In Naples, we took a full day excursion to the Isle of Capri that we booked through Princess Cruises.
Our spry, white-haired guide led us from the ship to a fast boat that carried 300 guests directly to Capri.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck brought spotlights of the world to Capri with their visit in 2021, and JLo recently returned in 2022 to perform in a UNICEF concert to benefit Ukraine that was attended by other jet-setters and celebrities.
We caught a glimpse of what brings the rich and famous to this Mediterranean island off the coast of Italy after lunch, but first our guide took us to what I would call less pristine parts of the island.
In retrospect, I think it would have been better to take the boat over, ridden the funicular up to Piazza Umberto and spent time on our own, fending for our own meal.
Perhaps after walking around this prime area, we could have been offered the suggestions to take a bus ride up the mountainside to visit Anacapri or ride the chair lifts to Monte Solaro.
Instead, upon arriving on Capri, we were herded into small buses that took us up a narrow, winding road.
We were told that we should take photos of the beautiful bay below, but the bus swerved and bumped rapidly along, so the pictures mostly turned out blurred or with glare through the windows, so we did our best to simply be in the moment.
Off the bus, our guide led us along an alley between green residential lots sporting unremarkable houses. Perhaps it was a shortcut to avoid crowds in the village streets, but I personally was less than charmed by the route. Most in our group of three busloads seemed cheerful about the trek, which did not have any Quietvox narration by our guide to generate intellectual interest.
When we came to a stop, the guide recommended taking a chair lift up the mountain to Monte Solaro, where on a clear day the views can be spectacular. This was not included in the tour, and as I recall it cost about 10 Euro per person roundtrip.
The antiquated single person chairs took us over houses and yards, some with small vineyards.
Houses on the hillside ranged from beautiful estates to dilapidated eyesores, but the views overall were scenic.
Riding those old single chairs provided a quite unique experience.
When we got off on top, there were gardens, but they seemed to show a sense of casual disorder that detracted from what could be quite a beautiful spot.
Clouds soon rolled in below us, obstructing the vistas from this hilltop. Here are a few photos of Monte Solaro, with the narrative continuing below.
Taking in the views while riding the chair back down was the highlight of that summit experience for me.
Going down, we could see not only the hillside homes and gardens but also the city below.
We arrived at the designated meeting spot a few minutes early, as is our nature.
Our chic, pleasant guide, who resembled actor John Slattery, best known for playing Roger Sterling in "Mad Men," soon arrived, briskly walking up a cobblestone street from a pleasant shopping and restaurant district.
Before having an opportunity to explore Anacapri, however, we were herded back to our buses. I guess it was our fault to not simply go to the top of the chairlift, take in the view and come back down more quickly, but we knew the vistas would be spectacular if the clouds cleared again on top.
The location had the potential of great views in a couple of directions, but our tables were not oriented to take advantage of those.
Our excursion group was directed to a covered patio area, which was at least clean and organized if not holding the preferred table for JLo and Ben.
The rest of the restaurant was nicer, and perhaps there is a front entrance that makes a better first impression than through the parking lot and past clutter that we walked past.
The multi-course meal was served family style. We had as much wine and bottled water we could drink. The bottled water was much better than the wine in my opinion.
After lunch, our enjoyment of Capri shifted gears.
Our guide took us to what I would call the gorgeous part of Capri, beginning by walking along a prestigious promenade lined with fashionable high-end retail stores and ristorantes to the Gardens of Augustus and the surrounding area.
While the views were higher from Monte Solaro, I don't think with clear skies at the peak that they could be more spectacular than from this vantage point.
On the stroll to and from the gardens, we found beauty all around us.
Like a good movie or book, it is often best to show something truly great in the beginning to get the audience hooked, or interest wanes, and if we had gone to this lovely area with brightly colored flowers and charming buildings immediately after departing the bus, my attitude might have been a quantum level higher, changing my perception of what we'd experienced in the morning.
While we could have enjoyed more time in this lovely area, we definitely wanted to take the scenic boat ride around Capri, which I think might have been around 20 Euro per person, so we were happy when our guide offered that option.
He gave tickets tickets for the Funiculare to ride back down to sea level (included in our Princess tour). We followed a guide from one of the other tour groups to the boat ticket booth. That proved to be another highlight, which no one visiting Capri should miss.
No comments:
Post a Comment