By AM Homes



Capri. The name is synonymous with blue skies, the jet-set and a certain style of pants. When you mention Capri, those who have been there close their eyes, tilt their heads back and instantly relax, travelling back in time to their memories of the island. As best I can tell, no one reports having had a lousy time there – that would be akin to going to Heaven and complaining about the service.



The island is the landscape of the gods in the most literal sense: for more than 2,000 years it has been a getaway for the rich, the powerful, and the curious. In 29 BC, Caesar Augustus was so taken with Capri that he traded the island of Ischia for it. Emperor Tiberius built 12 villas on the island and, fearing assassination, ultimately retired to Villa Jovis, a stunning example of first-century Roman architecture and an engineering feat. It is 354m above the sea, complete with sophisticated drainage and water storage systems, and reportedly the site of sex orgies. The site remains a ruin worth exploring, but is accessible only by foot, about one hour’s walk from the centre of Capri. Do not attempt this on a hot day.

This year saw the reopening after three decades of the infamous footpath, Via Krupp. Financed in 1900 by German industrialist AF Krupp, it is on occasion called “the world’s most beautiful road”. At 1.3km, with hairpin turns, it connects the Gardens of Augustus with the Marina Piccola and should not be missed.



If you’re not sure limoncello is the nectar of the gods, the island also produces another wine, Capri Doc, and its own perfume, Carthusia, made using the same methods employed by Carthusian Monks of yore, with the essence of wild carnations and rosemary picked on Monte Solaro.

In Capri, the minute one steps off the boat, and breathes deep the diesel fumes by the port, the extreme contrast between natural beauty and man’s desire for commerce is apparent. The collision is at times entertaining, ironic and devastatingly depressing. You can’t help but wonder what this town was like 20 years ago – or, better yet, 200 years ago.



Life on the island is an amalgam of the very ancient and of the moment – a Disneyland with deep history. What is so remarkable is that despite being overrun by high-end fashion outlets, all waiting for the next billionaire yachtsman to come ashore and drop a few hundred thousand euros on bling, the natural wonder still dominates and the depth of history is not lost. Many of the establishments on the island have been in hands of the same families for decades and the charm lies in finding the local in the midst of the global. For instance, island lore has it that during the long winters the locals gamble with their property and by the start of each spring season several have changed hands.

What drew me here was not the promise of paying double for things I might find at home but an invitation to participate in this year’s Le Conversazioni, a cultural conference. As a Graham Greene fan I wanted to see the place that proved to be so magical for him: Il Rosaio, the home he bought in Anacapri in 1948 and kept for 40 years, remains today, though it is now a private residence again. (Shirley Hazzard’s wonderful book, Greene on Capri, recounts her friendship with the cantankerous author.)



Since the beginning of time the island has drawn artists and authors; Capri’s first literary coffee house, the “Zum Kater Hiddigeigei”, was named in honor of Hiddigeigei, the tomcat mouthpiece of Victor von Scheffel’s poem The Trumpeter of Säckingen. Composer Claude Debussy spent time in Anacapri as did famed Swedish physician Axel Munthe, who built Villa San Michele – very much intact, with breathtaking views and lush gardens. The ruins of the Roman imperial Villa Damecuta are also in Anacapri and are easily explored.

What you may be starting to pick up on is that as much as I loved Capri, it didn’t feel entirely real. Yet Anacapri, as soon as you’re off the main streets, is classic, beautiful, very much intact, a small Italian town. I could see myself spending several weeks there.



Back to the big picture. In the 1930s, Curzio Malaparte commissioned architect Adalberto Libera to design a home: Malaparte rejected the design and built the house himself – an orange box, with stairs that are a curious pyramid in reverse, on a cliff high above the sea (except for the sea itself and the beaches, everything here is on a cliff above the sea – the question is just how high). Casa Malaparte is featured in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film Contempt. Anybody who is somebody, or even aspires to be somebody, comes to Capri.

