Oh! The panic that ensued as our herd of cats embarked upon the Isle de Capri,
“let’s hike up to La Piazetta, no, Funicular, no the line is too long, let’s cab, Anacapri or Capri? oh we should have hiked, oh we should have waited for the Funicular, etc., etc., etc.”
It’s tough to figure out a plan when you only have one afternoon in Capri and there are SANDALS and lunch involved. Very hard, but somehow we made the most of it.
The person who lives in this incredible villa certainly wouldn’t understand because they are perfectly situated to enjoy Capri any day of the week and I am sure they were absolutely avoiding it on the busy Sunday we came to shore {but I’m not taking it personally}.
As it turns out, all options to get up the hill from the Port of Marina Grande were good options, there are stairs that cut up through the mountain for hikers (though you have to walk a few sections of windy roads). The trail actually continues on and heads higher up in the hills to even more stunning and peaceful views, gardens and historical buildings. I think this would be a lovely option, if you have the time.
The Funicular requires some patience but it still reportedly offers the breathtaking views of the homes, mountains and sea I recall from my first visit to the island, many blue moons ago.
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| Sentiero per Cetrella, Capri, Italy |
The cool~blue open air cabs are another good option. Our driver helped us to maximize our limited time there,
and we saw some incredible views as we twisted and turned around the edge of this monstrous rock. Below is the Marina Grande and you can just make out the Funicular cable heading up to La Piazzetta.
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| Port of Marina Grande, Capri, Italy |
First stop, via Vittorio Emanuele III, a curvaceous pedestrian route filled with lovely boutiques and sandal shops. The clock was ticking.
The driver pointed us in the direction of the lovely linen shop 100% Capri, filled with beautifully crafted clothing and housewares and this inviting bed that has a waterfall trickling down for the headboard, my kind of cooling white noise.
And then there were the sandal shops.… here’s how it works: you walk in, figure out your size and what sort of heel you’d like; then browse through the hundreds of offerings to decide on colors, straps, jewels and such and then let them know what exactly suits your fancy. In 15 minutes, your custom sandals are ready. I went all out, just couldn’t leave the island without these beauties to remind me of the day I swam in the Blue Grotto.
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| Custom seahorse sandals, Canfora, Capri, Italy |
By then the men were calling,
their stomachs were growling and the “they are buying more sandals” radar was sending out a red alert,
So we had to rush by some of the remaining yummies of Capri to meet them in Anacapri, the quieter retail section of the island
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| Tile map, Anacapri, Italy |
for lunch.
A rather fabulous lunch actually.
Somewhere, in my unsorted files from the trip, I have the receipt with the name of this exceptional, casual open air restaurant in Anacapri and the sandal shop in Capri, I just can’t put my finger on it right now.
Here is the update: there are many shops that do the custom sandles including Canfora who will ship your custom sandles to you! We bought some at Canfora and also L’Arte del Sandalo Caprese.
But if you are heading that way soon and need more details, just contact me directly ebh@splendidmarket.com and I’ll be there, at your service.
You know you that right?
That you can always contact me with any questions about recipes, travel, flower ideas, life, etc?
Of course you can.
Now, back to the sea,
the adventure continues.
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