Dino Risi had chosen it as a clandestine meeting place between the timeless Sophia Loren and Vittorio De Sica in the famous “Bread, love and…” . Comedy of 1955, the third film of the famous tetralogy and the first shot in color.
And there will be a reason why Dino Risi chose this location for such a famous scene, especially in color, those colors that had even made Queen Giovanna D’Angiò fall in love with it , the sovereign from which this enchanted place takes its name.
She had also chosen it as a summer destination between the end of the 1300s and the beginning of the 1400s, a sparkling and libertine era given what they say, the Neapolitan sovereign in fact, loved to spend time with her ladies-in-waiting and bathe in those splendid waters with young people lovers of her.
A suggestive combination of history and nature where the ruins of the ancient “Villa Pollio Felice” are still present , dating back to the first century BC
A rich landowner from Pozzuoli, Pollio Felice , was delighted by such luxuriant nature and a so beautiful, he had in fact decided to build this majestic maritime villa during the period of the Emperor Domitian .
It is said that the villa was accessible from both land and sea.
The sea offered fish, crustaceans and molluscs, while the countryside produced oil, lemons and the precious Sorrento wine, praised even by Horace , Pliny and Strabonein their numerous works.
Even the poet Stazio celebrates these places in his work ” Silvae ” and will write:
“… between the walls to which the Sirens (Sorrento) gave their name and the cliffs that support the weight of Minerva Tirrena (the Athenaeum chief) ..The villa of Pollio is located high up, facing the gulf, on the hills where the it does not fear comparisons with that of Falerno and the vineyards descend in terraces almost to the rocks, so that the sea nymphs come at night to steal the grapes from you. Whoever disembarks on the beach, a crescent-shaped inlet hollowed out among the rocks, first appears at the thermal baths, where a stream of fresh water flows into the sea.
In front of them, guardians of the land and the sea, are a statue of Neptune and a small temple of Hercules, which Pollio rebuilt from scratch to replace an older one. In the harbor the sea is always calm, and even in winter the rigors of cold and wind are less noticeable. Where before it was dust and sun, now an oblique portico, a work worthy of Rome, invites you to go up comfortably to the apartments of the villa.
From it, in suitably arranged rooms, you can enjoy the first light of dawn or the hour of twilight, when the sun has already set and the shadow of the mountain already falls opaque into the water, and the villa seems to swim on a sea of glass. One wing of the house trembles with the roar of the waves, while another ignores the waves and prefers the silence of the fields “.
Settlement in Silvae
How to reach the baths of Regina Giovanna
To reach the Bagni della Regina Giovanna is very simple, if you arrive by your own means you can park comfortably in one of the areas located in Capo Sorrento . Or as an alternative you can park in Marina di Puolo and then walk to the beginning of the path that descends towards the location in less than 1km.
If you decide to use public transport, buses leave from Sorrento’s Vesuviana square .
It will only take about twenty minutes to enjoy immersed in the scents of the Mediterranean, from Capo Sorrento in fact there is a road that reaches these splendid natural pools with crystal clear water and the rocky terraces sculpted and softly created by time and wind.
The rich and splendid coast of Capo Sorrento
For those wishing to admire the most hidden natural caves, protected beaches, and discover the surprises of the Sorrento coast, we recommend a kayak tour accompanied by an expert guide to admire these beauties by doing physical activity, we are sure that the effort will be rewarded by this so much beauty.
It is possible to leave from Marina Grande di Sorrento or from the charming seaside village in the municipality of Massa Lubrense .
In addition to reaching the Bagni della Regina Giovanna , it is possible to visit other enchanting places, such as the beach of San Montano and the Bay of Puolo , and you can not help but be entranced in front of this perfect combination of history and nature.
And then you will understand why poets, noble landowners, directors and even her majesty Giovanna D’Angiò had chosen this corner of paradise a few kilometers from Naples, an authentic gem of the Mediterranean.
It will also be the case to toast to these eternal places and the moments they preserve, with an excellent local limoncello, also a treasure of such a unique and special rich and generous coast: the Bagni della Regina Giovanna will certainly leave you speechless but at the at the same time full of tales, memories and sublime visions.