There are no cars beyond the Piazzetta, and one of my most favourite sights was the small motorised carts hauling luggage (think Louis Vuitton pressed up against Timberland) up from the boats, with the same carts making rounds early in the morning, delivering milk, eggs and bottled water to the hotels. There’s something so simple and levelling about the fact that after all these years they’re still hauling everything uphill essentially by hand.



There are many excellent hotels on the island. I stayed at the Punta Tragara, a 15-minute walk from the centre of town. The walk, down the narrow path, between high walls, dripping with bougainvillea and other flowers was a kind of meditation of its own despite the heat or the darkness at night. I loved it. My room, with a private balcony, had an unobstructed postcard-view of the Faraglioni rocks, miniature volcanic mountains poking out of the sea, a defining image of the island.

Through the hotel we hired a gozzi, a traditional wooden boat, for a tour around the island. This was the perfect way to get a perspective of Capri and to see the natural wonders. The infamous blue grotto was unfortunately closed due to high waters. And the water really was high. There were moments during the ride that I started to feel like I was in a lost-at-sea movie.

Hike down the path to the sea, past rocks on which poetry is written – by Neruda, who loved this walk – and stop for lunch at Da Luigi. Here, I learned an important trick: do not attempt to walk back up the hundreds of steps. Instead, hire a boat to zip you across to the nearby Marina Piccola (the smooth rock beach with its own natural arch is a perfect spot for children to swim) and then, when you’re done, take a taxi back to the Piazzetta.



One evening I retired to Le Grottelle, where the ravioli caprese and the pizza were topped only by the chef bringing out an enormous fish he’d caught that afternoon and asking if we’d like him to cook it for us. And on the way back to the hotel, when we stopped for ice-cream, it was served it in a homemade cone, still warm. I knew this was heaven: La Dolce Vita Caprese!

Eat, sleep and explore
Getting to Capri

If you’re going straight from Rome and have a little money to spare skip the train and hire a car service to drive you right to the hydrofoil. Palazzi Car Service couldn’t have been nicer and had a car seat for the child!

Restaurants

There’s an ongoing debate over which limoncello is better, the Capri or the Sorrento variety: try both and decide for yourself. Torta caprese is a local speciality cake made of ground almonds and bitter chocolate. Then there’s ravioli caprese with ricotta and marjoram pasta with sun-ripened tomatoes on top. Da Gemma, Via Madre Serafina 6 (tel: +39 081 8370461). Classic simplicity. Gran Caffè, Piazza Umberto (tel: +39 081 8370388). A bar in the Piazzetta, great for people-watching. Le Grottelle, Via Arco Naturale (tel: +39 081 8375719). A serious walk up, up and up, but well worth it.

Hotels

La Scalinatella Via Tragara 8 (tel: +39 081 8370633). Sophisticated and sexy. Punta Tragara Via Tragara 57 (tel: +39 081 8370844). The views are breathtaking and the staff couldn’t be nicer. A little more relaxed than La Scalinatella. Grand Hotel Quisisana Via Camerelle 2 (tel: +39 081 8370788). The most famous hotel in town – popular with the jet set and, since it’s right in the centre, good if you have any mobility issues.

Beautiful scenery.
I love to visit this island.

Welcome to the forum,Andrew!
Yes,there are a lot of beautiful places in Europe

(09-19-2008 08:00 PM)andrewbimmer Wrote:  Beautiful scenery.
I love to visit this island.

Welcome to the forum, andrewbimmer!
Have you visited Europe? Or are you going to visit a country in Europe?
If you like we can advise

I had been to Europe just once.
Had been to Athens and Amsterdam.

Did you like what you saw?
What did you like most?
Do you intend to come back again?

(10-01-2008 05:41 PM)saradoc Wrote:  Did you like what you saw?
What did you like most?
Do you intend to come back again?

Canals are more attractive at Amsterdam.
I would like to visit again for sure.