Emperors Caesar Augustus (reigned 27BC-14AD) and Tiberius (14-37AD) developed and lived on Capri. I can see why. This is the land of sunshine and lemons--lemon trees, lemon-scented candles, lemon art, lemon-inspired ceramics, lemon-flavored candies, lemonade, and lemon just about anything else.
More significant, it is one of the most romantic atmospheres I've experienced, with breathtaking views to boot. Very clean, very calm, very sensual, very serene.
The island lies off the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Tyrrhenian Sea on the south end of the Gulf of Naples. It is about ten miles out to sea from Sorrento. The two main towns are Capri (where most of the population of 13,000 live) and Anacapri.
Two of my faves, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, both loved Capri and visited often. Russian author Maxim Gorky hosted Lenin in his home here. Mariah Carey has a home here. No new buildings are allowed to be erected at this time. Only local cars, many electric, are allowed on the island to keep the air fresh.
Its highest point is 1,932 feet (589 meters). Roads are narrow and beeping at most curvy corners as a warning is a must. When our van passed another, we were only inches apart. Both drivers had to move there mirror to the inside position!! That's close.
There is a funicular (a cable railroad run on weights and balances) that runs from Marina Grande up to Capri town. As we arrived at the smaller port, a van took us from there to just outside the heart of Capri town.
The town has a huge "public patio" overlooking the Grande Marina. Busy-busy there. Here's a photo of us and our good friends Lynn and Sandy. So romantique!
On the other side of the street was the church of Saint Stefano. Lynn and Sandy had been looking since day one to light a real wax votive candle in church. Each church they tried so far had only little battery-operated votives. They went into this church to try again, but they learned there is rarely a wax candle in Italian churches these days. The smoke from so many wax candles over so many years has caused damage to churches and the environment. So now for the most part only flameless candles are used.
The church was built in the 17th century as a Catholic cathedral, but now is "demoted" to a chiesa or church. It was built on the site of a 6th century Benedictine convent. The only thing left from that edifice is the clock tower on the square.
We continued on our way up and down (way more up) the streets and walkways to our restaurant. We saw lots of shops in the alley ways. Jewelry, leather works, ceramics, etc. Pretty much out of our price range, but fun to window shop.
This tea pot's "body" was maybe 15 inches wide, plus handle and spout. Individual ceramic roses covered it. Wow! Had to be just for show because a full pot would be too heavy to pick up.
We saw the grand entrance to the Quisisana Hotel, obviously a popular meeting spot. It opened in 1845 and continues to be a 5-star favorite of film and rock stars, royalty, and politicians. It is so plush, online photos show it even has a huge aquarium making up one wall of the sauna (see https://www.quisisana.com/en/spa).
From there it was up hill in earnest. Maybe a 20 minute walk and not particularly gradual. But there was an almost constant view of the sea to keep us distracted.
Lush flora everywhere. There are at least 800 species on the isle.This is a huge bougainvillea plant.
Grapes.
Cacti.
Lovely Catholic niche shrines.
Dog and cats.
We huffed and puffed our way up and at the very top was this AED, just in case you were having a heart attack. Most of our group was out of breath, but thankfully none needed to be resuscitated. The door way to our restaurant was just a few steps away.
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