Isola di Capri

After we arrived in Colli Di Fontanelle(1), The Villa People decided we didn't really want to ride in another tour bus winding around the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. After reading an article about a man who kayaked down the Amalfi Coast to Capri, Ingrid and I started to work on hiring a boat to take us to Capri and then to Positano. This was probably the best decision of our trip. The day was magical and part of the reason was our swaggering, seafaring guide Salvatore.

Enjoy,

Ron

On Tuesday August 29th we set out at 9:00 in a bus to the town of Nerano(2) to meet Salvatore on the boat. Once securely on the boat we began our eight hour tour around the Isola di Capri(3).

The Island

I was determined to go to The Blue Grotto(5) even though Salvatore tried hard to talk us out of it. For him it is a big tourist trap and not worth the 10 Euros. For me, a tourist, I was willing to be trapped and gladly forked over the 10 Euros to experience a natural phenomenon. Uncle Pat, Linda, Ingrid and Seth were also up for the experience. The scene outside the grotto was fascinating as well.  Men in rowboats jockey for position to pick up fares to take into the grotto. As soon as you get into a boat the driver immediately starts asking for a tip and promises to take his time inside the grotto. The rowboats line up outside the entrance of the grotto and wait their turn. To fit under the archway, all passengers must get as low as possible. The driver leans backward and pulls the boat into the grotto using a chain attached to the cave wall. Once inside all the boat drivers begin to sing "the song about the tip." The sound reverberating off the walls of the cave is so loud it's hard to focus on the spectacular glow naturally lighting the water from below.

After the eye and ear candy of the Blue Grotto, we headed to the obligatory town of Capri. Getting off the boat at the Grand Marina(6) was a challenge but once off we walked the long dock to the Funicular(7). At the top(8) the views were pretty spectacular.

The Green Grotto(9)

Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Okay, that's not quite accurate. According to our guide, Salvatore, the word Mediterranean means "middle of the land" (if someone knows better please correct me). Where we were was the sea by the land or Mar Tirreno(10).

In any case, we got to jump off the back of the boat into the sea. Okay, we very slowly and carefully went down the ladder on the back of the boat and tentatively went into the water. But that doesn't sound as good. Five and a half of us did it. Can you guess who they were? I only have these pictures of Seth. Does anyone have other photos? This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Although balancing a glass of champagne while treading water must be a learned art.

The Faraglioni(11)

The White Grotto(12)

"Man in the Mountain"

At around 6pm we arrived in Positano(4). After we regretfully said goodbye to Salvatore, we had an amazing dinner with an ocean-view. At the end of dinner we threw back shots of Lemonchello and Grappa to fortify ourselves for the walk uphill to meet our ride home.

At 9:30, tired and ready for bed, the nine of us were sitting on a stone bench waiting for our bus, when some Italian nutjob started shouting at us from a passing car. Hey, wait, that's no nutjob, it's Orazio. Yes, Desiree and Orazio and their entourage. Now that's serendipity.