During our day in Sorrento, we had a choice of several excursions.
We could take a bus ride up to Naples for a day, visit ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, visit the streets and alleys of Sorrento, or take a ferry ride over to Capri. We chose to visit the Island of Capri. It is a ten mile ferry ride from Sorrento. The satellite image of the Gulf of Naples shows the city of Naples top center and the Island of Capri bottom center. You may have heard of Mount Vesuvius, it is about ten miles East of Naples and Pompeii is about ten miles south of the mountain. There is a link at the end of this post to some pictures I took in 2016 of the excavation in Herculaneum.
The Island has two towns , Capri and Anacapri with a combined population around thirteen thousand in 2022. Anacapri is about 500 feet higher (150 meters) than Capri. Most tourists only visit for the day but there are many places to stay if you want to experience more. We started by taking the funicular up to the town of Capri.
Here are the Wikipedia facts about it: “The line connects the Marina Grande on the coast with the Piazza Umberto in the centre of the island. It is 670 metres (2,200 ft) long and includes a 68-metre (223 ft) tunnel and a 50-metre (160 ft) viaduct, climbing a vertical distance of 139 metres (456 ft)”.
This is what we saw from the town of Capri at the top of the island. The Funicular stops at the Piazzetta de Capri, also called the Piazza Umberto.
At the top, in the Town of Capri, everything was tightly packed together. The town has been growing since the the Roman emperors Tiberius and Augustus built villas there. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the island was taken over by most other sea faring countries.
I have saved the videos of the narrow streets and tall buildings for another post where portrait style gives a better sense of the experience.
With all of these homes looking to the gulf, what do they have for a back yard? It might look like this.
They have the views and the shops and the warm weather, no wonder it is such a desirable destination.
The views of the island and the gulf are memorable.
Watch the ferries enter and exit the harbour as they transfer tourists between Capri and Sorrento which can be seen on the horizon. Back down at sea level, people were sunning by the water and shopping for souvenirs and snacks. For me, it was more pictures and videos.
One last video of the harbour for this post then the link I mentioned about the destruction caused by Mount Vesuvius. More on Capri in the next post. I was impressed by the ferries coming in, turning 180 degrees and backing into the dock while dragging an anchor.
https://jarvie.ca/herculaneum/
How beautiful!
That blue water is stunning!
I also loved that tiled “back yard”. Very pretty.
What an interesting trip!
Thanks for sharing!
Laurie
I will try to remember to add a video of a tiled washroom in my next post.
Doug, I can’t get over how beautiful this place is! The turquoise to dark blue sea, the picturesque little town, the flowers on the balconies, the blue sky! And that’s not just the foggy winter blues in me speaking. Enjoy your trip!
Thanks Tamara. I have one more post from here before I move on to the next port.
Stunning photos and videos, Doug! I’ve never been to Capri but I feel a little like I have after reading this blog
Come visit Capri again, the next post will enhance that feeling.
Wow, that’s absolutely gorgeous. There is nothing to dislike about Capri. I especially liked the videos because they made me feel as if I were there, listening to people speaking in Italian and watching the whitecaps crash onto the beach. Thank you for bringing me on your adventure. And, as usual, blog on!
One more chance to catch some more Italian in the next post.