Oooooh, Capri. A romantic name, a romantic island, and a place where people flock to visit. Today it’s the rich and famous (followed by the seekers of the rich and famous) and two thousand plus years ago it was Caesar Augustus, who swapped the nearby isle of Ischia to Naples for Capri. He was smitten, as we are today. Pronounce it Cahp- ria, as told to me by a local. (She said many words are pronounced with a lingering “a” at the end. I thought that was just a bad fake accent.)
It’s even become part of our lexicon. Now women wear Capri pants in warm weather and the ensalada caprese is a standard in most Italian restaurants.
It’s a tiny chunk of rocks, where people love to shop, dine, and take in the views, as well as the boat trip to the Blue Grotto, weather and currents permitting. Not all of us, though, are content to only shop, dine, and take in spectacular views. Could someone who doesn't have the euros to shop till they drop, and really doesn't care about spotting celebs, find fascination here?
I had two days in Sorrento, and since my magnetic north always points to ancient ruins, I knew I would spend a day at Pompeii. I didn't feel Sorrento would captivate me for a full day, lovely town though it is, so for the next day it was a tossup between checking out the Amalfi coastline, just behind Sorrento, or hopping the ferry to Capri, just in front. Capri won, partly because the Amalfi coast seems to cry out for more than one day.
So onto the ferry, thinking about a blank slate of a day with no specific objective in mind. Arriving at the port what did we find first? Refreshments!
Booths and stands of all sorts of treats for a hot summery day, but whether or not you love coconut like I do, you have to admit this is about as charming a presentation as you will ever see!
Of course the port area is not the best of Capri, so it was time to head up to the town of Capri, and then the little town of Anacapri.
Your first upward journey is typically taken on the funicular:
Vesuvius is in the distance. A fun little ride, but it's the only easy was to get up to Capri. Poke around Capri a bit if you please, then catch the bus that switchbacks up to Anacapri, where the views are even better and the shops more exclusive.
After a light lunch, we thought about what we could do that might be a bit out of the ordinary? We chose to walk down a mountain.
This is a place where you go up-up-up. Anacapri is as high as a lot of people go. Some then will take the chairlift (a little old and creaky, with not a lot of safety features, but if you are a wee bit nervous about heights just sit very still and you’ll be fine, I kept telling myself) to the top of Mt. Solaro, the highest point of the island.
My Much- Braver-Than-Me friend Susan (the black speck in the middle of photo, left) hopped on the chair in front of me and gave me an encouraging wave as we sailed very slowly, and very low, over homes and backyards. I felt a little like a voyeur but you can't help but want to peek at and admire their ingenious terraced gardens, below.
Your eyes scan Ischia to the north, then see Naples in the distance, Mt. Vesuvius directly east, and swing south toward the peninsula that hides Sorrento from your view, and down toward the Amalfi coast. Turn around and you can see much of the west side of the island (only sparsely populated) as well as the Mediterranean stretching to the horizon.
The cost of the chairlift is E9 round trip, and E7 one way. Yes, you can walk one way, and I recommend gliding up the mountain and stumbling down it. Just kidding. But, it’s not paved, graded, or even smooth so it is not for small children or anyone who is not capable or desirous of walking steep-ish and uneven terrain at some points. The top of the path is right next to where the chairlift begins, so don’t make the mistake of taking one of the other paths that wind downhill behind the snack bar area.
Allow plenty of time, because you will need to watch the pathway to avoid tripping on a root or a rock, yet you still want to savor the views. So take a few steps, and stop to check the view. A few more steps, and another view stop. An old rock wall here, the town below, a meadow there, a look at Vesuvius next and…what’s this? Are we in Israel? The plaque imbedded in a stone frame before us sure looks like a depiction of a Station of the Cross!
Yes, it is. We’ve come across the 10th Station and decide to detour on the pathway to the right (a much smoother and flatter pathway I might add) as we know there is a 13th century monastery down the way. You most likely will not find the monastery open but it’s a nice little side stroll. Follow the Stations to the final one at the base of the monastery and then sit for awhile or move over to a stone pergola-like building for more excellent viewing.
On a beautiful sunny mid-May afternoon we encountered few people (but were accompanied by a couple of friendly dogs) and the occasional tiny lizard/gekko/ (right) as we returned to the main path and proceeded downhill, seeing the Stations of the Cross in reverse order. If you are religious or orderly, you might want to walk up the mountain to see them in order and ride down instead, but be sure to purchase your ticket in Anacapri before you begin your hike. By the way, these are not old but were just a quaint little surprise on the journey downhill.
Capri has other delightful walks too, of varying length and difficulties, so if you don’t mind missing royals and movie stars and uber-chic shops it is a wonderful way to get moving, to breathe in that fresh air, and to justify your next delicious dish of gelato.
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