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Traversing the Island of Capri
by Khyathi R. Kalyan
Sunday, 1st July 2023: The Start of Something Wonderful
After a full breakfast with the family at 7.30am, on a cool sunny Sunday morning, we set off on what I can only describe as our trek to the island of Capri. It was anything but an easy Sunday morning, which I thought I’d spend drinking coffee in the square down the road from our hotel, maybe take a slow walk to visit the Church on the way. I was worried about how I would face the day ahead as I started experiencing mild fatigue from the energy expended on the adventures of the week before.
After a full breakfast with the family at 7.30am, on a cool sunny Sunday morning, we set off on what I can only describe as our trek to the island of Capri. It was anything but an easy Sunday morning, which I thought I’d spend drinking coffee in the square down the road from our hotel, maybe take a slow walk to visit the Church on the way. I was worried about how I would face the day ahead as I started experiencing mild fatigue from the energy expended on the adventures of the week before.
I’m going to describe the day as I remember it in my mind, which is by theme of trek: this primarily means modes of transportation, and sectioning of the Island.
So, first thing’s first: Let’s talk transportation
We took a ten-minute walk from our hotel, up the road to the bus stop where we were told to meet our driver at 08h40 sharp. Upon arrival, and in true brown dad fashion, we got there early and saw that there was no driver in sight. A part of me was secretly relieved albeit disappointed, because I didn’t know how I would find the steam to explore. At the bus stop on the side of the road, the edge of the cliff overlooked the sea, I heard those church bells in the distance.
We took a ten-minute walk from our hotel, up the road to the bus stop where we were told to meet our driver at 08h40 sharp. Upon arrival, and in true brown dad fashion, we got there early and saw that there was no driver in sight. A part of me was secretly relieved albeit disappointed, because I didn’t know how I would find the steam to explore. At the bus stop on the side of the road, the edge of the cliff overlooked the sea, I heard those church bells in the distance.
The bus reached us a few minutes later, and we jumped in and had our names ticked off the register. The bus ride down and around the cliff face of Sorrento to descend to the water's edge below took about 45 minutes, with steep scenic views of the ocean, yachts and small boats bobbing around the shoreline, I enjoyed this drive because it was lined with leafy green trees, which reminded me a little of home, and the sunlight would stream through the gaps in the leaves.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Hundreds of people lining up to enter the island of Capri. The island receives a total of 15 000 visitors daily; View of the ocean from the gardens of ‘Capri’ , including hardy seaside plants and succulents on the cliff face; View from ‘Capri’ , 150 meters above sea level
Our guides met us at the bottom, and escorted us to a boat. The boat ride to the island was about an hour long, once we started leaving the dock, I could see the turquoise and deep blue hues of the ocean right next to me (I had to choose a window seat in the boat to get the full experience), and finally felt the weight and reality of being on this Mediterranean ocean, as oppose to meters above. Finally, we have descended, and now cruise along to Capri. The waves were choppy and I felt the stomach acid lurch around inside me as we pushed onward, and I tried to be still and focus on what our guide was saying to us about the island.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Hundreds of people lining up to enter the island of Capri. The island receives a total of 15 000 visitors daily; View of the ocean from the gardens of ‘Capri’ , including hardy seaside plants and succulents on the cliff face; View from ‘Capri’ , 150 meters above sea levelOur guides met us at the bottom, and escorted us to a boat. The boat ride to the island was about an hour long, once we started leaving the dock, I could see the turquoise and deep blue hues of the ocean right next to me (I had to choose a window seat in the boat to get the full experience), and finally felt the weight and reality of being on this Mediterranean ocean, as oppose to meters above. Finally, we have descended, and now cruise along to Capri. The waves were choppy and I felt the stomach acid lurch around inside me as we pushed onward, and I tried to be still and focus on what our guide was saying to us about the island.
Capri is home to seven thousand people, and visited by fifteen thousand people every day. There are three levels to the island: Capri, Ana Capri, and Monte Solaro.
We begin at the waters edge, jumping off the boat and approaching the dock, we are separated into smaller groups and take a shuttle up to the first level of the island, “Capri”, which is 150 meters above sea level. The roads are dodgy, narrow, and stingy on space, the angles sharp, jerky and nauseating. I saw those big round mirrors used to help see oncoming vehicles every couple of streets as we winded and twisted back in an upward direction. It didn’t look like our driver paid it any attention and kept up a good pace.
What to see, what to see…
Giardini di Augusto
Giardini di Augusto
One of my favorite parts of our trip to Sorrento and Italy as a whole was the visit of the gardens at Capri: Giardini di Augusto, Gardens of Augustus. Our guide informed us of two things when exploring the island: things are expensive lower down the island, for example at Capri, and its easy to get lost in the typically touristy activities that we often find ourselves gravitating towards in default, however, when he mentioned the garden, and that it was a short walk away from our meeting point, my interest was piqued. He said that it was one of the lesser known things to see, and that for a little bit of extra work to walk the twenty minutes, we will experience some beautiful views. And that stood to be true. The narrow streets and walkways were packed full of tourists, it was easy to fall behind and get lost. We passed Limóncello-themed curio shops, coffee stands, fruit stalls, restaurants filled with gourmet food and white tablecloths, branded shorts, slops and sunnies. It led us to a peaceful multileveled garden, overlooking some of the most beautiful ocean views I’ve ever seen. There are no sand beaches off Capri, and barely a rock or pebble beach, but the water glittered in the sunlight and made the surface look like it was sprinkled with diamonds. What I enjoyed a lot about this view was that it included parts of the steep cliff face, and the unique flora and fauna of this area. As you look down to the water, you can also see bottle green shrubbery and hardy succulents and grasses that thrive in the windy ocean air. It added a really interesting layer of texture and depth to the beach view, which I usually associate with a flat surface of fine brown sand.
