(Rochelle and Amy at Marina Grande on arrival upon the glorious Isle of Capri)

Waking up in Naples, which was our base for our excursions to the tourist sites in Southern Italy, we could not have been more disappointed. The rain seemed to have picked up volume through the night and came down in lashes as we made our way by cab to the Port of Naples to take a ferry to the famous Isle of Capri, immortalized in the song. No doubt, had we more time to dally in the Italian South, we might have postponed our excursion off shore. But with only a couple of days left to explore so extensive an area, we had little choice but to try our luck and hope that some form of transport would get us to Capri.

Caught in a Tornado at Sea:
As it turned out, our ferry ride to Capri was the beginning of many adventures. A 10 am ferry did take us across the dark and choppy waters as gigantic waves crashed over the sides and terrified me. Keeping my eyes firmly shut to avoid being panic-stricken and noting that there were no more than six other passengers on board, I alighted, forty minutes later, on the fabulous Isle of Capri where the weather seemed to have changed miraculously for the better. Gone were the frightful waves and the soggy skies. Capri was bathed in radiant sunshine and when we disembarked at Marina Grande, we found most people in upbeat mood, ready to begin their exploration of this classy island.

Heading towards the Tourist Information booth, we received helpful maps and guidance from a lady who spoke several different languages. It was she was directed us to a funicular train that climbed higher and higher up the steep escarpment offering stunning views of the turquoise seas below. At the top, merely ten minutes later, we found ourselves in the center of the town of Capri where a festive mood prevailed.

‘Downtown’ Capri:

Right in front of us was the Church of San Stefano and since it was, after all, Easter Sunday, I resolved to get in immediately to try to catch Mass and Holy Communion. I was delighted. Mass had only just begun but the church, like all the others I had entered throughout my travels in Italy, was ensconced by scaffolding as restoration was in progress. Still, the church was beautifully decorated with masses of spring flowers and their fragrance scented the air softly. Packed to the gills, men, women and children filled the pews and stood along the sides, splendidly attired in designer clothing. Gucci and Prada ruled the day as they went up for Communion making me feel exceedingly frumpy in my travel-weary jeans and well-worn coat. What an interesting experience that Mass was! Though in Italian, I could follow the main parts of it and was eager to participate. When it ended, we streamed out into a bright and sunny piazza, delighted to leave the storminess of Naples behind us.

There isn’t very much to see in Capri except for two or three main streets all of which radiate from the main square, each crammed with expensive luxury merchandise. Everyone in Capri seemed to be endowed with stacks of money for people walked around as if the place belonged to them. It was all a bit intimidating. Away from the posh stores and their well-displayed wares, a winding and very picturesque road goes by lovely old villas filled with well-manicured gardens and leads to the Augustinian Gardens, so-called because they were around in the time of Emperor Augustus. Already in spring bloom, it was a pleasure to walk through them towards the ledge of the mountain and to look down upon the churning seas that foamed like a white silk border on an aquamarine sari. (left) Just incredibly beautiful!
We could have stayed all day in that stunning enclave but decided to head towards the city center for a short ride by bus to Anacapri, the second town on the island. Once again, we passed souvenir stores stocked with limoncello made on the island from its own lemons, some as huge as footballs. Oranges, lemons and other citrus fruit grew almost wildly on the Isle of Capri and liberal samples of limoncello were served in many stores—not to mention complimentary sprays of locally-made citrus perfume. The stores also sold tons of lovely hand painted ceramic articles from bowls and platters to decorative centerpieces. Lemons and olives dominated as decorative motifs. Unable to resist the almond cookies and the mille feuille, an Italian pastry that literally means ‘a thousand leaves’ because it consists of layers of cream sandwiched between sheets of puff pastry, we munched on our goodies that were so astoundingly good I wished I had indulged in a few more.

Excursion to Anacapri:

Then, we were on a local bus climbing still higher to the other side of the island to the town of Anacapri (where Amy is seen at left) where hunger urgently led us to a small ristorante. There, we were determined to sample Insalata Caprese—the Caprisian Salad that was invented on the island—consisting of mozzarella cheese, freshly sliced tomatoes, onions and basil leaves, dressed lightly with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Ours came with fresh lettuce and together with the crusty Italian bread that is always served at every meal, we had ourselves a very satisfying light lunch indeed.
Back on our feet, we headed towards the ancient Church of St. Michael which has some remarkable majolica tile work on its floors. Alas, it was shut—the staff were probably enjoying their Easter lunch at home. Still, we did manage to enter another church very close by–the Church of San Sophia–which was small but very pretty indeed.

 Capri is also the base for exploring the famous Grotto Azurra or the Blue Grotto (left) where the quality of the light is so extraordinarily rare that small boats take visitors through a tiny opening into a cave where the walls reflect this iridescent blue. Again, the weather and the turbulent seas did not permit small craft to sail that day. Also disapppointing to us was the fact that the chair life that transports visitors up to the heights of Mount Solarno for striking views of the island and the Bay of Naples was also closed—just as well as the sea was rough and visibility was not very good beyond a few miles. The shops in the pretty town square at Anacapri begged to be explored and we were quite pleased to dally in them as Amy purchased some coral and pearl jewelry.

Our Adventurous Return to Naples: 

Then, we were on a bus headed for Marina Grande (left) from where we hoped to board the 5pm ferry back to Naples. No such luck! All ferry service to Naples was discontinued and the only possibility available was to take a ferry to Sorrento (a much shorter sail) in the hope of finding a bus that would take us back to Naples (as the Circumvesuviana train service had been shut down for the Easter Holiday). Needless to say, that ferry, probably the last one that day, was packed to capacity with many passengers seated along the stairs and floor determined not to be left behind at Capri for the night.
Our next adventure began when we arrived in Sorrento–only to find that no public transport was available to get us to Naples. Since we were in Italy, you can only imagine how eagerly the private bus operators hoped to serve us—at extortionary rates, of course. So there we were doling out 20 Euros each for a ride that normally costs 5! Did we have a choice? Not one in sight! So off we went on the bus, climbing the steep hill from the port to the main square called Piazza Tasso, a very chic and very trendy square that I hoped to explore the following day.
The bus ride back to Naples was thoroughly enjoyable. Perhaps it was relief at having found a safe way to get back to our hotel in Naples, perhaps it was the fact that the rain had, thankfully, stopped—perhaps it was just great to sit back and enjoy a ride after a day spent entirely on our feet. I don’t know what it was but the lights twinkling all along the curving Bay of Naples presented a spectacular sight as we drove along, arriving about two hours later at Piazza Garibaldi from where we made our way back home.
That night, we went to bed without dinner as every single restaurant and eatery was closed for Easter. We contented ourselves with gelato that was served at a small gelateria—never had ice-cream ever tasted so good!

To follow Amy and me on the next leg of our travels in Sorrento, Italy, please click on the link below.

Sorrento

Bon Voyage!