Frommer's 500 Extraordinary Islands by Holly Hughes

Author:Holly Hughes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780470500705
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2010-03-18T10:00:00+00:00

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Capri

The Mediterranean Jewel That’s Always in Style

Italy

First of all, get the pronunciation right: It’s Cah-pree, not Ca-pree. What many call the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean, and whose iconic name has been co-opted for everything from 1950s automobiles to cropped pants, may have had its heyday several decades ago, but the captivating idea of Capri remains. The marina is frequently filled to capacity with billion-dollar yachts (the moorage fee here is sky-high), and international celebrities party at venerable nightclubs like Anema e Core. Capri’s secluded bathing spots are filled with glamazons right out of a Dolce & Gabbana ad, and nearly every backdrop on the island oozes a quiet sense of privilege. And if the allure of hobnobbing with modern-day Jackie O’s isn’t enough, Capri is one of the most naturally splendid places in Europe: Marvel at the island’s rock formations and grottoes, its wild forests and manicured lemon groves, and the ultracivilized lifestyle that’s been carved out here over the past 2,000 years.

A jagged monolith of sheer limestone cliffs studded with tenacious pine trees, Capri presents a rugged profile to anyone arriving by sea, and no matter how many times you’ve been here, that arresting appearance takes your breath away each time you sail into port. The island’s stunning landscape and its convenient location in the Bay of Naples made it a popular retreat as early as ancient Roman times. The emperor Tiberius built no fewer than a dozen villas here—the Villa Jovis, on the impossibly tall northeast tip of the island, is the best preserved of them. In more recent history, Capri was a darling of the international jet set, whose heyday on the island peaked in the 1960s. Though most hotels and restaurants in Capri remain deliberately priced out of most travelers’ budgets, and the harbor is still filled with astounding yachts in high season, its luxury status is somewhat undermined by omnipresent day-trippers from Sorrento and Naples.

The key to enjoying Capri is to avoid the most congested tourist areas, Capri Town and the port of Marina Grande, between 10am and 5pm. Get out on the water with an island circumnavigation tour ( 39/081/8377714;www.motoscafisticapri.com or use your own two feet to explore the quieter, wilder sides of the island, which is a hiker’s paradise. Whether it’s the gentle trek to the top of Monte Solaro (also accessible by chairlift) or the Pizzolungo trail that skirts the most dramatic part of the island, between the Faraglioni rock formations and the Arco Naturale, you’re never far from vistas that’ll give you vertigo and glamorous backdrops for vacation photos. The Blue Grotto (or Grotta Azzurra) is Capri’s single main “attraction” and an unabashed tourist trap that will cost you an arm and a leg. Yet the giddy experience of being in the tiny dinghies that go through the 1m-tall (31⁄4-ft.) cave entrance—and seeing the electric blue water once you’re inside—is worth all the hype.

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