Capri

The island of Capri (pronounced cap - ry, not ca - pree) is a rugged island about 3 miles out from the tip of the Sorrento peninsula, and it is perennially overrun by tourists. It reminds me somewhat of Cape Cod - truly beautiful and yet obnoxiously oversold. The island is fairly large and as mountainous and steep and as vertiginous as the Amalfi Coast. It is in fact the remnant rim of a once massive volcano - the crater being the bay. Capri has been occupied for at least 2,000 years. A few ancient Greek structures are still visible, such as a 900-step stone staircase that connects the upper level villages with the water's edge. The island has long attracted the elite. One of the most famous inhabitants was the Roman emperor Tiberius who constructed the Villa Jovis - a "pleasure palace" (in the naughtiest sense), the ruins of which sit atop one of the highest points on the island with a peerless view of the bay and coastline. There are a lot of historic and natural attractions on Capri, but even my jovial guidebook seemed to convey a hint of weariness.

As usual, the day started with an early morning breakfast at the hotel: prosciutto, cheese, egg, coffee. The tour coordinator had arranged a package tour of Capri, which included all transportation and a guide for the island, but a few of us decided to strike out on our own in order to control the agenda and save some money. I joined my friends Larry and Sharon. After breakfast we walked down to Marina Piccola (the marina) where we hurriedly bought tickets on the next hydrofoil ferry to the island. We arrived at the boarding point just in time to watch our ferry leave without us. Larry and I returned to the ticket booth to exchange our tickets for the next ferry, which, as it turned out, was the same one for the pre-arranged package tour group.

It took about 30 minutes to cross the water and we docked at Marina Grande on the northern side of the island. The first thing that struck me as we walked off the ferry was the clarity and color of the water - sort of a glowing turquoise. It's all the more striking against the dark volcanic rock of the island shore. From the dock, the island appears huge - so vertical that it appears to loom over you. Mountainous Capri rises straight up out of the sea, like a group of immense, craggy towers. Yet, just as on the Amalfi Coast, whole villages of white washed buildings seem to have grown on its steep cliffsides.

We stopped at the tourist office to pick up a map of the island. They had run out of English language maps. It was either German or Spanish. We opted for Spanish, which made me the official interpreter of directions (woe unto us). We then got in line to buy all-day passes for the local buses. While in line we bumped into a mother-daughter team from Salem - Sandy (mother) and Rachel (daughter) - and our impromptu group expanded to five. Tickets in hand, our group boarded the funicolare - a cog train that carried us part way up the mountain at a steep angle to the town of Capri (there is more than one town on the island).

The little town of Capri is medieval in its architecture, but fully modern in function - mostly shops and eateries. We bought sandwiches to carry and then set out to visit Villa Jovis. The map described it as a moderate, 45-minute hike. The town of Capri is very densely built at its center, somewhat similar to Ravello - a maze of narrow passages between multi-story buildings seemingly built into the natural mountain stone. As we moved out of the town center, the architecture changed dramatically. The pathways remained narrow and maze-like, but the walls shrank to only a few feet high, and on every side were now terraced, spacious properties with lemon groves, grape arbors, and artfully maintained gardens. The decoratively gated entrances were usually draped with grape vines or ivy, and the stone walls thick with moss and lichen. Aside from the main piazza in the town center of Capri, level ground appears to be rare on the island. It was a beautiful but constantly steep walk as we made our way toward our destination, yet consistently paved and walled on each side. As we neared our destination, the manicured properties were replaced by untamed brush and pine trees. We could just see the ruins peaking at us from a distant point, though mostly hidden behind trees. The hike had us all flushed, and despite the cool breeze, everyone had stripped off their jackets. We took a few wrong turns, stumbling through the brush, but eventually we made it to the entrance gate where we were greeted by a family of small, brown goats. They seemed surprised to see us, although we weren't expecting them either. According to Frommer's, Capri gets its name from the ancient Greek word kapriae, which means "island of wild goats." Frommer's then quips that "indeed, only goats can tread these steep slopes and cliffs with ease." Clearly the Greeks were being a little more literal than that. Opening the gate, we entered a small, tree-shaded courtyard. At the opposite end was a railing where the ground dropped away and we were presented with a panoramic view of the sea on the east side of the island. We only got a minute to enjoy the view before a group of workers scolded us because the site was closed. They shooed us back out the gate. We were not going to get to see Villa Jovis after all. We sat on the little wall outside the gate and had our sandwiches while the little goats watched.

We walked back down into the town of Capri where we had coffee and sat out on the patio of the coffee shop. After our coffee break, we boarded a bus to take us further up the island to the next town of Anacapris. Anacapris appears to be not quite as old or medieval as Capris - wider streets and newer looking buildings - but it boasts a number of beautiful churches. The most remarkable one is the Church of San Michele. The floor of the church is majolica - beautifully painted tiles comprising a massive mural of a scene in the Garden of Eden. It is amazing. In order to protect the floor, visitors can only walk on raised wooden platforms on the outer edges of the floor along the walls. Pictures are allowed, but no flash. Definitely worth the trouble. After the church we caught a bus back down to the marina and boarded the hydrofoil back to Sorrento.