What's on in Sorrento (Amalfi Coast), Italy through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Christmas lights and markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Sant'Antonino

  13–15 FebMajor festival

  The patron saint's day on 14 February, with a procession and a fair through streets that belong entirely to Sorrentines at that point in the year. Almost nothing else is open. Source ↗

• Nature

  Lemon harvest

  15 Feb – 31 May · usually

  The terraced groves under their black netting are picked hardest through the spring. It is the smell of the town for three months and the reason every second shop sells limoncello.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Opening

  Ferries and hotels reopen

  20 Mar – 1 May · usuallySummer season opens

  The fast boats to Capri, Positano and Amalfi restart around Easter along with most of the cliff hotels. Sorrento holds more open through winter than the Amalfi villages do, but not much. Source ↗

Still on: Lemon harvest (15 Feb – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Easter holidays in Italy, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Lemon harvest (15 Feb – 31 May (usually)), Ferries and hotels reopen (20 Mar – 1 May (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Lemon harvest (15 Feb – 31 May (usually)), Ferries and hotels reopen (20 Mar – 1 May (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Italy, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Alternate plates on the peninsula

  1 Jun – 30 SepClosures

  The Sorrento peninsula and the coast road run odd and even number plates on alternate dates between 10am and 6pm in high summer. Hotel guests with a booking and electric cars are exempt. Source ↗

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  15 Jun – 10 Oct · usually

  Sorrento swims off wooden platforms bolted to the cliff rather than a beach, and the bay is warm from late June to early October. Marina Grande is the exception with actual sand.

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Summer holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Alternate plates on the peninsula (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Ferragosto, Summer holidays in Italy

• Holiday

  Ferragosto

  8–22 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Italy's own fortnight on the coast, on top of the coach trade. The Circumvesuviana train and the Capri hydrofoils both run at capacity and the queues start at the ticket window. Source ↗

Still on: Alternate plates on the peninsula (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Italy, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Alternate plates on the peninsula (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Christmas lights and markets

  25 Nov – 6 JanChristmas & New Year

  The town lights the old streets and runs a Christmas programme through to Epiphany, largely for Neapolitans coming down for the day. Warm for the season and almost free of foreign visitors. Source ↗

Busy — Christmas holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Christmas lights and markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan)