Amalfi Coast Day 2: Capri

Capri

We made our way from the hostel to the marina in Sorrento early in the morning once again. We were in for another day of cruising around the Tyrrhenian Sea, except this time we would be seeing the island of Capri. 

Capri has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Roman Emperor Tiberius moved to the island in 26 AD. Having built twelve villas on here, he also enjoyed swimming in the Blue Grotto, a beautiful and mystifying cave fit for someone who believes themselves to be a god, and frequenting cave-side cliffs to deflower and then murder young virgins. (A myth/story I will tell in a moment). He was a ruler without many fans because of his violent disposition and also due to the fact that he was a tyrannical narcissist. He had many members of his own family killed as well as anyone who seemed to potentially be a threat to him. 

Here is an interesting article with more detailed information about his life on Capri. 

Tiberius on Capri

Our tour of the island started on a boat that ferried little row boats out to the Blue Grotto, our first stop. The Blue Grotto is a cave in the side of a cliff in Capri. It is named so because of the gorgeous effect that the light bouncing off the sea floor (about 20 feet of clear water) has when it reflects into the cave. The water is a stunning bright blue, with silhouettes of fish swimming about.  But, entry to the Blue Grotto can be quite tricky. It depends on sea level and weather. If the water is too high then the entry is blocked off. In the photos above you can see how narrow the tunnel to enter the Grotto is. It's about a 2 meter high entry way. The guide instructs everyone to bow their heads while sitting on the floor of the row boat and he pulls on a chain while bringing the boat inside. Once you make it past this slightly stressful obstacle( if you lift your head you could really injure yourself), you'll see the amazing beauty inside. The ticket for entry to the grotto is 14 Euros (tax included) and if you want to tip a little extra your  guide may allow you to jump off the boat for a quick swim. I'm terrified of dark water so I didn't try, but I spoke to a girl that did and she said it was one of the coolest experiences of her life. Once inside the Grotto you'll notice the amazing acoustics. The guides take advantage of this and serenade you as you take a couple laps through the grotto and bask in its beauty.

Blue Grotto

Entry fee: 14 Eur. (not including transport to the grotto itself)

You need EXACT change and make sure you have a little extra to tip your guide. 

After the Blue Grotto our tour around the island continued. We stopped at a few other grottos and lagoons, none of which required any sort of entry, and witnessed all the beauty of the coast of Capri. As we were going around the island I noticed that the geography really reminded me of the islands from Jurassic Park. As soon as I told this to my friend, one of our guides told us that Capri was in fact inspiration for the appearance of the islands in the films. I honestly felt like I would see some pterodactyls flying out of the clouds at any given moment. 

One interesting story that our tour guides shared with us was about Tiberius and his affinity for young virgins. As we know he was a psychopath of sorts and was convinced that he himself was a god. He would bring young beautiful girls up to one of the caves high up in the side of a cliff in Capri (We were passing said cliff while she shared this story with us). There he would deflower the girls and then proceed to throw them out of the cave mouth to their death, a few hundred rocky meters below. His reason for throwing them out of the cave? He was said to have reasoned it by saying that nobody should know what it's like to have sex with a god. So there's your psychopath story for the day. 

Once our boat tour ended we took a walk from Marina Grande (the main port of Capri) up to Capri Town. This walk is quite exhausting so wear comfy shoes and make sure to get some Granitas once you reach Capri!! They are incredibly refreshing. From there we took a bus to AnaCapri. The drive is slightly terrifying but the views are amazing. For 10 Euros you can get on a chair lift that will take you to the summit of the island and where you'll be amazed by the beauty of the panoramic views. 

Enjoy a nice lunch up here, and visit the L'Isola dei Sapori shoe shop where you can have custom made shoes done for you within a few hours, depending on how busy the shop is. 

The beach at Capri is another beautiful spot, unfortunately we opted to stay up in Anacapri instead of heading down to the water before returning to Sorrento. One thing I would change about the trip would be to have gone down to the beach. I am a water baby, and any opportunity to hit the beach is an opportunity I will pounce upon.

Ciao!

Aleksandra