Sunday, April 16, 2006

Visiting Capri - A Monastery, A Villa, and Billy Goats

Date: Friday, January 6, 2006
Location: Capri, Campania

After docking at Marina Grande in Capri, we purchased tickets for the funicular. There is also a public bus transit system within Capri, but we didn't know how frequently that ran, so we opted for the funicular. It reminded me of the ride to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, a slow gradual ride uphill, except not foggy. The skies were clear blue, and we could see all the homes that the funicular passed along the way to the stop, Piazza Umberto. When we arrived at Piazza Umberto, there were people waiting to board for the return trip down to Marina Grande (most likely to board the boats to Naples or Sorrento).

Not us, it was us first time in Capri. This was probably the most expensive piece of real estate in all of Italy. Capri is split into two parts, Capri Town and Ana Capri. During our time in Capri, we only were able to visit Capri Town, the more urban and upscale part of the isle. The area around Piazza Umberto in Capri Town is known for its expensive shops (you name it, they have it), hotels, and the jetset. We couldn't afford to shop, but we did window shop. While we were in Capri Town, we noticed that they were "installing" a new street full of new shops. I guess the economy is booming and doing well in this part of Italy.

Then, we decided to take a detour and visited the Certosa di San Giacomo. It was completely empty (and free). There was nobody there, kinda spooky, not even a caretaker - so at first we were hesitant to enter, but then we decided to go for it. We took photos of the former monastery and continued on with our stroll along Via Croce and Via Matermania. It's amazing to think that the paintings are from the 14th century. We lost our way to the Certosa, and a very friendly woman from Capri (una Caprese?) approached us and offered help. The southern Italians were extremly helpful. ^-^

After the monastery and walk along the coastline, we decided to hike up to Villa Jovis (45 minute one way from Piazza Umberto). You need to follow the signs for "Villa Jovis" - or stay on Via Tiberio, which will lead you to it. That's where we saw the billy goats, for which Capri is named. Although there is a bit of contention on the name... different sources state Capri is named after boars. Regardless, it was cool to see goats in Capri! We took some photos of Villa Jovis, pretended to be Hadrian or some ancient emperor, and then walked back down to Piazza Umberto -- passing through all the lovely homes (believe me, there are some fabuloso homes in Capri).

They're all named "Casa" or "Villa" something. And since it was close to lunch or dinner, we could smell garlic oozing out of their homes. Yum. It must have been the siesta time, as none of the restaurants were open. So we decided to pay for the more expensive hydrofoil and head on back to Sorrento. Even though it was cold and windy on the ride back, we toughed it so we could watch the sunset over Capri. Once we landed in Sorrento, we waited for restaurants to open -- it would be our last night in Campania, as tomorrow we would depart for Perugia.

Ciao Campania!

Villa Jovis Info
081/857.0381. It opens at 9am daily and shuts an hour before sunset. Entrance fee.

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