Saving the Best for Last - Capri

Monday, 27 July

We decided to wait until Monday for Capri, as then we would not have to battle the weekend crowd. I wasn’t sure what to expect, except that I hoped we could swim in the Mediterranean – I feel giddy when I get to at least dip my feet into a new sea or ocean. Jeff had at first tried to quash my expectation by describing the waters around Naples as pointedly un-beachy, filled with trash, and of a color that would make your stomach turn. While this was somewhat true of the Naples port waters, we were pleasantly surprised with Capri.

The water was a giant blue sapphire. As soon as we arrived, Jeff suggested that we look into renting a little boat to sail around the island. Although the price was steep for us, it resulted in the most magical 3 hours of our trip. Our boat was not, by my definition, little. It was very roomy. It was probably 16-17 feet long, with plush towel-covered pillows covering the bow, and an adorable green and white striped awning over the middle. I couldn’t believe we had it all to ourselves. Our driver, Guiermo, was middle aged and suave (polite, not creepy). He spoke broken English, but had actually worked in New York for 5 years as a singer. Of course, I couldn’t let that information pass me by, and as we floated off the coast of Capri, the azure world around us, I begged him for a song. He sang a classic song – about Maria – and there I was with my boy in Italy, sailing, and loving every second of it.

We felt like royalty as we circled the island, stopping at each magnificent grotto and island villa for a closer look. When we arrived at the “Grotta Verde” (Green grotto), Guiermo suggested that we swim through the grotto, which was essentially a tunnel under the cliffs with sparkling green ocean water glowing with the afternoon sun. Gleefully, we dived off the boat into the warm Mediterranean and swam through the enchanted grotto. (Is this sounding good yet?) It was stunning.

Once off the boat (sadly, we did have to get off), we took a ride up to Capri to finish with some gelato (of course) before the ride back to Naples. The view was spectacular. Perfect day.