THE SIRENS OF CAPRI ARE CALLING YOU…..
It’s Not Too Early to Think about a Trip to the Amalfi Coast Next Summer. A Memoir and some inspiration on the Isle of Capri
On Sunday, I spent some time with my mother, and we began to reminisce ,as we always do, about my father. I asked her to show me the yearbooks from his four years on board the USS Franklin D Roosevelt from 1957-1961. He was in the Navy until the year before I was born, and I can remember pouring though these yearbooks as a young girl…..so proud of my father, and also enchanted with the ports that they visited in the Mediterranean. I guess I had travel in my heart from an early age.
One place that they visited, that stayed in my mind for years to come, was the Isle of Capri. My father had raved about Capri, and said it was one of his favorite ports. It just seemed magical to me. Capri lies just off of the Amalfi coast, in view of Naples, and Mt. Vesuvius. The pictures of his time in Italy and in particular, Capri, inspired me to want to go there when I was older. Flash forward about 35 years, when I came upon a great article in Gourmet Magazine, about Capri. It all came rushing back….we needed to get there.
Tom and I had four young sons and life was busy, but we decided in the summer of 2001 to travel to Italy. I had never been, and my maternal grandmother had emigrated to the US from Italy in 1920. So, a return to my roots was the major priority for this trip. The other was to finally get to the Isle of Capri. We put together a network of babysitters…family and friends ( it takes a village with 4 young sons), and off we went.
Since today I am hi lighting Capri, I will skip the other details. Capri, from the deck of the approaching hydrofoil, is a mystical sight. I can see why it inspired Homer to write about these cliffs and mountains filled with sirens enticing the sailors with their enchanting voices. From the Bay of Naples, the cliffs and mountainous center of Capri rise up from the sea. Surrounding the island are a few ports, packed with boats of all sizes, and further out, more beautiful boats filled with beautiful people, circumnavigating the island for pleasure. You land at Marina Grande, which is the entry port for the island. It was bustling and a bit gritty, so at first impression, Capri was a let down. You are whisked away by a porter who takes your bags and directs you to the funicular. The what??? I had never heard of a funicular in 2001…..guess I was a naive traveler. We were a bit apprehensive as we weren’t sure the “porter” was actually a porter, and we felt like we were in a herd of cattle.
Once inside the funicular, you descend, bougainvillea trees and chance views of winding roads line the track. At the top, you arrive into Piazzetta, the main square in Capri. AAAAH…..so this is what my dad was talking about! We were in a beautiful square, filled with coffee drinkers, smokers, “Nonnas” gossiping, children playing, and lovers sitting and talking animatedly. This was it what I envisioned.
But, this was only a fraction of what we would encounter over those 4 days. We stayed at Hotel Punta Tragara, out on the point at the end of Via Tragara. From here you look out at the famous Il Faraglioni, three magnificent rock formations that jut out of the beautiful Tyrrhenian Sea. There is also a very long path and stairway that winds down the cliff from this point, ending at the Da Luigi Beach Club. This has to be part of your itinerary in Capri. The Beach Club experience is what I call, a taste of the Italian lives of the Rich and Famous. A day spent at Da Luigi involves engaging a charming Italian attendant. He then sets up your chaise and umbrella on a beautiful slab of rock that sits out in reach of the Tyrrhenian Sea. You sunbathe, people watch, swim out to the small rock formations and float in the salty and very buoyant water. The brave will descend a cliff, or high rock and dive into the water, as if they were in Acapulco. Next, you walk over to the seaside cafe ( a beach club reservation usually includes a lunch reservation). You eat a delicious meal of seafood caught just off the coast, and of course some pasta to accompany it……and you sip your wine. You take in the rocky beach, the beautiful people, the yachts and sailboats dipping in and out of the coves. “Italian Lives of the Rich and Famous”
Capri prides itself for it’s beautiful winding streets, adorned in Crepe myrtle trees and bougainvillea. And make sure to visit the lemon groves and dine under the canopy of these fragrant trees. There are a few restaurants that specialize in this experience, namely Da Paolino. And the shopping is amazing…..When we visited in 2001, the lira was still in existence, so I took advantage and shopped along Via Camarelle and Via Tragara. I bought a beautiful shearling jacket for a decent price, and Tom bought himself a couple of Italian bathing suits…..no, not the Speedo type, thank God.
We dined like royalty, spent a few evenings with a nightcap at the bustling Piazetta, and then wandered back along the peaceful Via Tragara to our hotel. One afternoon, we took a short hike out to Villa Jovis, which affords wonderful views of the Bay of Naples. And of course, we took a boat out to visit the Blue Grotto. One funny memory of this trip, was when I was feeling “very Italian” and decided to order a Campari with my poolside lunch at the Punta Tragara. I felt it was time to be a “grown up”…..and to flaunt my roots to my husband. Well, it came, I took a sip, and I gasped. It was so bitter. I casually poured it into a nearby plant and ordered a glass of wine.
In 2007, we returned to Capri. This time with our sons in tow. It would be a different trip in many ways: The lira was now the Euro, Tom called this trip “Italy on 5K a day” ( I called it my bucket list trip) We were not romantically wandering the Via Tragara at night, but herding 4 young sons away from the cliff’s edge. Also, we now had a sense of the island, so we trusted the porter at Marina Grande!!!
On this trip to Capri, we spent a day at Da Luigi. The kids ate spaghetti and fresh clams, swam in the buoyant sea, scaled the cliffs and jumped in from heights that alarmed their mother. We chartered a private boat for a day to circumnavigate the island. We visited the Blue Grotto, and also swam in the Green Grotto. We were “living the life” out there on the Bay of Naples, and some tourist was probably looking wistfully at us as they disembarked the ferry at Marina Grande. We stayed this time at The Grand Hotel Quisisana. This iconic hotel sits at the top of Via Camarelle, the “IT” location in Capri. Each night we would get the boys into their room, and then sit out on the terrace enjoying an apertif and the crowd. The back of the hotel unfolds with a beautiful pool and garden that overlooks the bay and the Faraglioni int he distance. This one made my list of favorite hotels in Italy, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
Whenever I write a post, it brings back these wonderful memories and also encourages me to want to return. Yes, there are so many places in the world that need to be experienced. Why would I go back to Capri a third time? Perhaps it is the sirens calling. Perhaps it is the spirit of my father and those young sailors from the USS Roosevelt who arrived wide eyed at this beautiful island? Perhaps it is the fact that I finally drink Campari and I actually love it! I want to sit down at the Punta Tragara, order my Campari and sip it while looking out at Il Faraglioni.
