Isle of Capri

Capri...the jewel of the Mediterranean ..... Left the hotel at 7:45 and boarded the hydro boat for 8:45. Very nice, but I like the Amalfi coast better. Capri is only 7 miles off the coast of Sorrento but feels like a world away...it is very quaint, with a lot of money, and a LOT of tourists.

The ride from the harbour to the center of Capri was enough to take your breath away. When we disembarked the boat we headed into the center of town, walking along a very narrow sidewalk and a street that wasn't much wider. It was amazing to see the service trucks...they are not trucks at all but more like little toy trucks and they use them for everything...from transporting fruits and vegetables, delivering luggage to the hotels, and even bringing handicapped visitors into the town center.

 From the main square, we took the 'non-tourist' route to the Gardens of Augustus, where we had a magnificent view of the isle. It was a non-tourist route because it was narrow, hilly, roaming through little neighborhoods (like a maze), greeting locals along the way. We finally got to a town square, totally out of breath, and then found out we had to go even further. Luckily, it was downhill....for a while at least....(and I forgot that what goes down must go up!). The gardens were nice, the view was wonderful, but definitely not worth the trip.

After the walk that was worse than climbing Mt. Everest, we headed back to the bus and then up to Anacapri to see the beautiful views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. This is a mama mia ride, just like Sergio said. Just barely enough room for our bus and one of the little 'toy trucks' coming the other way.

We had lunch at Le Arcate, near the bus stop and the center of Anacapri. Real Caprese salad and real pizza......Dee-Licious! After a great lunch we headed to the main square to spend an hour or so.

Next we headed to the harbour for a ride around the isle. We had our own boat, thanks to Sergio, and headed out to bask in the sun and surf.

What a ride!!!!! We cruised up and down the coast, viewing grottoes that appeared, it seemed, around every bend. We saw Sophia Loren's home, Gina Lollobrigida's and many other beautiful homes. It's amazing how the homes are built right into the side of the mountains.

Well, it's back to Sorrento and more shopping, eating, and sightseeing.