The Island of Capri

The final full day of our fall break to Sorrento took us to the island of Capri, off the peninsula from Sorrento.  (That's COP-ree, not ca-PREE according to what we're told...)

Capri holds two main towns -- Capri, and Anacapri.  We chose to focus on Capri, but first you have to get there from the port.  There's the elevator...

or better yet, the furnicular!  Yep, a railway up a hillside:

We found a place for our cousin:

and then walked the narrow "streets"

This is how the mailman delivers
Amazon.it boxes on Capri!

We were headed for Villa Jovis, a Roman palace built for the Emperor Tiberius in 27 AD where he ruled and spent the last ten years of his life.  It is set on the highest point of the island.

As you can see, it has "commanding" views of the area...

This is the view back towards Sorrento and the Amalfi coast:

We then took a "nature trail" back from Villa Jovis to Capri...

where we refreshed ourselves with lemon granitas!  The whole area is known for lemons, lemon sauces, granitas, limoncello, etc.  I won't say it's better than Del's -- but it certainly was refreshing!

Then it was back down to the port...

where we were able to take a boat around the island!  Paulo was an excellent guide, and left the driving to Theresa!

We were able to go into caves and rock overhangs, where the mast would let us...

and see how the island was once further under water than it is today (which is partially why there are grottoes).

The grottoes' water was crystal clear, with special coral:

We were able to pass through a "keyhole" in a rock around the island:

 

and here we are on the other side!

Instead of going to the busy "Blue Grotto," we instead went to the "Green Grotto" and were able to get off the boat and swim!  They drop you off on one side, and pick you up on the other.

This is the entrance to the "Grotto of the Saints," where there are kneeling figures inside and an angel outlined in black on the outside wall!

We finished the cruise with a little limoncello,

and then it was back to Capri,

and back to Sorrento.

Another beautiful day!