How To Spend A Day in Capri, Italy
When I picture Italy I envision multi-colored structures cascading down a mountain of rock, overlooking a calm sea; Capri did not disappoint.
We spent one day on the island and, much to my dismay, the weather forecasted was cold, rainy and full of wind. For those that know me, I am one to avoid cold at all costs…I mean, I moved from Wisconsin to Georgia just to escape the frigidness of Northern winters! I was determined to switch the trip to Capri to another day but I begrudgingly boarded the ferry in Naples at 9:00AM because there were other aspects of our meticulously planned vacation that could not be altered.
As the ferry descended on the island my sour poor weather attitude quickly disappeared. The deep blue water contrasted the overcast sky beautifully as sailboats of all sizes swayed back and forth just off the shore. And fortunately for us, the weather had deterred many other travelers from venturing out so we had no difficulty getting around the island and never had to wait for a table or in a line. Our first stop was a café just off the port for a cup of strong Marocchino to-go and then off we went.
Depending on which part of the island you are headed to, you have a choice between taking a taxi/bus or the funicular. We decided to take the taxi up the oh so skinny winding roads to AnaCapri; kudos to our speedy driver because there is no way I would ever be able to navigate that terrain! We were dropped off at the base of Mount Solaro where we hopped on the chair lift to the summit. At almost 2000 feet above sea level, the views {and photo ops} were AH-MAZING! For the slightly more adventurous, you could choose to hike up the mountain instead of hitching a ride on the lift. After taking the chairlift back down, we caught a taxi and enjoyed the scenery on our short commute back to Capri to the shopping district.
Time to break out the AmEx! The twists and turns of pedestrian streets lined with shops and boutiques seemed never ending and provided great temptations to my inner shopping enthusiast. It’s a good thing this was our final stop because we could have easily lost track of time and spent the whole day exploring; stopping only for a giant cannoli and a Coca-Cola Lite to refuel before diving back into couture, designer labels, hand crafted decor, and limoncello. Hours later and countless bags in hand, we rode the funicular (pretty much a train on cables that goes up the side of a mountain) back down to the port to catch our Ferry back to Naples.
The only true disappointment of the day was the cancellation of the Catamaran and *bucketlist* Blue Lagoon tour due to turbulent waters. Word on the tiny windy street is that the Blue Lagoon is a must see. So, I guess that means I will just have to start planning my trip back; maybe during the summer months, though, to avoid the wrath of Mother Nature’s winter vibes.
Addio Capri! Fino alla prossima volta.
