Today we visited Capri, the island named after the Ford Escort
Are we having fun yet?
Day Three: After an early breakfast, depart for the port and board a jet to the magical island of Capri. Enjoy a scenic cruise across the Tyrrhenian Sea. Upon arrival, begin a guided tour by minibus: explore Anacapri, visit Villa San Michele, and enjoy panoramic views from the Mount Solaro chairlift (optional). Free time for lunch in one of the charming piazzas. In the afternoon, explore Capri town, its glamorous Piazzetta, and the lush Augustus Gardens, observing postcard-perfect views of the Faraglioni Rocks and the winding Via Krupp. Return by jet to the mainland in the late afternoon and transfer to your hotel for the dinner and overnight.
Capri is a little island that sits six miles off the coast of Sorrento. The limestone island was once part of the mainland but has been carved away by a combination of sea, wind and rain erosion. It has been occupied since the stone age and was settled by the Romans. For many years is has been a hangout for the rich and famous and the number one industry by a long way is tourism.
There are few signs of Roman settlements: over the years they have been recycled, with locals stripping them to build new homes.
We arrive on a large, busy ferry. There’s a huge cloud hanging over the top of this mountainous island, making it look like Skull Island, home of King Kong.
At the height of the tourist season they receive 20,000 visitors a day. This narrow stretch of water is as busy as the Strait of Hormuz, but with passenger ferries to and from various ports, rather than oil tankers. And less mines.
Fortunately for us the tourist season hasn’t kicked in properly yet. It is busy, but manageable.
After climbing off the ferry, we are soon decanting into a much smaller boat for a cruise around the island. We sail around looking at cliffs whilst Victoria points out caves, Mussolini’s daughter’s house and a cliff where Romans used to chuck their wives off when they got bored with them. The most memorable part of the journey though was the constant fear of drowning. Despite the calm weather, our tiny boat was thrown about by the waves and there were several occasions where we thought the boat would capsize.
Once safely back on dry land we jump into one of the biggest vehicles on the island. A minibus. It is a very rocky island with lots of cliffs and mountains. Which means lots of narrow twisty roads that cannot be navigated by anything bigger than a Newport Nipper.
It’s a beautiful island surrounded by stunning blue seas, the result of the sun reflecting off the limestone rock seabed. The beauty was undoubtedly a factor in the island attracting a bohemian and artistic crowd in the 19th Century. The fact that this bohemian community was physically separated from the conservative mainland and had a more liberal attitude, resulted in it becoming a popular destination for the gay community. Like an Italian Brighton. Obviously gay people cannot have children and Victoria tells us of poor people in Sorrento selling their children to gay couples.
Probably the most notable resident was Axel Munthe, a well-respected Sweedish doctor who settled on the island, building a magnificent house with an amazing garden overlooking the bay. He collected art and turned his home into a thing of beauty. He was both benevolent and promiscuous. He helped the locals, treating poor people for free, did a lot of work caring for animals, and sowed his wild oats. Apparently he had many illegitimate off spring. He wrote a best selling book, ‘The Story of San Michele’ which was translated into fifty different languages and sold all over the world.
Eventually his eyesight deteriorated and he struggled to get about his gardens (i can sympathise with that one) and he eventually moved out and his house became a museum. The money raised from the entrance fee did, and still does, go towards helping poor people of the area.
The approach to the museum is a long narrow walkway, lined by shops selling expensive clothing, lemon themed ornaments and fridge magnets. Capitalism never misses an opportunity to make a fast buck, and has no qualms about taking advantage of crazy philanthropists.
Victoria gives us an informative tour of the museum and we quickly grab a few snaps of the view from the garden.
We then head back down the hill, past the stalls and stop for food at one of the many restaurants that surround a little square just down from the museum. Our first pizza of the trip.
We drop back down towards the harbour, stopping half way. At this point our group splits . Some follow Victoria to walk to a garden with more stunning views, some head down to the harbour to shop, whilst me and me Megan park ourselves in a beer garden, drink beer and blog (see yesterday’s blog).
When we get back down to the harbour the shopping massive aren’t weighed down with big shopping bags, but Capri watches and expensive jewellery has been splashed out on.
After our evening meal we are knackered but force ourselves down the road to a local pub and unwind with a few Mojitos.
We mooch back to the hotel around midnight, exhausted but relaxed after a pleasant day out.
We snuggle down in bed and then listen to a drunk couple next door arguing noisily and increasing violently until security finally arrive after a couple of hours and break things up. Clearly they are not having fun yet.