| |
| |
Since time immemorial the well-heeled have flocked to the isle of Capri: Emperors Augustus and Tiberius in Roman times to, more recently, music hall favourite Gracie Fields, writer Graham Greene and, since the golden age of Hollywood, every movie star and international playboy of reknown. Greene and Fields were so smitten that this is their final resting place.
It's not too hard to see what has drawn them down the years and does so to this day. Capri basks in almost all-year sunshine, is well-known for its elegant boutiques and boasts some of the Med's most breathtaking rock faces and clearest waters. Yet despite its rich and famous clientele, the island has an infinite number of attractions to enthrall everyone, regardless of the depth of their pockets.
Capri looks out onto the Amalfi coast and from Naples is a quick hop by hydrofoil (40 minutes) or, if you opt for a ferry, a more leisurely hour and 20 minutes. If you are making your way from Sorrento, a litle way down the mainland, it's even quicker to get here still.
The island is made up of two towns - Capri, where most hotels are located, and Anacapri, which looks down on it from a hill and which is slightly less taxing on the wallet. No surprise that many who come here opt to bed down in Anacapri and take one of the regular buses or taxis - a Mercedes convertible, no less; this is Capri, after all - into Capri town.
But the best way to take in the island is by foot or by scooter from one of the numerous rental stores. Don't bring the car. Roads are extremely narrow - many buses still carry the scars - and are frequently bordered by a sheer drop to the waters of the Mediterreanean below.
Whether you walk, hop on a moped or catch a bus, evidence of Capri's wealth are never far away. If you dream of splashing out on a holiday home here, the price of a villa in Capri - a two-bedroom house in Capri can comfortably fetch £1.75million - can prove an eye-opener. However, that is pretty much in keeping with the going rate for a villa on the Amalfi coast, which can frequently make the price of a luxury farmhouse in Tuscany or a villa on Lake Como seem like small change.
If you're principal reason for being here is sightseeing rather than Italian real estate, Anacapri is an ideal place to start. Take a spectacular 12-minute chairlift ride to the top of Monte Solare from where you get dizzying views of Sorrento, the Bay of Naples, the mainland and Mount Vesuvius.
Anacapri also features the seven-acre Villa Jovis ruins, where Emperor Tiberius's palace once lay, and Villa San Michele, the home of early 20th century Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe. The villa has been converted into a museum and is home to Roman and Egyptian artefacts and a bird nature reserve. In Capri town, make sure your visit takes in the 14th-century monastery Certosa di San Giacomo, which now serves as a school, and the Gardens of Augustus, a park that offers a much-needed oasis of calm.
Capri is famed as a massive draw for shopaholics the world over and its picturesque shopping district is packed with upmarket boutiques and designer stores. If you are up for a break from your euro spree, there's no better way of taking it easy than by a restaurant table in the town's main piazzetta as you sip a limoncello, an alcoholic speciality made from the lemons that grow in Capri.
An even more relaxing and awe-inspiring way to see the entire island is to rent a small boat and sail ail around it. Make sure one stop is the Blue Grotto, a 200ft long cave where the light is the most incredible shade of blue, dye to the angle at which it is refracted through the water. Gaze in disbelief also at I Faraglioni, three massive rock formations that lie just off the coast and jut out from the ocean.
How to get there:
Naples airport and then ferry or hydrofoil to Capri, around 20 miles away.
Where to stay:
Luxury: Capri Palace Hotel and Spa, Via Capodimonte, Anacapri.
Medium: Hotel Luna, Viale Giacomo Matteotti, Capri.
Budget: Hotel Canasta, Via Campo di Teste, Capri.
Where to eat:
Buca di Bacco da Serafina, Via Longano, Capri; Ristorante da Mamma, Via Chiusarano, Anacapri.
|
|
