Capri Chair lift 6.9.26
We are back on the road this morning – a minibus down to the port in Sorrento and a bit of a route march to the actual ferry which takes us over to Capri. Once we arrive we have to wait for suitable minibuses to be available and this seems poorly organised as it is a case of waiting for them to complete the round trip with all of the visitors arriving at the same time so the system cannot cope this particular morning. Another driver comes on duty to take the last bus in the garage and we end up being split into two groups to reach our destination.
View of Capri coast 6.9.26
We are taken to the top of the island at Anacapri. Here I choose to take the chair lift to the very top for the views. The chair lift is very peaceful and there are some great views from the peak. There is not long before joining the queue to descend. At both ends there are some nice gentlemen who lift me out of the chair lift as I am not sure I would have managed it by myself.
Fortino di Bruto Mount Solaro Capri 6.9.26
Returning to Anacapri from the summit I wander along the shopping street returning to the bus station where we gather for a trip to the middle level on the island – Capri itself. We swerve the guided walk to the gardens as a very quick glance does indicate that it would mean going up and down hills. After lunch I manage to get a picture of the funicular which we did not have time to use. Highly annoying as a return visit is unlikely.
Funicular Capri 6.9.26
After some time sitting in the sun we get the minibuses back down to the port. Once upon a time island visitors would have always visited the Blue Grotto – but the numbers simply do not allow for this to happen and instead we have a sea trip around the island.
Gennarino Scugnizzo Capri 6.9.26
Gennarino Scigunizzo di Capri is a young Neapolitan boy, a scugnizzo, which is a colloquial term for street urchin, living and sleeping on the city streets. But Gennarino found a home on Capri. It is traditional to greet him to avoid bad luck.
We can see it is a pretty island and I suspect it is very quiet in the evenings once the visitor numbers drop down. Like a few other places we have been (Lisbon and Versailles) it is my feeling that the location cannot cope with the current visitor numbers – no doubt it brings in revenue – we ate lunch for example – but the huge “scrum” at the chair lift station are far from being enjoyable. We travelled on a Sunday – was that the problem? I do not know – but I actually do not think the trip was enjoyable – necessary as we will not return – but there were a lot of other people so it was not pleasant.
For the record the Newmarket description of the day:
Today will prove one of the highlights of your holiday, as you meet your guide to board the jet-foil for the 20-minute crossing from Sorrento to the wonderful Isle of Capri. When you arrive in this famous hideaway of poets and artists, a minibus will take you to the picturesque village of Anacapri on the slopes of Monte Solaro. You will have time to take a chair-lift ride to the summit of Solaro (payable locally) before you continue to the island’s main town to visit the Augustus Gardens, overlooking the Canzone del Mare, former home to the legendary Gracie Fields.