Looking for a way to stretch our legs and get out of the city for a while, we took the ferry to Capri. Our goal was a 3 mile hike to a natural arch. Somewhere along the way we picked up 5 extra miles, so our count at bedtime is over eight. Here are some sights along our way:
First we walked from the port to Capri, one of the two towns on the island. We visited the church of St Stephen, where mass was being held for All Soul’s Day. We used the All Trails app, and never have I ever had it navigate me through such a posh shopping area on a hike before. For example:
We did move into more natural areas, although for most of the hike we passed iron gates leading to exclusive private residences. Most of the hiking was uphill on steps. One of the best areas is called the Grotta di Matromania. It appears to be an ancient cave dwelling, high above the sea, certainly. The site seems to be an ancient Roman one, perhaps as a sacred site for the nymphs, or Mithras? We have not been able to estabish a clear answer, but the cave is large and ancient.
Many more steps along the path and we finally came to the natural arch.
Our return route was easier, partly because it was downhill and also had fewer steps. We were ready for a midday meal at a sit down restaurant.
Some more pretty views:
Overall, the tourist season is winding down in Capri. Although there were thousands of people here with us, it was manageable, and there were only a few on the hike with us. The designer shops mostly had signs in the windows that said “See you next season.” It’s fascinating to me that people would come all this way to shop at Prada or Vuitton, for example.
We made our way back to the port on foot, did a little shopping, checked out the small public beach,and found gelato that wasn’t too bad. Then we looked at the time and decided we had booked return ferry tickets that were too late for our energy level. I went to the ticket counter to see if we could take an earlier ferry and fortunately, this was not a problem.
We are planning a no alarm Sunday for tomorrow!
3 Responses
Such a beautiful place! I can completely see why your mileage was much more than expected! I ate my first fresh fig in Capri, what a sensory explosion that was.
Yes, they are very lucky in food here. Fresh, fresh, fresh.
This is lovely!