On our last sightseeing day of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable two week trip of Italy, we woke up at 6:30 am in Sorrento. We got ready and then headed up to the top floor for breakfast. We got a table on the terrace with a clear view of Mount Vesuvius, the island of Capri and the calm sea. We had cereal, yogurt, croissant with Nutella and latte. Then we walked to a nearby piazza with a gorgeous view of the sea, the same view that we got from our breakfast table on our hotel's terrace. The pickup shuttle van arrived in a couple of minutes and we were on our way to the marina. Thanks to staying close to the marina, we were the last ones picked up which gave us a bit more time.
We reached the marina a few minutes before 9 am and met our guide. She explained the plan for the day and then we boarded the high-speed ferry to the island of Capri. The ferry ride took a little over twenty minutes to reach the island of Capri. The island is to the west of the Sorrentine peninsula with the Gulf of Naples to its north and the Gulf of Salerno to its south. The island has two main villages - Capri and Anacapri. Capri is almost at sea level whereas Anacapri is about 500 meters above sea level. After disembarking the ferry, we got on a smaller boat that seated about 20-25 people for a cruise around the island to see its geographic highlights.
We saw the high mountainous cliffs with expensive celebrity owned villas on them. We also saw some grottos - another name for caves inside mountains. One of them has a stalactite formation that looks like Virgin Mary and is very popular with Italians and tourists alike. Another grotto is big enough that small boats can pass through it and the mountain to emerge on the other side. We also saw the most famous grotto - the Blue Grotto - which gets its name from the magical whitish blue hue of the water inside the cave, a phenomenon caused by the sunlight that enters the cave. Only one small boat can go inside the grotto at a time and it is only open to tourists if the tide is low. The tide was high and the grotto was closed. We also saw the red colored lighthouse of the island and a road called "Mamma Mia" or "Oh my God" road. The road is on the way from Capri to Anacapri and gives the most breathtaking view of the village of Capri and its harbor. When American tourists used to pass that stretch of the road, they would always exclaim "Oh my God" at the sharp turn and the breathtaking view so that's how the road got its name. We also saw the three faraglioni rocks that are just a few meters away from the coast of the island with a giant "gate" between them.
After the cruise had finished circling the island, we got dropped off at the marina. We then opted for an optional leg of the tour which turned out to be a great decision in retrospect. We drove in a mini bus to the village of Anacapri and passed through the "Mamma Mia" stretch. The name is absolutely spot on because the picture perfect scene does take your breath away. You can see the harbor with its deep blue water, you see stationary and in-motion boats/ships and you see the houses of the village of Capri on the hill. Once we reached Anacapri, our guide told us about possible activities in the village. We couldn't do the chairlift/cable car ride to the top of the mountain so we had lunch. It was a fixed price menu with decent food. We had cheese ravioli and chicken cutlet followed by chocolate cake for dessert. After lunch, we walked through a shopping street and reached a vista point where we got the same view that we got from the "Mamma Mia" road. We took some pictures there and then walked back to the main square. We did some window shopping and shared a mango milkshake. Then it was time to meet with our tour group so we boarded the mini bus again, this time to the town of Capri.
If we had not taken this optional mini bus tour, we would've certainly missed what ended up being the highlight of the day. Our guide did a short walking tour through the main square of Capri with its church and bell tower and then a high-end shopping street lined with famous Italian designer brand name shops. We also saw a perfumery Carthusa that continues the perfume making tradition of local monks that had stumbled upon the recipe of making flowery scented perfumes when they had accidentally left some local flowers in a vase for a few days and the water started to smell like perfume. Finally we arrived at the gardens that gave us a view that'll always stay etched in our memory. The gardens have a few vista points that gave you views of the other side of the island. Luckily, we found the bench in front of the best view unoccupied so we sat there for almost half an hour admiring the scene in front of our eyes.
We saw the mountainous cliffs meet the sea with the deep blue water waves splashing against the rocks on the shore. We were viewing this from high above so the splashing waves seemed to create a white foam upon impact with the rocks. The sea bed near the shore was shallower with the water having a lighter greenish hue. We could see the pastel colored houses and villas on the hills and boats leaving their trails in water. The three faraglioni rocks could also be seen standing majestically in the distance. The clear blue of the sky and the deep blue of the sea water seemed to merge at the horizon, making the entire scene seem like a continuum of land, water and sky. After the two scenic views earlier in this trip - one in our Bellagio hotel next to Lake Como and the other in Monterosso in Cinque Terre, this was another memorable moment of serenity and calmness.
After the amazing half an hour, we walked back to our mini bus, passing through the high-end shopping street and the main square. We stopped for a quick gelato break and got pistachio and banana flavors to share. The mini bus took us back to the harbor in the village of Capri where we waited for our tour group for about half an hour. We were hungry so we had a slice each of marinara pizza that was okay. We met up with our tour group at 5 pm but the ferry was late so we had to wait till about 5:40 pm to get on the ferry back to Sorrento. We reached Sorrento a little after 6 pm and got on a shuttle van that dropped us off at our hotel. We were the second ones to be dropped off, thanks again to the proximity of our hotel to the marina. We rested for a couple of hours before heading out for dinner. We went back to the Kabab place that we went to a couple of days back. Samia had the same sandwich as she had last time but I got two sandwiches since I was really hungry. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel and packed our suitcases to get ready for the flight from Naples to London in the morning. Till the next update from London, take care and ciao!
