Capri! (Capri)

Member Name: LegallyBlonde88

Product:	Capri
Date:	03/03/08 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gorgeous

Disadvantages: nothing

I visited Capri in April 2006 with a group of school friends and I can honestly say that it is one of the most beautiful little places in the world. It is situated just off the Sorrentine Peninsula. We were staying in Sorrento for the week so we got the ferry from Sorrento harbour straight into Capri.

The boat takes you into Marina Grande, from where you can take the funicular up to Capri village.

The first thing you notice when approaching the island is the stunning scenery and you can really begin to see why so many of the rich and famous have homes here...I know I would if I could ever afford it!

The quaint little village has been preserved quite well considering the number of tourists and day trippers that flock here every summer to experience a bit of the jet set lifestyle. The main piazzetta is full of very chic, expensive little restaurants and cafes. The island is also something of a shoppers paradise...the top designers all have stores here. You will also find locally made goods, look out for "Limoncello" ...the Italian lemon liquor :) its lovely!

We only had a day in Capri so we did the usual things but we also decided to take a trip to the Blue Grotto (I had researched this on the internet before we went so thats how we knew about it!)

The grotto has a partially submerged opening into the sea. Roman emperors with villas on Capri reportedly used the Blue Grotto as a private bath. Now it has become a tourist attraction. You get a speed boat from marina grande and they take you along the Capri coastline (even this little boat trip is worth it!) then after about 10 mins you come to a little group of rowing boats at the opening of the cave. You have to step from the big boat into the smaller rowing boats (sounds dangerous and I suppose it is because it is all done sans life jacket!)

Myself and two of my friends got into a little row boat with a very handsome Italian man and he informed us that because of the swells and the tide we would have to lie down on the bottom of the boat whilst he pulled us inside with the aid of a chain, permanently attached to the cave wall.

Inside the grotto the sea seems to be lit from underwater. It is an amazing electic blue colouro. This is due to another opening to the grotto, completely submerged, and the limestone bottom. It allows in sunlight to light the water from below. The underground passages leading to the grotto are partially sealed and supposedly once were connected to catacombs of Roman tombs. Once we were inside the grotto our guide burst into song! He serenaded us so we could hear the echoes throughout the cave. It was really quite eery and I did worry about falling into that bright blue water!

This was the highlight of my trip to Capri and I would thoroughly recommend it!

Summary: beautiful little island