An American In Italy: May 2014: Day 6...
5/13/14: I've seen more sources of beauty and awe in the past five days than in all the rest of my life combined. Breakfast in the hotel wasn't anything special, but the views were. I could see lots of boats and one good-sized ship coming into Capri in the fog around the bay. Vesuvius, Sorrento, Naples, and Ischia were their own brand of drama in the haze and early morning light.
We met up with our guide, Luigi, and walked a half-mile to Villa San Michele, residence of Swedish doctor, Axel Munde, who collected Roman and Renaissance antiquities amid treating the Swedish royal family and the population of Naples. The villa was lovely, and one of the few museum/gardens small enough that we could see it all without having to rush. (Among his menagerie of animals, Axel Munde had a pet baboon. Sabrina and Lolita and I were hysterical for several minutes - our tourmates must've thought we were nuts. They probably thought that more than once.) It's full of history and interest, but the gardens were breathtaking.
From Villa San Michele, we walked through Anacapri to the square for a cable car ride up to Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island. Also breathtaking - I spent a lot of time breathless even when I wasn't hiking on this trip. Or at least dazzled. The gardens and orchards of Capri grow peaches, olives, pomegranates, iris, roses, tomatoes, and three separate crops of lemons in mind-blowing varieties. We took minibuses down to Capri, now bustling with the daily excursion tourists and oggled streets of tempting shops: pearl and coral jewelry and cameos had me lusting, and Sabrina was oggling the Capri watch on our walk to the Augustus Gardens.
We passed Grande Hotel Quisisana, the former tuberculosis sanitarium that is now the most expensive hotel on the island; the cheapest room goes for 500 euro a night, the highest 2000+. Outside a nearby hotel, saw my first gatto di Capri, a lovely marmalade tabby not at all pleased with these pesky tourists. He flounced.
Outside the gardens, saw a Carthusian monastery and the perfume factory - had to dodge the sample offeror. I find the process of making perfumes, especially in the old traditions, quite interesting, but my allergies would've had a real problem if I'd gone into that place. I sneeze at the perfume counters in department stores!
More breathtaking gardens. Luigi called them the most beautiful on the island. I'd call Villa San Michele a contender for that title, but these were wonderful too, and provided still more stunning views. We had a glimpse of Capri's three famous rocks, the Faraglioni, and dodged a small army of schoolkids, then Luigi released us to rampage around Capri for the afternoon. GP had recommended an island boat tour that we could sign up for from the hotel, and we opted for that in the afternoon.
Sabrina, Lolita and I were famished, so we opted to go back to the main avenue to find a restaurant with a view of the Marina Grande. We oggled more pricey lovelies on the way - Capri caters not only to tourists, but jet setters, royalty, and a slew of celebrities, and it shows in their shops. I want money. Lots and lots of money, so I can travel to all the places and buy all the things. Us girls decided the solution to this problem is simple: we need Sugar Daddies. Sadly, no one has applied yet.
On the walk back up to the main road, I met Gatto di Capri Numero Due, who was flopped for a bath on a news stand, supremely unconcerned. Heh!
We found a restaurant with a view and had pizzas. Sabrina's "perla" was interesting, more like a pizza/calzone hybrid, but we all put major dents in our big meals. She had a glass of limoncello. We were joined as the crowded cafe's seats were in demand by two local guides who work with cruise ship excursions. They reported that SEVEN!!! large ships were now docked in Naples, hence the even larger than usual crowds. I saw badges from MSC, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and others. From lunch, we headed down to the furnicolare to join our boat tour around the island.
The famous Blue Grotto was already closed. Oh well. (Being a tad claustro, I wasn't too sorry, would rather see outdoor sites, or at least ones that have entries larger than one-by-one meter!)
What a ride. Another A+ recommendation from our tour director. We got close to the Coral Grotto, the White Grotto, and the Green Grotto, the last of which has the same colorful limestone effect as the Blue Grotto - without the harrowing entrance. We passed close to the Faraglioni and went through the Love Arch and were ordered to kiss someone, so much air-cheek kisses ensued, and Sabrina's worked really fast! We saw a man fishing down on the rocks. I can't imagine how the hell he got down there. We met the rock goats of Capri, and their fearless leader, Franco.
Saw the entrance of the Blue Grotto.
Nope. Nope nope nope. Holy shit, that thing is tiny!
I vastly recommend Laser Capri's boat tours. Fun, informative, affordable at 17 euros for an hour-plus ride, and such spectacular sights. Another family of our tour-mates took one of the many private boats who hawk their cruises from the docks. They enjoyed it, and it was longer and a smaller boat than we took, but nearly twice the price per person.
We rode on the upper level of the boat, and Sabrina had an incredible skid down the steps when we were disembarking. Once the shocked silence passed, we were all laughing so hard we could barely stand upright, and one enterprising fellow tourist eagerly held out his arms to catch Lolita and me. Complete collective hysteria all the way off the boat.
After our cruise, we had a few free hours for shopping. We wandered the Marina Grande's crowds from the nut and candy sellers down to the knock-off booths (didn't stay long - that section was like an outdoor Wal-Mart) had gelato at one of the many little cafes and I finally started acquiring souvenirs and gifts. I bought my requisite piece of local jewelry: a rose gold pendant with Capri's Faraglioni. Owls are a thing here for some reason. Found one jeweler whose designs looked suited for the red carpet, but could probably weigh down your neck, ears, and fingers.
The bus back to the hotel was standing room only. Riding those twisting hairpin turns standing up was an experience, but we lived.
We met GP in the bar to pay for our excursions, and opted against Sorrento Flavors, since the pre-set meals haven't wowed, and that's a budget we could blow picking our own dishes at a restaurant. Also opted out of tonight's meal at the hotel (last night's was tasty, but the service was pretty poor by European OR US standards). GP recommended Ristorante Barbarossa in Anacapri,. A+ recommendation Number Three for our Tour Director. Oh, what a great restaurant.
I met my third Gatto di Capri outside a shop while Sabrina visited the bancomat (ATM), and he was teh cute and flirty and pretty. Lolita and I cooed at him and he flopped and posed for us. He's well fed unlike some of the cats we've seen, so we figured someone around there cares for him. Most of Anacapri's shops were closing up as the sun went down (and rain started up), and the day crowd of tourists were gone. For awhile, we were the only ones in the restaurant.
I decided to try genuine Italian gnocchi, with tomato and Parmesan and mozzerella, similar to the way I've had it at home. Sabrina had alfredo pasta with funghi (mushrooms) and our very helpful and solicitous cameriere recommended seafood with "homemade pasta" to Lolita.
Wow. I may never eat gnocchi in America again. They're softer in Italy, melt in your mouth. The sauce was divine; I re-raided the bread basket once the gnocchi were gone. We all sampled each other's: Lolita's pasta was a thick, dense noodle that absorbed the seafood sauce perfectly, and Sabrina's alfredo was divine. We all had tiramisu for dessert and got a free shot of limoncello. I tried a spritz while the girls shared a Sicilian red wine.
Tomorrow night is dinner in the hotel in Sorrento, then Thursday night we'll pick a place for our final blowout. I'm hoping to eat salmon here; oggled it in a couple of different restaurants.
Capri is a remarkable, beautiful place. I'm hoping to return here with more time too.