food Tour with Delicious Bites and Beautiful Sights

With the evolution of booking sites like Viator and GetYourGuide, walking food tours are getting more popular by the day. There’s good reason for that, too. They’re a great way to get acclimated to a new city in a relatively short amount of time while having the added perk of being fed while you’re at it.

They’re especially helpful if you’re visiting for only a short stopover. This was exactly the case for us when we visited the resort town of Sorrento in Italy’s Campania region. We’d only be here for a day and a half, and we needed an easy way to see the city. A Sorrento food tour seemed like the perfect solution!

The guidebook we used to plan our trip recommended Sorrento Food Tours. So, we found their Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience on Viator, booked our date and time, and eagerly awaited our chance to eat our way around Sorrento. This is my review of that tour to help you plan your time in this sun-soaked city.

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At the Sorrento Food Tour Meeting Point

We were instructed to meet at 4:00 underneath Carmine Church in Sorrento’s historic Piazza Tasso. After waiting several minutes, a middle-aged blonde American who looked like she’s been enjoying the sun of Italy’s Campania region walked up carrying a bag.

The woman introduced herself as Tamara and explained that she had been living in Sorrento for the past several years. She started Sorrento Food Tours as a way to better educate other native-English speakers about Sorrento and its food culture.

Introductions and niceties out of the way, she unveiled what was in the bag. It was sfogliatelle, an Italian pastry that originated in the Campania region where Sorrento is located. These pastries are created with thin, overlapping layers of pastry and contain various fillings. Ours were filled with a custard and cherry jam. The best way I can describe them is as a mix between the crispiness of a cannoli and the delicacy of a croissant. They were a great way to start our food tasting tour!

Unfortunately, the bakery didn’t give Tamara the right amount, so Michelle and I had to split ours. Tamara was able to have a friend bring us an extra in no short order, though, to make up for that snafu.

Stop #1 – Pizzeria da Franco

With our first tasting done, we were on our way to Pizzeria da Franco. This pizza shop was just a short walk away from our meeting point.

When we arrived here, I was surprised at how much it looked like the average mom-and-pop pizza place I was familiar with in America. It gave off a strong local flair that typically only means good things when traveling. Plus, it had huge pork legs hanging from the ceiling. Show me cured pork, and you’ll immediately get my mouth watering.

I was a little disappointed to learn we wouldn’t be having their pizza. Instead, we’d be trying a regional sandwich called panuozzo. Panuozzo is basically a pizza sandwich. It’s made from pizza dough cooked longer than typical Neapolitan pizza and filled with whatever ingredients you like. Traditionally, they’re filled with mozzarella and pancetta or prosciutto.

Pizzeria da Franco’s panuozzo tasted great! Ours were filled with mozzarella and prosciutto. They made me forget my disappointment when I heard we weren’t having pizza. We had a whole platter of these sandwiches to share.

Once I realized our group was the type that would just stare at each other awkwardly while waiting for someone else to eat extras, I took it upon myself to be that person. So far, my tummy was very satisfied with this food tour!

Campania is filled with Roman historical sights like the ancient city of Pompeii to keep you busy before coming to Sorrento for some rest and relaxation!

Stop #2 – The Lemon Grove

Our next stop was the start of the limoncello portion of the tour. Right across from Pizzeria da Franco is Sorrento’s lovely lemon grove, a small public park maintained by a single family who also produces their own limoncello and other liqueurs.

The park is filled with lemon and orange trees that give it an amazing smell. I noticed it as soon as I walked in. It was a delightful citrusy aroma that permeated throughout the grove. The smell made me eager to taste the family’s limoncello, and fortunately, I didn’t have long to wait.

Along our short walk, I was impressed with the size of the lemons overhanging the path. It sounds kind of simple compared to many of the grand sights throughout Italy, but coming from a part of America that doesn’t have any citrus trees, I was amazed by them.

Towards the back of the park is a pavilion where one of the proprietors was waiting with three different liqueurs for us to try. We had limoncello, aranciello (like limoncello except with oranges) and finocchietto (a fennel-based liqueur).

