Sorrento doesn’t offer just art and culture but also folklore, with its traditional festivities on the beaches and in the hills, its songs and Tarantella dance. Without a doubt one of the images of Sorrento which the tourist takes away, together with a joy for life kindness and harmony, is that of the Tarantella. The origins of the dance are uncertain as it is not clear whether it was named after the city of Taranto or the poisonous spider, the tarantola, whose bite is said to cause the dance’s movements. What is certain is that the character of the Tarantella is decidedly rustic as it was once used to celebrate important moments of country life. In our friendly countryside, in particular it was used to celebrate the vine harvest whose inebriating atmosphere was an invitation to joy and gaiety, almost an act of liberation. Although the Tarantella was diffuse throughout southern Italy its greatest fame was attained in Sorrento where it is still important, not as ethnological evidence or as a recovery of the   pastt but as a sign of the uninterrupted tradition of a popular custom. In its steps, in the costumes worn by the dancers, so cheerful and vibrant in colour, the fresh grace of a popular, but not common, dance is revived which with exquisite gracefulness exalts the charms of our area. The rhythm of the Tarantella is always lively and the words, whether common or refined, are always accompanied by typical instruments like the mandolin, the guitar and the violin with the rhythm beaten on tambourines and castanets by the dancers. The particular charm of the Tarantella has always held an attraction for poets and writers such as Goethe, Lamartine, Stendhal, De Boucard, the De Gouncourt brothers; for musicians such as  Rossini, Liszt, Mendelssohn; for artists like Pinelli, Vemet, Lindstrom, each of whom, in their own field, left an everlasting memory of this dance. Not to mention the dozens of songs written to its rhythm. What does the Tarantella represent? The most sublime and natural of sentiments combined: it’s Love -”It’s a story, a love poem” - as E. Bidera wrote in 1844; “every glance has an amorous meaning. The first loving look, the declaration, the shy refusal, consent, jealousy, making up and tender looks, the placid and tranquil repulses, all resolved with energetic and noisy dashes like two pigeons who bend, touch and then take flight, to return more amorous than before”. The great simplicity of theme can be seen, natural and effective with its music and songs. The dance conspires, in someway, to take the spectator to an unreal and magical world, carrying him back to the dimension of the simple, honest, carefree life of the “good old days” when so little was necessary to have fun and be happy: just a joy for life. Speaking of songs, who isn’t familiar with “Torna a Surriento”? A great deal of the fame which Sorrento has acquired throughout the world is due to this song which has carried Sorrento’s name to every corner of the earth for over 80 years. The birth of this fortunate song is tied to an episode which could pass for an anecdote, but in fact, really occurred. Perhaps not everyone knows the story, which is worth telling. In September of 1902 the Italian Premier Giuseppe Zanardelli spent a vacation in Sorrento, at the Hotel Tramontano. The proprietor of the Hotel, Guglielmo Tramontano, was also the mayor of the city and in this capacity, and with great discretion, informed the Premier of the needs of Sorrento, above all a Post Office. Mayor Tramontano’s complaints were received coolly by this illustrious guest. Then the painter G. B. de Curtis tutor in the Tramontano household, had the idea of writing a song in honour of Zanardelli and said: “I’m certain that, after listening to my song, he won’t forget to give Sorrento a Post Office”. G.B. de Curtis wrote the words and had then set to music by his brother, Ernesto. The evening prior to Zanardelli’s departure a small orchestra said goodbye with the notes of “Toma a Surriento” and thus Sorrento acquired a Post Office.
Since then this song has become the emblem of Sorrento exalting the beauty of its sea, the perfume of its gardens, its orange blossoms, the spell of the Sirens. This song has become the official ambassador of Sorrento and its natural beauty which no-one can resist. “Torna a Surriento” does not only welcome the visitor but expresses the desire for him to return, not a “farewell” but a “see you soon”