Bella Italia – Capri, the island of dreams!

How to spend one day on Capri?

I must admit that despite the small size of the island, Capri was a logistic challenge for me. I completely didn’t know where to start and how to squeeze everything in just one day. Besides, I went to Capri with my grandmother, so I was aware to take more breaks and Grandma will not be able to go anywhere. Fortunately, with the help of the phone applications, internet and luck, I managed to organize a nice day! These were my travel beginnings, so not always everything went according to plan. However, Capri came out perfectly. I didn’t expect that I will like Capri so much. Although, there are not so many monuments on it, but who need them, when you have a turquoise sea, colorful flowers and amazing rock formations ?! 🙂 Come, let me show you how to explore this island!

How to get to Capri?

The nearest airport, which is easy and cheap to get to, is in Naples. Then you have to take a ferry, which, depending on the operator, takes 50-80 min. Prices range between 12-22 euros. I can’t say what it depends on. However, you have to count 30-40 euros for rund way. Ferries run every 30 minutes, but from Naples it departs from two places: Calata Porta di Massa or Molo Beverello. To get to the right place at the right time, I recommend the Capri Schedule application. It shows not only the exact departure point, but also the prices for a single way. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office in the port. Ferries to Capri also run from Sorrento, Castellammare, Ischia, Positano, Amalfi, Salerno, Herculaneum and Torre del Greco.

History and interesting facts!

The island of Capri is located in the Bay of Naples and in the region called Campania. It isn’t an island of volcanic origin – it has separated from the Sorrento peninsula. Its area is only 10.4 km² and the island has two towns: Capri and Anacapri. In the seventh century BC the island was colonized by the Greeks, and the Roman Empire took over the island in year 29 BC. It was one of the favorite places where Emperors Octavian Augustus and Tiberius stayed. Tiberius built on the island 12 villas named after the Olympic gods! After the death of Tiberius, Capri was forgotten. The island alive again on the occasion of the discovery of the Azure Grotto in the 19th century. At that time, crowds of tourists began to visit Capri again. Among them are celebrities who even has homes on the island. That is why the prices on Capri are not the cheapest and the prices of accommodation are much higher than in the mainland of Italy.

Marina Grande

Our visit has started early morning. Ou ferry arrived to the small port, which is actually called big, because in comparison to other places in Capri – is quite big. 😀  The sun gently illuminates the still quiet port. It was the second half of September, so it definitely less crowded then in high season. I read in the guidebooks that best attraction on the island is a boat ride around the Capri. Such a cruise lasts no more than 90 minutes and is one of the island’s greatest attractions. At Marina Grande you can buy tickets for such a trip. In 2014 it cost us 16 euros.

A cruise around the island

The boat trip starts usually when the boat is full. Luckily, when we purchased the tickets we were the last passengers, so we didn’t have to wait. At the beginning we also got a bad information. Unfortunately, on that day the sea was waving too much and it was impossible to enter the Azure Grotto. I couldn’t believe, because for me these waves were not big, but I’m not the specialist in this matter. 😛 In any case, the enter to the Azure Grotto is a small gap and one larger wave and you can easily crash on sharp rocks. Fortunately, Capri is so beautiful that even without the Azure Grotto a cruise will be an unforgettable experience. Remember that, Azure Grotto is an additional paid attraction (about 13 euros).

• Wonderful arches and other rock formations

During the cruise you will fully admire the most beautiful rock formations. The Capri coast is really amazing, so you certainly will not be bored. What’s worse, you will also want to jump out of the boat, because the water in this place is insanely turquoise !! 😀

• Coral Grotto

This is one of the most interesting places during the cruise. You can see the red corals located on the walls of the rock, below the water’s surface. Waving sea will reveal their secret life, but it’s hard to take a good picture. My pics only such blurry … 😛

• Faraglioni

This is the biggest attraction not only of the cruise, but also of the entire Capri! Faraglioni are sharp-shaped rocks that rise from the water. Three of them stand next to each other, the fourth is a bit further away. Each of them has a separate name: Stella (109 m), Faraglione di mezzo – it is the one with a hole resembling the gate under which boats sail (81 m), Scopolo (104 m) and Monacone. Faraglioni must also be seen from the highest point on the island, but about I will tell you later below! 🙂

• Rock mermaids and Faro di Punta Carena

During the cruise you will also see the red building of the lighthouse – Faro di Punta Carena. Its red color blends beautifully with the surrounding rocks and the turquoise sea. The last point will be the mermaid rock. Just before entering the port there is a high rock on which the Siren sits.

Time for coffee

As I wrote above, the cruise was an unforgettable experience. I also mentioned that there were no big waves, and when we went finished the trip, my sunglasses were in salt and a leather jacket too (in the beginning it was a bit chilly). I barely combed my hair. To cool down, we sat for a dozen minutes at a nearby cafe for a small cup of coffee.

Piazza Umberto I

Piazza Umberto I is located just above the Marina Grande. We can get there either by stairs or for a small fee by the funicular. Honestly, I can’t remember at all if I was going by funicular or I went upstairs. However, I think we took funicular due to my Grandma. 😛

Piazza Umberto I is the main square on Capri. It can be crowded, because there are lots of shops (including the more luxurious ones) and a lot of restaurants and cafes. Among them, we can also find souvenir shops. Of course, lemon motives rules! 🙂 Campania is famous for growing lemons, which are supposedly the best here in the whole Italy! They even  produce the famous Limoncello liqueur here. Since the nineteenth century, the liqueur has been being produced according to the recipe of the Canale family. Limoncello is based on natural ingredients like lemon peels from Capri, high quality alcohol and sugar. I also brought 1 bottle of this drink as a souvenir. It was quite tasty! 😉

How to get to Anacapri

Buses from Piazza Umberto will take you to other parts of the island. Our plan was Anacapri and a trip to Monte Solaro. You can also find the bus timetable in the same application as the Caprischedule timetable. In our case, the timetable didn’t apply at all. 😀 We were in the queue, because there were so many people that wanted to go to Anacapri and bus drivers couldn’t fit all of us. Fortunately, after 40 minutes we managed to get inside. Already the route to Anacapri is full of amazing views. 😀

Monte Solaro

Monte Solaro is the highest peak on Capri, with an elevation of 589 m above sea level. However, this is a sufficiently high altitude to admire the most beautiful views that can be found on Capri. At Monte Solaro you can enter either yourself or enter by the chair (Note – the chairs are single!). The cost of entry in 2014 was 6 euro one way and 10 euros round way. Because we were limited in time, we decided to enter on a chair. It is definitely worth at least going one way, because the views from this chair are really fantastic and above all different than the ones at the top.

However, at the very top, we have a viewing platform, from which we can admire in full splendor the Faraglioni rocks.

After taking some photos, we came back.

Chillin in Anacapri

Despite the lack of monuments, the place is really beautiful. Small streets, along which galleries, cafes, restaurants and residential houses look really lovely. Definitely the white color rules, although it is easy to find other colors in the form of flowers, paintings, or beautiful benches made of tiles on which there are lemons. We also ate here lunch, because it is a bit cheaper here than in Capri.

That’s all from me, but as you know, of course, that’s not all that Capri offers! 🙂 I spent a wonderful day on Capri, and the island just charmed me! I would happily spend a few days more here and check all the streets and paths on the island! It is also worth visiting the Belvedere of Punta Cannone, from which you can admire the Faraglioni from a shorter distance or go to the Arco Naturale area.

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