Punta del Capo and the Bagni della Regina Giovanna

Two kilometres west of Sorrento the coast pushes out into a low limestone headland. On it stand the ruins of the Roman villa of Pollio Felix, and below them the sea has cut an almost circular basin joined to the open water by a low natural arch — the Bagni della Regina Giovanna.

It is the one place near Sorrento with no buildings in the frame. The rock is pale and flat enough to walk and sit on, the water inside the pool is still and turquoise even when the sea outside is moving, and the arch gives a hard graphic element that most coastal spots lack. Late afternoon light comes across the water from the west and skims the rock; at midday the pool is at its most transparent but the light is harsh.

Getting there is a fifteen-minute walk from the road at Capo di Sorrento, down a lane and then a rough path with uneven rock at the end — trainers, not sandals, and not somewhere to bring a long dress without a change of shoes. There is no shade, no facilities and very limited parking on the main road. In rough seas water washes through the arch into the pool, so check conditions before committing to it.