The earliest evidence of human settlement in the Sorrento Peninsula suggests Greek and Phoenician occupancy. However area soon became a Roman colony, until the final collapse of the Empire. During the Middle Ages, around the 9th century AD, Sorrento managed to free herself from outside control and establish the Duchy of Sorrento. The Duchy of Sorrento covered the whole of the peninsula, and was soon became a prosperous economy based on ship chandlery, and the sale and production of citrus fruits and wine. Around 1100, the Duchy lost its independence to become a protectorate of Normandy, with the advantage of receiving protection against attacks from pirates and the Lombards.

In 1544 the poet Torquato Tasso, was born in Sorrento. He was the renowned author of Jerusalem Delivered and other poems. In 1558 Sorrento suffered a violent invasion by the Turks. The city was sacked and the population was decimated.

At around the start of the 18th century, after a period of bitter strife between the peasant population and rich landowners, Sorrento emerged as a popular tourist resort, much loved by visitors from all over the world for its mild climate and flourishing countryside. By 1800, Sorrento's economy was based primarily on tourism. Over the years Sorrento has been the favorite destination of such luminaries of European culture as Lord Byron, Keats, Goethe, Dickens, Wagner, Ibsen and Nietzsche. At the start of the 20th century, agriculture was given a second wind, thanks to intensive cultivation of citrus fruits, which were exported throughout the Italian peninsula and overseas.