Capri, Italy

As daylight was breaking the pilot backed the ship into the dock in Naples, our last port of call.

We were docked in Naples but our destination for the day was the island of Capri – to the south, across the Bay of Naples.  The fast ferry (the hydrofoil) is left as you exit the terminal; we went right.  After much confusion (it wasn’t supposed to be so difficult to find) we finally located a ferry terminal.   We purchased our tickets and boarded – it was a car ferry (aka the slow ferry).  The trip took over an hour instead of 40 minutes, but it was a beautiful morning and a lovely trip; just part of the adventure.

The “peak” on the right is Mount Vesuvius.

As we pulled into Capri, dark clouds were looming over the island which really made the colours pop!

The ferries arrive at the beautiful Marina Grande; from there we had to take the funicular up to Capri town.

No cars are allowed in Capri town, but that’s okay because there is no room for them!

My destination was the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch) and the Pizzolungo trail that winds along the south east side of the island.  So up, up, up I went.

I found the Arch without too much trouble; it was beautiful but not the right time of day for great photos.

Unfortunately for me, part of the trail that I wanted to take was closed.  I had to scurry back through town and find the other end of the path.

These are the little “cars” that they use around town to move luggage and supplies…

Capri town is expensive, but beautiful.  This is one of the high end stores on the very pricey main street, Via Camerelle.

The beautiful “streets” of Capri

Amazing scenery along the way…

The Faraglioni are 3 rocky stacks just off the south coast of Capri.  The one closest to shore (and still attached) is Stella; the middle one is Faraglioni di Mezza (Mezza is “middle”) and the farthest, Faraglioni di Fuori (“outer”), is also known as Scopolo.

There is a staircase down to the beach at the Faraglioni, but what goes down must go up – so I didn’t!

This path is not only winding, but it also goes up and down.  More stairs!

There are actually villas which can only be accessed from the pathway.  As busy as Capri town was, I saw only a handful of other people on my walk.

Villa Castiglione was one of twelve villas built on Capri by the roman emperor Tiberius in about 27 AD.  It looks down over the town of Capri and in the 10th century fortified walls and towers were built and it became a ruling fortress.  Over the centuries it fell into disrepair and has since been extensively renovated and updated; the first major renovation was in 1283!  The villa is over 10,000 square feet, has 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, terraced gardens and a swimming pool.  If you’re planning a trip to Capri you can stay here – it’s now rented out as a vacation villa.  It comes with a butler, a chef and cleaning and gardening staff.  No where can I find what the rental cost is – I guess if you have to ask, you can’t afford it!

There are stairs and hills to climb everywhere on Capri, these stairs led up to a villa entrance.

After my walk, it was time for a well earned pizza (so good) and beer.

This is the very busy main square, Piazza Umberto I.  One thing I noticed about Capri – it wasn’t just tourists – there seemed to be a lot of Italians here as well.  It was a Saturday, so perhaps they were there for a weekend break.  It made it feel less touristy than some of the places we had visited.

After lunch, we headed back down the Funicular to the Marina area where the shops are less exclusive than the ones in Capri town.

Capri is known for their hand made sandals; they’re only completed when they find their “forever foot”.

A few photos from the marina area…

I found this sign to be quite funny, I especially like the car.  Really?  People need to be told this?

I hope these people saw the sign!

The black clouds rolled in and we had to seek shelter.  Well, you can’t go into a restaurant and just sit there!  They had me at hazelnut…

After the rain, the flowers were pretty with the water droplets still on them.

We took the hydrofoil (the fast ferry) back to Naples and what a wild ride that was!  It was only when we arrived at the ferry terminal that my mistake from the morning was painfully obvious.  The terminal was right next to the cruise ship terminal and very easy to find – if you went the right way.

As we sailed out of the Bay of Naples and north west towards Rome, we were treated to a beautiful sunset – a fitting end to another amazing trip!