Sorrento traditions and festivals

Sorrento is not just a seaside destination: its calendar is marked by religious and folk traditions that have been repeated for centuries and involve the whole town. The most heartfelt are the Holy Week processions, the feast of the patron saint Antoninus in February and the summer festivals of the seaside villages. Attending them is the best way to discover the soul of the peninsula.

Holy Week: the hooded processions

The Easter rites are the most famous tradition of the Sorrento peninsula. They are organised by ancient lay archconfraternities, whose members process with their faces hidden under hoods as a sign of penance, among bands playing funeral marches, torches and choirs singing the Miserere.

• The white procession: during the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday the Archconfraternity of Santa Monica, considered the oldest lay congregation in town, sets out from the church of the Santissima Annunziata. The brothers, in white robes and hoods, accompany the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows who, according to tradition, searches for her Son by visiting the altars of repose. The procession crosses the old town before dawn, in a silence broken only by singing.
• The black procession: on the evening of Good Friday it is the turn of the Archconfraternity of Death, based in the church of the Servi di Maria. The brothers dress in black; some carry ropes and scourges, others lanterns and the symbols of the Passion; at the heart of the procession come the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Dead Christ, a much-venerated 18th-century wooden sculpture.

Other smaller processions take place during the week, and similar ones fill the streets of Sant'Agnello, Piano di Sorrento, Meta, Vico Equense and Massa Lubrense, each with its own colours and confraternities. Remember that these are religious rites: keep quiet and don't use flash.

Saint Antoninus, the patron saint

On 14 February Sorrento celebrates Saint Antoninus Abbot, the monk who lived between the 6th and 7th centuries and whom the town venerates as its protector, above all from the dangers of the sea. The day culminates in the procession with the saint's silver statue, a 16th-century work carried shoulder-high through the streets of the centre by the seafarers of Marina Piccola, followed by dignitaries and confraternities. Stalls and festive lights fill the area around the Basilica of Sant'Antonino and the main street. Traditionally the feast also marks the start of the new season: many businesses reopen under the saint's protection.

The patron saint is also honoured on the first Sunday of May with the so-called gardeners' feast, which began in the 19th century when citrus growers entrusted their lemon groves to the saint: the silver statue visits a different parish and then returns in procession to the basilica's crypt.

Summer: Saint Anne and the village feasts

At the end of July the village of Marina Grande celebrates Saint Anne, protector of its fishing community, with masses, a procession that climbs from the sea to the centre, traditional games on the beach and fireworks over the bay. The hamlets and neighbouring towns also have their own patron saints' feasts, with lights, bands and stalls. Summer evenings bring concerts and shows in evocative venues such as the Cloister of San Francesco, for decades the setting for music festivals.

Christmas and other events

In December the centre lights up and the churches set up nativity scenes in the Neapolitan tradition. For the rest of the year Sorrento hosts concerts, exhibitions and cultural festivals whose programme changes from season to season: before you travel, check the up-to-date calendar of the town council or the tourist office. Many of these occasions have also entered everyday language, as the Sorrento proverbs show.

Tips for attending

• During Holy Week and the patron saint's feast hotels fill up: book your accommodation early.
• The night processions wind through narrow lanes: arrive early and pick a spot along the main street or in Piazza Tasso.
• Times and routes change from year to year: check them on the official channels of the diocese and the town council.
• To understand the bond between these rites and the town, read the history of Sorrento.