To the last drop I'm in love with Capri
The first time my friends and I came to Capri almost by accident, just “moving like a yellow man on a google map” and looking at beautiful places... That was seven years ago. Much has changed since then, but my love for this island has remained unchanged. And like all true love, it's hard to explain why. All bohemia from Tiberius to the present day, and the entire intellectual elite, including Russian and early Soviet ones: Jean Cocteau, Le Corbusier, Modigliani, Aivazovsky, Turgenev, Bunin, Gorky, Chaliapin, Lunacharsky, Lenin... But neither Tiberius nor Lunacharsky they never articulated how this small island differs from hundreds of the same tiny Mediterranean islands.
There are many hotels in Capri, but, as a rule, it is almost impossible to book something during the high season. It is considered most prestigious to stay in two hotels: Capri Palace and Grand Hotel Quisisana. "Capri Palace" is more modern, with a large spa and other joys for couples with children. There is only one drawback - it is located in that part of the island called Anacapri and where mainly the local population and staff serving the guests of the island live. Therefore, although the hotel itself is beautiful, the romance around, to be honest, is not enough. "Quizizana" - an old respectable, bourgeois in the very center of Capri, the view of the sea from the terraces of the hotel is dizzyingly beautiful. Belongs to an aristocratic Italian family. The contingent is appropriate - Italian signorinas of a certain age in incredibly beautiful hats and massive gold jewelry, tanned Italian seniors in their sixties, coming out to breakfast in white trousers and blue polos. In the evening, everyone sits in the hotel bar, drinking aperol and eating an olive. However, I wouldn’t advise you to have dinner there - it’s not bad, but it’s not interesting. For food, you should go to Villa Verde or Aurora. There is also the lovely La Terrazza di Lucullo and the Da Paolino Lemon Trees immersed in a lemon grove - you can meet anyone there...
There is no special gastronomic must have or, more precisely, must eat - a dish that you must definitely try in Capri. Traditional Italian Mediterranean cuisine: lobsters, sea bream, pasta, pizza and so on. Bohemia, who "brought up" the character of this island, apparently, was not too interested in food - there were more interesting activities. But on the central square, three steps from Quizizana, there is a cult place where you can buy ice cream. By and large, it is no different from ice cream in Rome or Venice - just as tasty, but no more. But for some reason it is in this shop that there is always a queue. By the way, the balls are huge. One is like our three, three is like the snowy Kilimanjaro. There are a few more colorful Italian bakeries that open at 07:00 in the morning, and which we honestly visited daily in the morning, climbing up 407 steps - what can you not do for a hot croissant with cream?
What not to do in Capri? Rent a car or bring your own on the ferry. This, strictly speaking, is not very possible: neither Avis nor Hertz are represented here. There are only two streets in Capri that you can somehow drive through: one rises from the port up to the square, the other goes down to the port. The rest are so narrow that it is impossible to drive a car along them. Even when you check into Quizizana, the taxi will only take you to the square. Then you will go on foot, and your luggage will go on a trolley. But do not worry, all the most important things are within walking distance, and if you suddenly want to go to Anacapri, call a convertible taxi - believe me, they are incomparable here! But there are no problems with parking - as well as the parking itself, however.
Do not bring high heels with you. The streets are paved with cobblestones, it is extremely inconvenient to walk along it in Louboutins. Women in stilettos are more surprising than admiring glances.
It will not blow away for all days to book a sunbed on the beach. The most correct thing is to rent sunbeds for several days, moreover, on different beaches, and for several days - a boat, throw a couple of bottles of dry white wine into the refrigerator and go around the island on it, swimming in every lagoon you like. Boats can be rented for any level of comfort. Some cost two hundred euros per day, others several thousand (or tens of thousands) euros per day. Do you need a personal skipper, boatswain and pilot, which are included in the kit of an expensive yacht - decide for yourself. Many guests of the island - among them, by the way, many world-class celebrities - arrive in Capri on their own yachts, anchor in the port and relax for several days, shopping at Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana along the way: these boutiques are presented here in normal Italian abundance.
What is worth buying? At least two interesting jewelry brands consider Capri their homeland. The Italian Angela Puttini makes things “antique”, and she has a famous duet: an old coin is put into one ear, a long earring into the other. The second boutique to consider is Chantecler. He has an interesting showcase with a real carriage of the 17th century, and there everyone buys golden pumpkin pendants from the evil eye. There is also a Chantecler boutique in Milan, but it seems to me that pumpkins are not so relevant there, there are more interesting things. And on Capri - just right.
They also sell beautiful unpretentious sandals with ankle ties. They are made in front of you, they are surprisingly comfortable, and you choose the color yourself. And of course, linen, lace, crockery are wonderful souvenirs.
There is also a factory that produces perfumes, soaps and other shampoos. In my opinion, the smells are too straightforward floral. But it's interesting to look and see. Well, if you suddenly realized that you didn’t take enough white shirts or light dresses, the 100% Capri boutique is always at your service.
And yet, you may be surprised, I am amazed at the innumerable places to see here. It would seem that a tiny island (only 10 square kilometers) can be bypassed in a couple of hours. But in fact, even for two years of rest (and this is a whole twenty days), we did not manage to thoroughly explore all the surroundings. Many villas of celebrities who lived in Capri are open to the public. And even if not, standing next to me and thinking about who lived here and what he thought was a separate pleasure for me.
Well, to the Blue Lagoon, where the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue advertising film was filmed, remember David Gandy in swimming trunks hugging the dazzling Bianca Balti? - you will not be able to miss it, even if you make every effort to do so. A small pier among incredibly beautiful rocks - and it definitely has someone's yacht, where the girl is no less beautiful than Bianca, and the man clearly has some virtues that even Gandhi does not have.
It seems that nature has shown all the talents at once on this small but picturesque island. Capri has EVERYTHING: gardens with a full palette of colors, rocky landscapes with green valleys, whitewashed villas overlooking the sea, secluded bays and natural grottoes.
. . . but alas, our unforgettable vacation ended too quickly again, we again had too little time, and it was time to return home...
Only one question haunts me: how to piece together the world, broken overnight by the departure from my beloved island. . . ?
