Today we caught a ferry from Sorrento to the beautiful and stunning Isle of Capri. My first take on the Isle of Capri is that it really is a playground for the rich. The main part of the island is filled with designer clothing stores and shops with a variety of expensive trinkets. Obviously, at first glance I wasn't too excited about this place (this will come as no surprise to those of you that know me). However, once you get out from the main areas and start walking to the other parts of the island, it definitely felt less like a tourist trap and more like an exotic island off the coast of Italy. The cliche phrase "never judge a book by it's cover" seems to come to mind right now.
We left Sorrento at about 8:30 a.m, and took about an hour ferry ride over to the Isle of Capri. Once you dock there, you have to take a five minute cable car ride up to the actual city of Capri. Once there you are let out into the mother of all tourist traps. You're immediately surrounded on all sides by white affluent individuals and families looking for the latest expensive trinket to add to their massive collection of "things they don't need" back home in their million dollar mansions. Immediately after seeing this, Chris and I heard about some various island ruins on the eastern coast, so we started following the main road out of the city towards the east.
A fun little side fact about this island is that it doesn't allow cars (mainly because the roads are so small and the buildings are so close to each other). However, instead of being plagued by cars, this island has little golf cart like utilities vehicles. When you are in the main part of the city, one goes wizzing by you every 30 seconds or so.
So we walked on foot through the city and then the outskirts. The path took us pretty much straight up a cliff side winding back and forth. It's hard to guess how far we walked because there were so many stairs, but we definitely got our exercise for the day. At the top of this large hillside, the view was just unreal. Italy is hands down the most beautiful place I've ever experienced. At the top of this hillside we came across a small Italian restaurant (the island has these little restaurants all over the place). We sat down for a leisurely meal and had some of the best handmade stuffed Ravioli that I've ever eaten (for quite a reasonable price I might add). Oh, and I should also mention that this restaurant was right on the edge of the cliffside overlooking the island and Mediterranean Sea. We got their early enough and we were able to get a table right on the edge of the veranda. The view while eating was beyond beautiful.
After finishing up with our meal, we were able to get our second wind and we headed towards the Jovias ruins. These ruins served as the home for one of the Roman emperors. It was once again quite a long walk up the hillside but it was well worth it once we hit the top. The view literally took your breath away. The contrast of the giant cliffsides and the deep blue Mediterranean Sea, was stunning. It didn't seem like many people get up that high due to all the walking involved, but in my mind, that was really the highlight of the Isle of Capri.
After we saw a little more of the ruins, we headed back down the hillside and back to the dock to catch our ferry home at about 6:00 p.m. We did get there a little early, so we took our time and grabbed some gelato and did some people watching before hopping on the ferry home.
All in all it was a tiring but fun day. Capri is an amazing island and for anyone who likes to hike around a place with breathtaking views, it's well worth a stop.