We reached the marina a few minutes before 9 am and met our guide. She explained the plan for the day and then we boarded the high-speed ferry to the island of Capri. The ferry ride took a little over twenty minutes to reach the island of Capri. The island is to the west of the Sorrentine peninsula with the Gulf of Naples to its north and the Gulf of Salerno to its south. The island has two main villages - Capri and Anacapri. Capri is almost at sea level whereas Anacapri is about 500 meters above sea level. After disembarking the ferry, we got on a smaller boat that seated about 20-25 people for a cruise around the island to see its geographic highlights.
We saw the high mountainous cliffs with expensive celebrity owned villas on them. We also saw some grottos - another name for caves inside mountains. One of them has a stalactite formation that looks like Virgin Mary and is very popular with Italians and tourists alike. Another grotto is big enough that small boats can pass through it and the mountain to emerge on the other side. We also saw the most famous grotto - the Blue Grotto - which gets its name from the magical whitish blue hue of the water inside the cave, a phenomenon caused by the sunlight that enters the cave. Only one small boat can go inside the grotto at a time and it is only open to tourists if the tide is low. The tide was high and the grotto was closed. We also saw the red colored lighthouse of the island and a road called "Mamma Mia" or "Oh my God" road. The road is on the way from Capri to Anacapri and gives the most breathtaking view of the village of Capri and its harbor. When American tourists used to pass that stretch of the road, they would always exclaim "Oh my God" at the sharp turn and the breathtaking view so that's how the road got its name. We also saw the three faraglioni rocks that are just a few meters away from the coast of the island with a giant "gate" between them.
After the cruise had finished circling the island, we got dropped off at the marina. We then opted for an optional leg of the tour which turned out to be a great decision in retrospect. We drove in a mini bus to the village of Anacapri and passed through the "Mamma Mia" stretch. The name is absolutely spot on because the picture perfect scene does take your breath away. You can see the harbor with its deep blue water, you see stationary and in-motion boats/ships and you see the houses of the village of Capri on the hill. Once we reached Anacapri, our guide told us about possible activities in the village. We couldn't do the chairlift/cable car ride to the top of the mountain so we had lunch. It was a fixed price menu with decent food. We had cheese ravioli and chicken cutlet followed by chocolate cake for dessert. After lunch, we walked through a shopping street and reached a vista point where we got the same view that we got from the "Mamma Mia" road. We took some pictures there and then walked back to the main square. We did some window shopping and shared a mango milkshake. Then it was time to meet with our tour group so we boarded the mini bus again, this time to the town of Capri.
If we had not taken this optional mini bus tour, we would've certainly missed what ended up being the highlight of the day. Our guide did a short walking tour through the main square of Capri with its church and bell tower and then a high-end shopping street lined with famous Italian designer brand name shops. We also saw a perfumery Carthusa that continues the perfume making tradition of local monks that had stumbled upon the recipe of making flowery scented perfumes when they had accidentally left some local flowers in a vase for a few days and the water started to smell like perfume. Finally we arrived at the gardens that gave us a view that'll always stay etched in our memory. The gardens have a few vista points that gave you views of the other side of the island. Luckily, we found the bench in front of the best view unoccupied so we sat there for almost half an hour admiring the scene in front of our eyes.
We saw the mountainous cliffs meet the sea with the deep blue water waves splashing against the rocks on the shore. We were viewing this from high above so the splashing waves seemed to create a white foam upon impact with the rocks. The sea bed near the shore was shallower with the water having a lighter greenish hue. We could see the pastel colored houses and villas on the hills and boats leaving their trails in water. The three faraglioni rocks could also be seen standing majestically in the distance. The clear blue of the sky and the deep blue of the sea water seemed to merge at the horizon, making the entire scene seem like a continuum of land, water and sky. After the two scenic views earlier in this trip - one in our Bellagio hotel next to Lake Como and the other in Monterosso in Cinque Terre, this was another memorable moment of serenity and calmness.
After the amazing half an hour, we walked back to our mini bus, passing through the high-end shopping street and the main square. We stopped for a quick gelato break and got pistachio and banana flavors to share. The mini bus took us back to the harbor in the village of Capri where we waited for our tour group for about half an hour. We were hungry so we had a slice each of marinara pizza that was okay. We met up with our tour group at 5 pm but the ferry was late so we had to wait till about 5:40 pm to get on the ferry back to Sorrento. We reached Sorrento a little after 6 pm and got on a shuttle van that dropped us off at our hotel. We were the second ones to be dropped off, thanks again to the proximity of our hotel to the marina. We rested for a couple of hours before heading out for dinner. We went back to the Kabab place that we went to a couple of days back. Samia had the same sandwich as she had last time but I got two sandwiches since I was really hungry. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel and packed our suitcases to get ready for the flight from Naples to London in the morning. Till the next update from London, take care and ciao!
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