Capri, Sorrento

 Originally published on: Oct 14, 2009

I am feeling fonder of Sorrento today, after a great trip to the nearby island of Capri. For one thing, I really like the place I’m staying, even though it’s far from the city center. I have a lovely view of olive and orange trees in the garden, and the bay of Napoli in the distance. Great wifi connection. And for the price (35 euros), it’s an amazing deal.

My cabin in Sorrento.

Now that I know my way around, the bus is no problem. And though it’s cooler, there’s still plenty of sun. Many people are walking around in shorts and sandals:.it’s in the 60’s, but still jacket weather for me.

Approaching Capri on the hydrofoil.

I took the hydrofoil to Capri at 9:15 this morning, and arrived on the island a half hour later. I referred to Rick Steve’s information, and headed by bus quickly to Anacapri, on the other side of the island. I wanted to ride the chair lift to the top of Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island, and hoped to beat the crowds. It was great fun, though a bit scary on the way up. I was perched on a chair in the open air, like a ski lift, hovering over fig and fruit trees, vineyards and palm trees, with a wonderful view of the bay and birds singing along the way.

A view of the chairlift.

A view of the bay from the chairlift!

After that, I went to the Villa San Michele, an incredible place I can’t adequately describe.

It was created by Axel Munthe, a Swede, who spent most of his adult life in Capri, and wrote a best-selling book, The Story of San Michele, in 1928. This man was a philosopher, healer, writer, animal and plant lover, among other things.

Villa San Michele

View from Anacapri.

After the Villa, I took a bus to Capri town, which was little more than another collection of stores geared to tourist tastes. Rather than hang around any longer, I took the funicular down to the marina and caught a fast ferry back to Sorrento. It cost less than the previous boat, as it went slower (by only 5-10 minutes), carrying a load of cars and trucks as well as people. There wouldn’t be another ferry for an hour or two, and I wanted to beat the crowds returning to Sorrento.

Back in Sorrento, I took a final stroll around town, as I’m leaving tomorrow for Praiano. I found a street with artist workshops, or botteghe, and spent some time looking at many things made of inlaid wood, the local specialty, called Sorrento intarsia.  Though the large pictures were out of my price range, I found a small intarsia of a bird amidst some flowers that I bought for 10 euros. A nice memento of my stay in Sorrento.

One of the large intarsia in Sorrento.