At 9:30 this morning, we boarded the ferry from Amalfi to the Isle of Capri. This is a journey of about an hour and a half, and the ferry makes a stop at Positano about a third of the way there. We stayed close to the coastline and the trip was pleasant and cool. We decided today to sit in the interior of the ferry out of the sun - we knew we would be walking around in the heat soon enough! Of course for Tallahassee folks, this heat is definitely bearable. The humidity isn't an issue and there is always a breeze.
The ferry lands at Capri at the Marina Grande, which is a noisy, chaotic place filled with hundreds of tourists, both those from far away, like us, and those who are simply day-trippers, many from just across the bay in Naples. We immediately purchased our tickets for a boat tour around the island, with a stop at the Blue Grotto.
Capri is a pretty impressive rock. Its cliffs are white and towering, its sea caves numerous. Our boat captain gave us just enough information, first in Italian and then in English, to be interesting but not too disruptive. Mostly we just enjoyed the natural wonder of Capri. For centuries it has acted as a kind of sentinel for the mainland, and there are many ancient towers and one very modern lighthouse, all of which serve to warn all comers away from the very forbidding rocks. The marina at which we first landed seemed to be just about the only bit of shoreline that is approachable.
There are one or two spots where our boat could come in very closely so we could see the sea caves. They seem to be fairly young, judging from the stalactites that seemed rather short. Of course, these caves are different from those found on land, as the sea undoubtedly sheers off the stalactite tips with each high tide.
Our captain pointed out one hotel way, way up - 2,000 Euro per night, he said. We also saw a couple of celebrity villas, also perched on the edges of some pretty high cliffs. (We all keep wondering: what does one do about grocery shopping? The answer to that is just an Italian shrug; one shops daily.)
As we approached the Blue Grotto, the captain informed us that there was a two-hour wait to enter. For the hundreds of people waiting in large boats and small, this is pretty normal. Each dinghy that enters the Grotto holds only four people - the math is pretty obvious. We were given the choice to continue on our way, with those who were willing to wait the two hours being brought back to the Grotto. As it happened, only four members of our group decided to wait it out. The rest of us were ready to get back to dry land and start exploring!
Back at the Marina Grande, we decided to head up the mountain to Capri Town via the funicular. This is a small train that runs up and down the mountain pretty much continuously. Funiculars are very common throughout the world in towns with steep inclines - there are several even in America. They are inexpensive (electric) and efficient. We bought our tickets (2 Euro each) and headed to stand in line. After a brief wait and a pretty spectacular ride, we stepped out into Capri Town.
We decided it was time for lunch, and following our tour book, we found a delightful restaurant tucked away in a narrow alley. The proprietor took much pleasure in showing us the photos of celebrities who have eaten there, as disparate as Jerry Springer and Adam Sandler! Sophia Loren still maintains a villa in Capri - but she hasn't made it in for lunch yet.
Capri Town itself is crowded and mostly famous for shopping and extremely expensive stores. We wandered a bit, but decided we would like to check out the other little town on the island, Anacapri. To get there, we bought tickets and boarded a small bus - just eight seats! There were at least 30 people on our bus, standing in every tiny bit of place available. It was hot.
Anacapri proved to be absolutely delightful. Uncrowded, also offering much merchandise for sale (fabulous clothes, beautiful jewelry, sandals made to order for your feet), it also has a few notable venues for the sightseer. In our wandering, we came upon the true WOW of this visit - the Church of San Michele.
This small church has the most remarkable floor. Made entirely of majolica tiles, it depicts the Garden of Eden with all its bounty, and in the center the apple tree, the serpent, and an angel driving Adam and Eve from Paradise. All of the animals have human faces. They are completely disproportionate and not quite accurate - in the 18th century, artists would have had to rely on descriptions from explorers to depict many of the animals of the earth. The lion is the size of a small dog, while a nearby pheasant is about the same size. There is a unicorn. The alligator has ears.
Some of our companions have traveled far more extensively than we, and we all agreed we have never seen a church quite like it. The church has services only at Advent, and no one is ever allowed to walk on the floor. There is a narrow wooden walkway around the edges so visitors can walk around and look at the floor, and a tiny, steep spiral staircase leading to the organ loft from which one can look down on the whole thing. The altar in the church is quite ornate and beautiful, as are the little side chapels - but the floor is just jaw-dropping.
As we were approaching time to catch the ferry back to Amalfi, the five of us in our group agreed that it was time to try a cab. The cabs are such fun - they are open-air, very new vehicles of which their owners are very proud. We bargained a bit with the driver, who agreed to take us all the way to Marina Grande for 25 Euro (five per passenger) which we thought beat that crowded hot bus considerably. What a great ride down the mountain!
We caught the ferry at 5:30 p.m. and were back in Amalfi, hot, tired, and thirsty, by 7:00 p.m. We walked a bit up the main street to a favorite little piazza and tried a new restaurant, which turned out to be excellent. Topping our dinner off with a gelato from the stand next door, we headed for bed.
Tomorrow is our free day - and we will sleep in just a bit! After that, who knows?
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