The star of Sorrento

The view was breathtaking: a panorama of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, framed by the elegant marble busts along the hotel walls.

And with only the tinkling sounds of the millionaires’ yachts below to interrupt my thoughts, it wasn’t long before I was lost in a daydream in which I was ridiculously rich and famous. Yes, some pretty impressive stars have sat on that veranda.

Perched majestically on a clifftop just off the main square, the hotel was once home to the Italian tenor The Great Caruso. The walls of its foyer are lined with photographs of royal visitors and its ceilings are adorned with ornate frescos.

This was my first trip to Italy and I was thrilled to discover it was exactly as I had imagined. There were the glamorous women done up to the nines in Prada, hidden behind gigantic Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. There were the impeccably dressed gents who all made smoking look cool again, and the hundreds of beeping scooters zig-zagging their way through the traffic.

But you don’t have to be a film star to enjoy the delights of beautiful, peaceful Sorrento. You can spend hours just sitting and drinking in the view, although it would be a shame to miss out on the rest of this glorious place.

The old town is a jumble of narrow streets lined with shops where you can buy brightly coloured ceramics, lace, music boxes and inlaid wood, known as intarsia work.

There are bustling restaurants, cafés and bars where elderly men play cards under bright umbrellas at the same time as taking part in passionate discussions with plenty of dramatic gesticulations.

We enjoyed a pizza in the shadow of the statue of Sant’ Antonio Abate in the main square. Did you know pizza margherita was created in 1889 as a tribute to the Queen of Italy, Margherita di Savoia, with the ingredients representing the colours of the Italian flag?

Very nice they are too, especially washed down with a Nastro Azzurro, Italy’s famous lager. Call me a diva but I’ll never have a frozen supermarket pizza again.

A weekend in Sorrento would not be complete without a trip to Capri, playground of the rich and famous.

The Excelsior Vittoria has a private lift down to the harbour where you can catch a hydrofoil or ferry to Capri (or Naples). It’s a 40-minute ferry ride to Capri – remember to check the time of the last boat off the island, because if you miss it there’s no way back. Mind you, I can think of worse places to be stranded.

Once docked in the picturesque harbour you can hop on a bus or in a taxi to the island’s centre but it’s more exciting to get the funicular.

It departs every 15 minutes and climbs the steep slope through lemon groves to its destination of Capri Terrace, where the views over the bay are just breathtaking.

Once again I was rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous ... well nearly. The list of visitors to Capri over the years is glittering indeed – Rita Hayworth, Liz Taylor, Jane Russell, Lana Turner ... Gracie Fields was one of its most famous residents and, more recently, Mariah Carey.

The island’s many designer shops are hard to resist but a cheaper option is the local speciality, limoncello. Bag a seat in one of the cafés in the tiny square, and relax over a glass of Italy’s traditional lemon liqueur.

It’s bittersweet and won’t be to everyone’s taste but it packs a punch and will take your mind off the credit card dying to get out of your purse.

There are a few other “musts” for anyone visiting the Amalfi Coast, notably Pompeii, one of the country’s top tourist attractions, which is easily reached from Sorrento by taxi or train. The city was buried under 23ft of ash in 79AD after Vesuvius erupted. It was unearthed in 1594 and offers a unique insight into an ancient civilisation.

The most astonishing thing is the sheer size of the place – it is hard to get to grips with the scale of the catastrophe that wiped out the 20,000-strong population.

There is so much to see, from ancient brothels with pornographic frescos to plaster casts of victims frozen in time, that you could easily spend all day there.

It’s best to arrive early before the crowds.

Stand at the forum and look at Vesuvius through the ruined columns of the once-grand city and you’ll find it impossible not to be haunted by how terrified the people must have felt as they saw the smoke rising and the ash-filled skies blackening out the sun, certain death ahead.

After a hard day’s sightseeing, it’s a relief to get back to the peace and splendour of the Excelsior Vittoria.

Dine like a star, courtesy of multiple award-winning chef Vincenzo Galano, whose Mediterranean cuisine is worthy of any celebrity. The menu includes plenty of fresh seafood and, of course, pasta. Top of my list were the heavenly clams, succulent seabass and pasta with scorpion fish ragout sauce.

The region is famous for its cheese and a must-try is the pecorino di fossa, a spicy cheese that seems to explode in your mouth – incredible.

Try to find time to chill out at the hotel’s luxurious boutique spa, where treatments include the indulgent “stress relief ritual”. There’s even a mother and baby treatment, where you and baby can have a gentle massage followed by an organic milk, rose petal and essential oil bath – one for Angelina Jolie perhaps?

It’s hard to imagine you’re just 30 miles from the hustle and bustle of Naples. This has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of Italian coastline, and Sorrento is a perfect retreat for anyone who wants a weekend away from it all – star or not.

* Julia Mans stayed at The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria with Classic Collection Holidays. Visit www.classic-collection.co.uk or call 0800 2949315 for more details.

*Three nights from £759 per person in April 2010 based on two adults sharing a twin/double classic room with bed and breakfast. Price includes return flights from Gatwick to Naples and private transfers.