I explored the gardens and tried to take in as much of the natural beauty as I could. Some tourists and I teamed up to take photos of each other on the ledge with the immaculate view of the ocean and brilliant blue morning sky. Against the railing I noticed a few lockets and strings tied up, I took that as love letters to the postcard view, or between loved ones: the brave hearted, the broken hearted. Regardless, each one of us connected by this stunning view of the sea. I felt like I was in a painting.
After enough time, we walked fifteen minutes back through the busy street to our meeting point.
LEFT: Lounge around on the beaches or take a hike - it's up to you. RIGHT: I was trying to capture the flowers against the background of the sea , when a butterfly graced me with its presence.
Next stop: Lunch
Our next stop was lunch. We took the shuttle and went up to 350 meters above sea level, where you will find yourself at “Ana Capri”, Ana in Greek means on top, so “on top of Capri”. In this second section of the island, we enjoyed a lovely lunch of the classics: some pizza, some pasta, a refreshing salad in the 30-degree heat, dad and I shared a beer, and to end off the meal we were treated to some lemon sorbet.
Worth the work
LEFT: Lounge around on the beaches or take a hike - it's up to you. RIGHT: I was trying to capture the flowers against the background of the sea , when a butterfly graced me with its presence.Next stop: Lunch
Our next stop was lunch. We took the shuttle and went up to 350 meters above sea level, where you will find yourself at “Ana Capri”, Ana in Greek means on top, so “on top of Capri”. In this second section of the island, we enjoyed a lovely lunch of the classics: some pizza, some pasta, a refreshing salad in the 30-degree heat, dad and I shared a beer, and to end off the meal we were treated to some lemon sorbet.
Worth the work
My mind wandered to what our guide had mentioned to us earlier in the day, if you’re willing to work a little harder and push for those extra twenty or so minutes of walking, you will find much more beauty and a very unique and memorable experience, as opposed to getting lost in the generic tourist activities like shopping for things that may cost less somewhere else on the island.
LEFT TO RIGHT: The panoramic view of the ocean, as seen from Monte Solaro, 600 meters above sea level, reached by chairlift; My beautiful sister who happened to be wearing all yellow, with a lemonade in her hand, walking the busy winding roads of Capri; Monte Solaro: Khyathi enjoying a cup of tea anywhere she can.To get to the very top of the island, sitting at 600 meters above sea level, one must take the chair lift. This was probably the highlight of the day for me, the act of getting onto the chairlift itself feeling quite fun and playful and at times a little ridiculous. One thing I noticed on my travels so far, is that even when you can’t speak the same language as someone, there is always human decency and the beautiful notion that where a language barrier does exist, the thing connecting you to the people in your space is the shared experience of the natural beauty of the land that surrounds you. This can range from the sunshine island views, to the way the chairlift comes to collect you: after positioning yourself over the “X” on the ground, get your butt ready and then sit.
Individual seats on a mechanized system that runs on a continuous loop will pick you up, and deposit you at Monte Solaro: the highest point of the island of Capri. One very noticeable thing for me was not thirty seconds into the ride, the total duration of which is approximately 15 minutes long, I felt a marked quiet settle all around me as we moved up gently through and above the tree tops, along the incline of the island. We were never more than 5-8 meters above the ground, but traversed an altitude of a further 250 meters.
As we ascend the mountain on an easy ride upward, there are people simultaneously descending on the continuous loop, looking tired but happy and fulfilled. I had no idea what I was really heading towards but I was looking forward to it.
LEFT: Gardens of Capri. RIGHT: The architecture will take you back in time...At around 2pm, mum, dad and I reached the other end of the chair lift. One short wide flight of stairs later, and it suddenly felt like I was standing in the open courtyard of a castle where the roof had been taken off, and all that was around me was the clear blue sky. We had ascended to what seemed like a lot higher than 600 meters above sea level. Suspended in the sky, in the balmy air of the island, with the sea and the world down below. There was a peace and a calm that I felt up there away from everything. I sat on the ledge and soaked up the tremendous scenery, with 360-degree panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples, and the endless ocean. Monte Solaro is markedly less busy than the bustling streets of the lower parts of the island, and consists mainly of the courtyard, the view, and a café. I enjoyed a quick cup of tea and breathed in deeply, thinking about the journey it took to get me to this point. I regretted nothing. If you have the stamina, it is definitely worth the trek. If you don’t have the steam, find it.
Maybe it can be something to be said for life as well, in order to get to the really good stuff, the breathtaking views, the unique experiences, the small gems that turn out to be the big ones, you might have to work a little harder and push, but once you make it to the very top, you breathe a sigh of relief and marvel at the journey, and feel a substantial amount of fulfillment at all you have traversed and experienced so far. The views are unmatched, the bottom line – get to the top.
Quick tips:
If you want to visit the island of Capri, even if it’s just for the day, stay in Sorrento. (As opposed to Naples). This way you won’t be too pressured for time, and you can enjoy the village life in the quaint town and walk through the narrow roads. Don’t day trip from Naples – which is an hour and a half drive from Sorrento already, I wouldn’t necessarily stay on the island either.
If you want to visit the island of Capri, even if it’s just for the day, stay in Sorrento. (As opposed to Naples). This way you won’t be too pressured for time, and you can enjoy the village life in the quaint town and walk through the narrow roads. Don’t day trip from Naples – which is an hour and a half drive from Sorrento already, I wouldn’t necessarily stay on the island either.
