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| Naples - Portal to the Castle |
Birthplace of Sophia Loren, cradle of dozens of Italian tenors,
origin of pizza, and graffiti paradise (if one likes that sort of thing) – that
is Naples. We entered the Bay of Naples at dawn, with Mount Vesuvius glowering
on the horizon, and docked ‘downtown’ at the foot of the old Castillo and
beside the Island Ferry docks.
Picture perfect weather invited the visitor to explore. As
soon as the ship was cleared by authorities, I walked a couple of hundred
meters to the ferry terminal, and bought a ticket for the next ferry heading
out. Five minutes later I was on the Capri Island fast ferry heading out to the
Island of Dreams –the very first time for me.
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| Capri |
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| Capri tourist boat harbour |
Commuters almost filled the ship, with a few early-to-rise
tourists mingling in. Upon arrival the tourist scene, however, was already on ‘rush
hour’, although line ups for the famous ‘Blue Grotto’ seemed relatively short.
I took one look at the advertising photos of the Grotto (deserted, shimmering
blue, calm, georgous) and another at the line ups and tour boats heading there
(lots of them, noisy) and saved that romantic experience for another day.
A couple of Euros got me a map, and I headed uphill
(everything is uphill on Capri) to El Centro of Capri village. It looked pretty
short on the map. About an hour and thousands of steps later, I had scrambled
through walled paths through gardens, vineyards and hill side houses surrounded
by orange and olive trees to emerge ‘in town’. There is a funicular – which I
discovered after being half way to my destination – which I swore to ride back
to sea level.
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| Portal to a Grand Villa |
The view from Capri top is breath taking. No wonder in times
as far back as the Roman Emperor Tiberius, people coveted a ‘summer retreat’ up
here. Remnants of ancient Roman villas, theatres, thermals, fortifications,
temples etc. prove that the snowbirds of old had a pretty comfortable life
here.
Tourists of today are of the same opinion. Throngs of them
squeeze through narrow streets lined with medieval houses, a couple of floors
high and all with balconies, fill the squares surrounded by cafes, and – a few –
hike the spectacular tops of cliffs and steep drop offs of the enchanting
island.
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| Local Hand-painted Ceramics |
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| 350 Euros - Children's Outfits |
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| Artichoke Season!! |
Once out of the town centre, daily Capri Life takes over. There
are fewer tourists and more Italian Mamas pulling shopping carts or discussing
animatedly across the space between heavy entrance doors. Vehicle traffic up
here is sparse, if there is any at all – due to the unavoidable steps and stair
cases throughout the area. The air is perfumed with the fragrance of blossoming
trees and shrubs, the vistas across Naples Bay and majestic Vesuvius take one’s
breath away, and birds sing their songs of love. It’s Bella Italia after all.
Tourist invasions have similar effects on the local economy
of most destinations, meaning that restaurant meals and refreshments tend to be
grossly overpriced. But those prices pale in comparison to clothing prices (all
the Italian BIG NAMES are represented in tony exclusive ‘antique building’
shops) and one would be hard pressed to purchase a little cotton something
below 1500 Euros a dress, or an exquisitely styled tot’s outfit for less than
350 Euros. Not much evidence of economic difficulties here! Maybe the usual onslaught
of celebrity visitors spend all their hard earned cash on these goodies, whilst
whiling away their ennui in off- the- scale hotels. On the other hand, t-shirts
and tacky souvenirs, local liqueurs and some ceramics are abundantly available,
with – I must admit – a few decent and affordable purchases as well.
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| Capri Bustling Town Plaza |
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| Fisherman mending some lines |
I indulged in a short while of ‘people watching’ in the town’s
main square – very picturesque – and had the impression that German tourists
outnumber every other nationality, to the point that German appears to be the
second language of Capricians (?) and many menu items contain ‘wuerstel’, meaning
German sausage….go figure. I was seduced by the tempting display at an Italian Gelato
stand, and spent a well worth 2.50 Euros on a waffle cone, filled with possible
the best ice cream in the world.
A quick walk around Naples in the neighbourhood of the Castillo
closed the day in Naples. Naples is installing its first subway, and the roads
are ripped open – probably uncovering long lost Roman ruins – and barriers
close off crossings and plazas. The effects of African refugees are evident in
uninterrupted rows of ‘carpet baggers’, Africans selling knock-off handbags,
sunglasses, and watches from blankets covering most of the sidewalks.
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| Naples |
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| Naples Harbour District |
The architecture of Naples is impressive and uncontestably
beautiful; it is a shame that Neapolitans seem to delight in defacing it with
graffiti (the really ugly version) or – understandable – letting it sink into
decay.
I passed up on visiting Pompeii and Heraclium, the relics of
Vesuvius’ devastating and murderous eruption a few hundred years ago. These
cities have survived to this day –albeit no longer alive – and will only
improve over time and with continuing archeological digs. So here is to the
next visit to Napoli….
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| Isola Bella - Capri |
