The Island of Capri

It's Saturday, May 18th, and today we're day-tripping from Sorrento to the island of Capri. We'll be taking a jet boat over to Capri, so our first order of business is to make our way to the marina, far below the city center of Sorrento.

The easy solution is the 1€ elevator, conveniently located at the public gardens next to the Church of S. Francesco, which brings us down to the level of the marina. From there, we trek around the base of the cliff to the busy marina. We see the large jet boats at the far end, so we walk over that way. The boats are here, but not the ticket office!

We head back to where we started, and find the ticket offices at the entrance to the marina. Only one class of service is available, so we buy a couple of tickets, and then head back to, of course, the furthest berth.

The jet boat is loading as we arrive, and we're funneled into a line that brings us to the top deck, in the stern. All the seats are taken, so we are pressed up against a locked, glass door by the crowd.

It doesn't look like it's going to be a comfortable ride. We manage to turn ourselves around, and through the glare, we're able to see what beckons beyond the locked glass door.

That large empty area is the premium class seating, but there's no premium class on this sailing, so the cabin sits woefully empty. We help remedy that situation when a crew member squeezes his way out the door, and we squeeze our way in. It's a fairly comfortable ride, once we've got some nice cushy seats.

When we arrive at Capri marina, the boat disgorges hundreds of passengers, all pretty well intent on getting the funicular railway to the town itself, perched on the mountainside above us. We stand on line for the funicular, and when we reach the turnstile, we learn that we have to buy our tickets first...at the other side of the piazza. I guess it would make too much sense to sell them at the actual funicular station.

An hour later, we are back on line, and board the Funiculare.

We wander around Capri for a brief while, but our real goal is to ascend Monte Solaro, so we grab one of the little buses to Anacapri, further up mountain. There, we board the chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro.

It proves to be a spectacular piece of real estate. A visitor center at the peak affords unbelievable panoramic views. Just relax while I share a few:

Finally, it's time to descend. Rather than return the way we came, on the chairlift, we decide to hike the path down Monte Solaro to Anacapri. The path is mostly rustic, packed earth and crude steps, but it's not particularly difficult if you're in reasonable shape. It certainly is peaceful, devoid of tourists, beautiful.

During the trip down, we see dozen of small green lizards, one of the two indigenous lizards here on Capri. The other is the Blue Lizard, but they're only found on the Faraglioni rocks.

Descending into Anacapri, we make a short visit to the Chiesa Monumentale S. Michele, known for the exquisite Majollica tilework that covers the floor of the church. A boardwalk is set up around the perimeter, so that visitors can view the tiles.

We catch our return bus to the Marina from a stop just prior to the main piazza in Anacapri, which allows us to get a seat before the crowd packs on. As evening arrives, we cruise back in to the marina at Sorrento, where we'll take another 1€ elevator ride to the top, rather than brave the 270 steps.

Tonight, we'll dine at Zi'Ntonios again, where I enjoy a luscious linguine with lobster, and Mrs. Z. has some great pizza with grilled vegetables.

Next stop, the Amalfi Coast.

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