August in Capri

Capri, Italy

We knew about Capri, the dramatic limestone mastiffs seen in photos and movies. It is clearly Italy’s most famous island. But we had never heard of Ischia or Procida, the two islands just northwest of Capri. In contrast to Capri’s rugged grey cliffs, Ischia is green with pine woods and vineyards.

It is called Isola Verde, the Emerald Isle, as well as the Island of Eternal Youth, for the hot mineral springs, steam vents and mud holes that cover the island. Ischia is most visited for its thermal theme parks, spas and wellness centers, and after months on the salty sea, we were looking forward to some relaxation and pampering.

From a boating perspective, most of Ischia and Procida are marine reserves, so anchorages are regulated and only residents are allowed during the summer. We decided to go for a marina so we could see the islands, but they were full of Italian boaters on their August holiday. Sadly, after only seeing these islands from Berkeley East, we decided that we would have to come back another time on a land trip, so we set sail for Capri.

As we pulled into the anchorage at Piccolo, Capri, we were not disappointed, it had a perfect view of the famous Faraglioni limestone stacks, looking just as we expected. What was a surprise was how deep the anchorage was, the shallowest spot we could find was 50 feet. Capri is a very small island with few anchorages and just one marina, so we quickly learned to accept deeper water and less anchor chain.

Additionally there were a lot of large boats already anchored. It seems that the mega yachts from Sardinia had followed us to Capri. We decided to make Piccolo our base and see the island from there, until we tried to go ashore and were told that we could not land our dingy. Ah, but if we ate at one of the restaurants, or paid for a mooring, we could go ashore. August in Capri. What could we do? We were there and wanted to see Capri, so we ate at the restaurant and put BE on a mooring.

To this point, most of our August experiences had been with the boating crowds on the water, so we had no idea how packed Italy’s land attractions were during that month. We got our first inkling as we stood at the bus stop and saw the 10-seat bus with at least 40 people on it.

We joined in the fun and squeezed into the tiny transport vehicle for the 10-minute ride to Capri Town. Forty minutes later, we were there. The roads on Capri are so narrow, most only accommodate one small car let alone buses. As we inched our way along in the bus, Italian men were out of their cars, yelling, directing traffic, and eventually everyone got where they were going. In August, Capri is full of international tourists, like us. We took a deep breath, relaxed and took in the sites. We took the crowded bus all around the island to Capri Town, a beautiful, classy, upscale town, and Anacapri, a more casual village.

We saw the Faraglioni rocks from every angle, visited Villa San Michele, and took the rickety chair lift to Monte Salaro, Capri’s highest peak.

From the top, the views across the island to the mainland were spectacular.

Back in the anchorage, boats would pack in during the day, small boats covered in very tan people getting more sun. The Italians really know how to relax when on holiday. At sunset, the Italian day boats would go home and the cruising charter boats would come in, with their fenders out, ready to anchor right next to Berkeley East.

After we had seen Capri by land, we decided to sail around the island. All of it was dramatic, with shear cliffs and caves. Capri one of the few islands that we have seen that is equally as beautiful from both the land and sea.

In the Villa San Michele, there was a copy of a mosaic from Pompeii showing a skeleton with a wine carafe and water jug in its hands. The meaning being that one should enjoy life while one can, as death is always lurking around the corner. We are doing our best to live by this philosophy.