On the third day of our honeymoon, we finally ventured out of Sorrento to spend the day on Capri, an island located just off the Amalfi Coast. After a grand total of one relaxing morning, we were up at 6:30am local time (just after midnight on the East Coast), and enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant. There are two marinas in Sorrento, and we needed to take the hydrofoil from the marina further from our hotel. The trip lasts about a half-hour, on a ferry slightly smaller than those used to carry passengers between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan. Given the size of the ship, we were not prepared for the rough seas between Sorrento and Capri. As it turns out, neither were many of the other passengers, as one family of older ladies from New Jersey (or, perhaps, Staten Island) began screaming “I don’t like this!” and “Oh oh oh … no!” as the hydrofoil cruised through the waves. Their screams — and the laughter from their daughters sitting behind us — were a worthy distraction until we made it to Capri.
Once on the island, our first stop was the “Grotta Azzurra” (Blue Grotto), one of the most famous tourist traps on Capri. There are fewer passenger cars on Capri than on the mainland, but there are scooters, buses and very windy roads. The bus trip was about forty-five minutes, including a transfer in Anacapri. Sadly, when we finally arrived at the Blue Grotto, we learned that the entrance was closed due to the rough seas. We were not able to see the mysterious blue light for ourselves, but we did find a nice British couple to take our picture. Exchanging cameras with other couples has been critical for capturing many of our best memories thus far. After a bus trip back to Anacapri, we strolled through the main shopping area and stopped for lunch at Trattoria Il Solitario. Ann Taylor and I both enjoyed amazing insalata Caprese, with some of the best mozzarella cheese that we have ever tasted. Her gnocchi, and my ravioli, were some of the early gastronomic highlights from the trip. Needless to say, our Lonely Planet guidebooks have served us well thus far!
After lunch, we took a chairlift from Anacapri to the top of Mount Solaro, the highest point on the island. The twelve-minute journey (each way) provided breathtaking views — something that we have been saying all week — and we stopped at the top for a few (dozen) pictures. Still early in the afternoon, we took the opportunity to explore a few more of the local shops, including Limoncello di Capri, which claims that an early founder invented the lemon-based liquor. As it turns out, they could back up their words, as their limoncello was delicious and we took a few bottles back to the hotel. The same limoncello, in fact, is sitting on ice and beckoning me to wrap up today’s blog, haha. With limoncello in hand, we took a bus to the main town of Capri, which overlooks the main marina. We strolled through a few more shops and streets, and then took a funicular down to the marina. I had never before seen a funicular, which reminded me of a cable car on a 45-degree slope. Pretty neat! There was a long wait for the hydrofoil back to Sorrento, but we snagged seats near the front and enjoyed a much smoother ride. Upon our return to the hotel, we were welcomed with another set of heart-shaped baked goods from the staff.
For dinner, we walked back to the older section of Capri and found an outdoor table at Inn Bufalito. While the service was underwhelming — our first unimpressive Italian experience — the food was still quite good. The entire menu was buffalo-themed, and Ann Taylor and I split a cheese tasting plate that featured some amazing buffalo mozzarella. She paired her homemade pasta with vegetables, while I opted for the buffalo-based ragù. Why not, right? On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped for more gelato — three days in a row! — and then collapsed in the room. While we have absolutely stunning views, the price is forty-nine steps (we counted) from our villa to the main hotel, which is still a fifteen minute walk from the main town. We might have enjoyed back-to-back-to-back nights of gelato, but Sorrento is providing quite the workout, too. The first few days in town have been unbelievable thus far, and we have some fun plans cooking for tomorrow, too. Ciao for now!
Take care,
– Dan