The Island of Capri

Next, my travels in Italy took me to the Island of Capri.  I really wanted to go here but it wasn't a planned trip on my route because I knew it was pretty far from Naples and I had to take a bus and then ferry.  Not to mention that to get around the steep cliffs, I would need a tour guide of some sort.  But I found a tour bus and signed up for it.  I was so excited.  Plus, I felt that I could allow myself to relax and have a local show me around. 

So indeed, I took a bus to The Port of Naples and from there my tour group got on the ferry.  The ferry ride was an hour long.  I got some much need sleep in on the way there.  Here is a map to show you where Capri is in reference to Naples.  Also, pay attention to Sorrento, because I will be featuring a post from there as well.  If you ever get a chance (I wish I did) go to the Island of Ischia.  It is less touristy than Capri and just as stunning!

Source

My rating of Capri

So we exited the ferry and here is my first view of Capri!

Our tour guide, Aldo was great.  He was very knowledgable and never ran out of energy.  He also made it clear that natives stress the vowel of "a" not "i" in the word "Capri."  The views from the shore alone were beautiful.  But Aldo had plans for us to get on a bus immediately and make the most of our time by heading to the other side of the island.  The plan was to make it to the town of Anacapri which is high in the mountains. I'm glad I went with a tour because we needed a bus to navigate the tiny streets that snaked around the cliffs.  It was scary watching the bus squeeze between the cliff and other cars.  And forget about looking over the edge of the cliff.   Eeek!  I had so many beautiful pictures from the few hours that I spent in Anacapri, so I'm actually going to save them for the next post.  But the views I got were breathtaking and the best views on my entire trip to Italy.  

After visiting the town of Anacapri, we headed to our restaurant for lunch.  Before we made it to the restaurant our bus was stopped by police.  There was a funeral going on and a row of about 100 people were walking down the street with the coffin in hand for a loved one that had died in their town.  It seemed like everyone knew who the departed was.  Every face in the procession was visibly upset.  They all seemed to really care for each other.

After seeing the procession walk by and being confronted with a bit of reality, we headed to Ristorante La Pigna, which means pinecone in Italian.  There are many of these pinecones on the island.  Aldo told us the story of the restaurant and how they make all the pasta from scratch and the cheese!  My meal consisted of two kinds of pasta including a ravioli with cheese, fresh calimari and salad, and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  This meal was amazing and I got a chance to chat with all of the people on the tour.  I even met a couple from a town near where I grew up.  How crazy!

After dinner, I snapped a few shots of the island. 

So now Aldo offered to give us a walking tour.  We walked all along town and got to see the beautiful sights.  He pointed out that Capri used to be only a destination for the rich and famous, but now it has become more affordable.  You can tell by all of the designer stores and shopping!  We stopped in to a little shop to try out some of the famous limoncello liquor.  They had so many kinds.  Even a creme kind.  And lemon chocolate, soap, and honey.  All kinds of lemony goodness!  

Aldo mentioned that Capri is known for the amazing perfume it produces.  I'm not a big perfume fan but I really like light scents and sprays.  He showed us the factory on the island that produced the aromatic Carthusia perfume. Below is the small factory and some lovely hanging lavender.  You could try out all of the scents but the best scent was called "Mediterranean" and leaves the light and refreshing scent of green tea and lemon on your body.  I'm not exaggerating, this perfume is amazing.  You can even order some on Carthusia.it.  I wish you could all smell your computers right now!  I had to take some home with me.

Just near the perfume factory, Aldo lead us to this small but beautiful botanical garden, high above a cliff.  I took this opportunity to also snap some shots over the cliff.  Gorgeous!  

Below, Aldo pointed out that this tan hotel was one where all the rich people stayed.  And it was about $1000 a night.  Damn, I wish I could ball like that.  

Below is just another beautiful hotel on Capri.

Capri reminded me a lot of my trip to Santorini.  Though, I actually had time to explore the island in Capri.  I spent 8 hours on Capri, but I could have stayed weeks.  It was breathtaking.  Perfect weather I might add. And at the end of September, it was towards the end of the tourist season. So while there were plenty of tourist, there weren't as many.  If I had more time I would have visited the Blue Grotto by boat which is absolutely stunning I've heard.  You lay down in the boat to get into the grotto and sometimes they let you swim in it.  I would go back to Capri in a heartbeat.  

Next Stop: Anacapri From The Clouds (You don't want to miss this either!)

Anyone lucky enough to have traveled to Capri?  Anyone ever smell the perfume??

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