I enjoyed the limoncello and finocchietto, but the aranciello was too bitter for my taste. The finocchietto in particular was quite good. I was surprised by this because I don’t normally like anise flavors, yet this spirit had a subtle sweet taste that I could easily have had more of.

After the tastings, we headed next door to the family’s small factory for a chance to buy some of their products.

The shop has a bathroom in case you need one at this point of the tour. You won’t have another convenient chance until stop No. 5.

Stop #3 – Valley of the Mill

The third stop on the Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience was a brief cultural excursion to Sorrento’s past.

We walked from the lemon grove to the ravine just past Sorrento’s main pedestrian roads for a view of Sorrento’s Valley of the Mills. This part of Sorrento was used by flour mills as early as the 13th century to take advantage of the running water here. Eventually, other industries popped up to utilize the water source.

Functional mills lasted here till the 1940s when the last one closed down. Now, it offers visitors a top-down look at these eerie ruined buildings.

This was also the longest continuous walk of the tour. It’s still not especially long, but if you get fatigued easily, make sure to take a seat to rest at the limoncello factory.

Stop #4 – il Bocconcino

After learning about the Valley of the Mills, it was on to il Bocconcino on Sorrento’s Via San Cesareo. This small market serves a variety of goods ranging from pasta to produce, but we were here to sample some of their charcuterie and cheeses.

Il Bocconcino was the least memorable of all the stops on the food tour. By no means was it bad, but there was nothing particularly special about it. The tastings were good, but it wasn’t unique compared to charcuterie anywhere else.

We did get a beer and another tasting of limoncello while we were here, so I appreciated that. I also liked the shop itself. It had an interesting array of Italian goods that were fun to look at even though I wasn’t buying anything.

Stop #5 – Inn Bufalito

Inn Bufalito was the main meal of our food tour through Sorrento. This restaurant didn’t have quite the same locals-only flair as Pizzeria da Franco, but it did have a bit of an off-the-beaten path feel to it owing to its location down a small side street in between two busy pedestrian streets.

The restaurant’s proprietors greeted us with some general information about their place before serving us an appetizer of bufala cheese and focaccia paired with red or white wine depending on our preferences.

Yum! This simple bread and cheese pairing was one of the best tastings of the tour. The bufala cheese was decadently creamy and rich while the focaccia had just enough salt and olive oil on it. (For what it’s worth, somehow every focaccia we tried in Italy seemed to be the best focaccia ever.)

I would have been content only with the bread and cheese. Nevertheless, Inn Bufalito had another course for us. So, after finishing the appetizer, they brought out a sizable portion of gnocchi Sorrentina.

One thing I noticed as an American traveling through Italy was the absence of red sauces like what I grew up with in an Italian American home. Even the gnocchi I had in more northern parts of Italy tasted slightly different than what I was used to.

Gnocchi Sorrentina tasted like a warm welcome home. I had this dish at another place in Pompei a day earlier, but Inn Bufalito’s was exquisite. The gnocchi was perfectly formed and textured, and it was served in a vibrant red sauce with melted mozzarella. It’s a testament to how delicious the bufala and focaccia were that this gnocchi dish wasn’t my favorite food on the tour.

A wine tour through Tuscany is a must if you’re heading north. Click the link to read about the tour we took and why you should add that to your itinerary!

Stop #6 – Nino and Friends

With the main courses out of the way, our Sorrento food tour moved on to the dessert portion of the evening. First up was Nino and Friends, a sweets shop set amid the hustle and bustle of Via San Cesare.

At Nino and Friends, we were offered an assortment of chocolates, chocolate-covered nuts and other confectionaries. I made a point to taste everything they offered me, even if it was something that I didn’t think I’d enjoy. My favorite was their pistachio chocolates.

Besides the included samples, we also had another taste of limoncello and plenty of time to browse their inventory to make any purchases.

Stop #7 – Raki

Where else could a food tour in Italy end but at a gelato shop? Such was the case for our Sorrento food tour. We wrapped things up at Raki, a gelato shop with the standard flavors plus a few unique ones thrown in the mix.

