Isle of Capri

Today was our day to explore the island of Capri. We got up this morning and had breakfast in the hotel. We walked up the street to a piazza and found Jessica an authentic pair of Fendi sunglasses for only 8 Euros. I am pretty sure they are the real thing.

We then had a gelato and walked to the port, just down the street. We caught a boat to Capri and 45 minutes later we had arrived in one of the most beautiful destinations I have ever seen.

The Marina Grande at Capri is set in a valley between two towering mountains. There are many small boats throughout the marina, and multicolored houses all the way up the mountain.

We bought tickets for a funicular ride up to Capri Town. There is a nice little square right where you get off the funicular, with a lot of little shops and cafes. We walked around for a little bit and looked at the stores and restaurants.

Then we bought bus tickets for a ride to Anacapri, on the other side of the mountain. Our bus was very small; about half the size of a normal city bus. The roads in Capri are also very small; about half the size of a normal road. The roads were classified as two-way traffic, but the width was the exact width of two buses, so our trip to Anacapri was exciting to say the least.

At one point, we had to stop and back up to a wider part of the road so that another bus could get past. We also scaled several switchbacks that were literally 180 degrees. As you were going up the hill toward the switchback, the wall beside your vehicle was the same wall for the road after the switchback. No wide, rounded switchbacks like you find in the mountains of North and South Carolina.

There was also a portion of the road that was a straight drop off a cliff. We were probably 400 or 500 feet above the sea level, but luckily we had a nice metal hand railing between us and disaster. I was even getting a bit queasy looking over the edge as we hurtled forward on the way to Anacapri.
The bus dropped us off at a small square in Anacapri. We walked down a nice side street and found a small café to get some lunch. We splurged and Jessica had a Sprite and I had a Peroni.

After lunch we walked to the Villa San Michele and the Axel Munthe museum. Munthe was a Swedish doctor who dabbled in architecture and writing. He built a lovely house on the side of the mountain in Anacapri. The house was three stories, with several walkways overlooking the sea and gardens all around.

After the museum, we got tickets to ride the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island. At the top, 589 meters (1,932 feet) above sea level, we had stunning views of the whole island, including several smaller surrounding islands. The chairlift ride was really neat too, as we were able to enjoy more views and the setting sun as we glided through trees down the mountain.

We caught the bus back to Capri and had a nice cappuccino at a sidewalk bar before riding the funicular down to the marina. We bought our return tickets on the boat before I took some last minute sunset photos of the marina, while Jessica looked for some souvenirs.

We got back to Naples and got a couple of slices of pizza and a bottle of wine and had a relaxing dinner in the hotel while we watched soccer highlights with Italian commentary. I made a quick trip to the corner café for some late night gelato and canoli.

Tomorrow we travel to our third destination, Florence. Since the train ride is the longest of our trip, we opted for the early departure, so we will have a bit of an early morning tomorrow. But we are excited for Florence and more of the Italian renaissance. Ciao!