Tuesday - April 12, 2005
Italy: Naples
Mike and I dithered for awhile as to what we should do on our day in Naples. We could visit the city, go to Pompeii or Herculaneum, take a drive down the Amalfi coast, or hop a hyrdofoil over to the Isle of Capri, just to name a few of the options. Seeing as I have visited this area many times and we will be back in this neighborhood in October when I bring a group over, we didn't feel compelled to do much of anything. But we settled on a leisurely day in Capri and it turned out to be just the right choice.
The whole Sorrentine Peninsula is an incredibly beautiful place to visit! One is spoiled for choice with the many interesting and lovely places to visit, which is why even a week in this area is never enough. I have been here at least a half dozen times or more, but never get tired of the scenery, the food, or the people. The weather was lovely the morning we arrived - sunny and about 65 to 70 degrees, which is just perfect for walking about. So we stuck with our plan and walked the short distance from our ship to the ferry landing and caught a hydro foil over to Capri.
Our day on Capri coincided with the Pope's funeral, so many of the shops were shut. But all I wanted to buy was a bottle of the cream limoncello, so that didn't cramp my style at all. Mike had never been to Capri before, but we decided to wander and enjoy the scenery rather than sightsee. We caught the funicular up to the main square of Capri and enjoyed the sweeping views from the portico out over the harbor as boats came and went leaving a sweep of white over the calm deep blue waters in their wake. From there we walked through the old town to the Gardens of Augustus to get some spectacular views down one side of the limestone cliffs to the Faraglioni rocks rising dramatically from the sea and down the other side to corkscrew bends of the Via Krupp. The gardens themselves were filled with colorful flowers at this time of year and the wisteria were just beginning to blossom, so it was a very pleasant place to just wander and spend some time.
We wanted a real Italian pizza for lunch, so with the help of a local we found a homey restaurant with a wood-burning pizza oven that overlooked the harbour. The pizza was delicious, as was the bottle of local red wine that accompanied the meal. We took our time over the meal, and had fun watching a young Italian couple with their young son at the next table. He would say funny things that would set them off in fits of laughter, he'd dunk his bread in the salad dressing and send it flying across the table, he'd take a ring of calamari and amuse himself by swirling it around on his finger. He was only about four years old but a budding comedian.
After lunch, we caught a bus up to the other town on the island, Ana Capri. Actually, we thought we were going to Ana Capri, having leaped without looking at the bus that was parked in the Ana Capri bay. But as soon as the bus stated going downhill, I figured something was wrong. We ended back in Marina Grande, where we had started, and had to wait another 20 minutes for a bus back up the hill. The ride is quite incredible. The road is just wide enough to allow two buses to pass. If anyone painted the rocks on each side, they'd never make it. But you get the most incredible views out the windows as the bus make the hairpin turns at the curves in the road. By the time we reached the top, we just had time to wander around the town and have a look out at the sea before heading back down for the hydrofoil back to Naples.
Back on board the ship, we had a real treat in store for us this evening, but I'm going to give it it's own entry so have a look at "Italy: A View from the Bridge."