We were able to choose two different scoops of gelato at Raki. Throughout our trip in Italy, I had been getting pistachio and chocolate. I decided to switch things up a bit here, so I went with lemon and ricotta. The ricotta was tasty, but I did find myself wishing I had kept with the tried and true chocolate and pistachio.

Best Parts of Our Sorrento Food Tour

All the food was very good, but the tastings at Pizzeria da Franco and Inn Bufalito were easily the tastiest and best parts of our tour. Besides the wonderful flavors, each of these stops were unique places that we almost certainly would not have seen had we been on our own. That I thoroughly enjoyed every stop along our tour speaks volumes to the quality of Pizzeria da Franco and Inn Bufalito.

The lemon grove was my other favorite part of this Sorrento food tour. It was such a lovely spot that I could have spent hours in sipping on limoncello had we not been on a tour. Everything about it was so relaxing from the citrusy smell to the peaceful atmosphere.

Worst Parts of Our Sorrento Food Tour

While Tamara provided great background information and tips throughout the tour, her presentation left something to be desired. It was all a bit awkward and felt at times like she was going through a list of talking points.

For much of the tour, if she wasn’t giving information, she was just kind of there. Except for when she wasn’t. During the stop at Inn Bufalita, she disappeared for most of the tasting. I understand guides don’t want to be overbearing, but it was odd how long she was gone. Then, at the end of the tour, she very abruptly wrapped things up and left. Again, I know there’s no point in lingering, yet the way she left kind of felt like she couldn’t wait to leave.

The other members of our tour weren’t the most talkative, which I think might have contributed to some of Tamara’s quirkiness. Michelle and I were often the only ones talking to her beyond basic questions about the tour itself. I certainly don’t hold that against her or Sorrento Food Tours, but it does show how much experiences like this can hinge on the people in your group.

Other than that, I had no other major complaints about the Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience. When Tamara arrived without enough sfogliatelle for everyone was a bit of a bad omen. However, this seemed to be an honest mistake by the bakery that was quickly rectified.

In Tamara’s defense, she generally has great reviews on Viator and Sorrento Food Tours’ website. She told us at the beginning that her morning tour had issues. She seemed exhausted and possibly frustrated. It’s likely this was just a one-off for her. Still, when you rely on reviews and word-of-mouth, it’s important to consistently bring your A game.

Would I do this Sorrento Food Tour Again?

Yes! Despite my complaint above about Tamara’s presentation style, I would definitely do the Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience again.

All the tastings we had were excellent, which is the No. 1 thing I want out of a food tour. It was also a good tour of Sorrento’s main area, too. Since Sorrento isn’t particularly big, this was a great way to see it in a short period of time. I can overlook some of Tamara’s eccentricities during our tour given these two things.

Lastly, the price is pretty good considering all the different tastings. Neither of us had a big, pricy lunch and we didn’t need to buy more food after, so the price paid for almost all our food for the day plus the tour of Sorrento.

Ready to book the Sorrento Food and Limoncello Experience? Click this link!

Sorrento Food Tours FAQ

How much does the Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience cost?

The cost for an adult hovers around $93 on their Viator page regardless of day or time.

How long is the Sorrento Food Tour and Limoncello Experience?

Sorrento Food Tours’ website lists this tour as three hours long, but our tour was around 2.5 hours. I attribute this to having a smaller number of people in our tour.

How many people are in a tour?

We only had six people including ourselves on our tour. According to their website they can run tours with up to 14 people.

Do they accommodate dietary restrictions?

They can accommodate vegetarian diets and certain food allergies. Be sure to notify them of any restrictions when you check out. They can’t accommodate vegan diets, though.

How much walking is involved during the tour?

You can expect to walk about 1.5 miles at a relatively easy pace. There are three stops where you have time to sit and rest. A lot of the tour is along cobbled roads, though. As with most places in Italy, if you have issues with uneven ground, make sure you have sturdy shoes and possibly a walking stick.

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