Anacapri, Campania, Italy, Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Carol on the Boat

We get up and the weather looks decent so we decide to go to Capri as planned. Breakfast is included and consists of croissants, an apple turnover type pastry, Cappucino, and juice. We eat fairly quickly and head out hoping to make the 0845 boat. We buy our tickets at the marina and just make the boat by a minute or so. It is about a half hour ride to the Isle of Capri and when we get off the boat, we walk along the dock looking for another boat. We want to go to the blue grotto. The grotto is a cave where the sun reflects off the limestone floor. We find the boat and ticket office and get our tickets to board.

Entrance and Exit For the Grotto

This is only part of the trip. When we reach the grotto, you transfer to dinghies where they row and pull you into the cave. Three of these boats hitch a ride being towed with their oarsmen in them by our motor boat. Along the way our captain points out sights. We got here pretty early so we could avoid crowds and there are only about 10 of us in this boat. When we arrive at the grotto, the dinghies pull up alongside us. They are not big so only two or three people per boat. We stop at a floating dock to pay for the dinghy ride and the entrance fee. This is not a cheap excursion. Then we are rowed to the three foot high entrance , lay down in the boat and when the waves are right are pulled into the cave.

Translucent Blue

You just see darkness at first and think, what did we just pay for. Once we are rowed a little further in, our guide tells us to turn around. The water is an incredible blue color from dark to translucent depending on how the light is hitting it. There are four or five boats rowing around in here and one guide is singing O Solo Mio. It is a pretty cool experience albeit a short one and after about ten minutes or so we row to the entrance, duck and are back in the daylight. As we exit, we see that two other big boats have arrived and they are packed with people. We timed this perfectly as the cave starts filling up with the dinghies. They say that there can be three thousand tourists a day go through here in season. That’s a lot of people and Euros.

Heart Shaped Cave

We get back on our motor boat and more little caves and grottos are pointed out to us on the return trip. When we get off the boat, I joke with our guide Daniel and tell him in Italian that his English is very good, and then add, are you from New York? That brings a laugh and he asks where we are from and then says he lives here on Capri and for us to have a great day.          We find a nearby spot to sit and decide what we want to do next. As we sit there, we hear our names called and see Kay from Orvieto, walking up to us. Her husband, Alan is going on the grotto tour. She does not do well with the motion and is going to wait here for him. We chat for quite a while and plan to meet for dinner on Friday evening.

Old Adobe Church

We have decided to walk to Villa Jovis, the villa of Emporer Tiberius from 26-37 AD. We take a funicular up to the upper town of Capri and head out for our walk from there. We thought it would be a hike through some woods but it follows a narrow lane. It is uphill, scenic and we lose the crowds of the town. We arrive at a small old church unusual in that it has an adobe outside and the bell starts ringing just as we arrive. We look inside and than decide to have lunch here sitting on a wall in the garden. We have sandwiches of salami and provolone chess that is unlike what we call provolone. After our nice lunch we continue our walk.

Walking to Villa Jovis

There are nice homes with beautiful gardens along the way. Getting closer, I notice some old walls above the path. We then come to a man who says visit the gardens, panoramico, and then it is closing at two just a few minutes. We hesitate thinking of Extorsionist Maria in Civita md the man says it is free, but will close soon. Okay, we go in to Parco Asterita expecting we may be asked for money on the way out. Once in, I look at my watch and it is about 5 minutes to one.

View From the Garden Park

We walk around and there are many great viewpoints to look at the cliffs, sea, islands, and the other side of Capri. We sit and enjoy and then when we exit, are asked not for money but if anyone else was in the park. I tell him I think two more people. I think he either is in his own time zone or wants his siesta, as the time is only 1:20. At any rate it is obvious he wants to close up the place. A few more steps up the way and there it is, unbelievable, and free, a public toilet. Carol makes good use of this opportunity while I check out the entrance to Villa Jovis.

Look a Roman

When we got off the funicular there was a tourist info place and we heard them tell a couple that the villa was closed today. We were expecting that but here it is and is open from 1200-1500. We pay our entrance fee and go in. It turns out to be a very nice ruin. It is up at the top of this part of the island surrounded by cliffs on three sides. It is said that Tiberius spent 10 years here to escape from being assassinated. His enemies would have to come by boat which would be easily seen and then come up the long road from the harbor which could be defended from this high ground. We find the base to a pillar or statue and have fun doing a few statue poses of our own. It is very quiet and beautiful up here with very few other people around which is how we like it. The harbor area and town are chock full of tourists but here you can really appreciate the island.

Walking Back to Town

We walk back down to the town and then down to the harbor. It says 10 minutes but is more like 25 with lots of steps. We catch the 1515 boat back to Sorrento and inspired by the garden keeper of Capri, take a siesta of our own.
We have dinner at a place close to the hotel as we do not feel like going far tonight. It is a nice meal but nothing special and the wine prices are very expensive so we just get water.

Pastries and Melon Liquor

A little strolling around the neighborhood leads to a stop in a shop that sells all kinds of products. We ask the girl about truffles, and that leads to a conversation about regional foods we have tried , and the pastries in Amalfi we had. She tells us in Sorrento, we need to try rum baba and in Napoli, the Sfogliatella so we put them on our list of things to try. We end up at the small cliffside park by our place with a night view of the bay, Naples, and the outline of Mount Vesuvius. Relaxed, we are ready to call it a night as we have another early day tomorrow.
CNC
“The tourists drift in and out of here like turds floating through the sewer”- Edward Abbey

Expenses
69E – 2 RT Ferry Tickets to Capri
26E – 2 boat tickets to Blue Grotto
25E – 2 tickets into Blue Grotto
3.60E- 2 funicular tickets to upper Capri Town
4E- Villa Jovis tickets
20.50E – 2 pastas, water, 2 E coperto at Pizzeria Grazie
4E- 2 Deliziaca Limone Pastries
65E- Casa Dominova

Miles Walked- 7.5 Miles