Not-so-Rich? None-too-Famous? Visit
The ANNOTICO Report
NOT-SO-RICH? NONE TOO FAMOUS
? VISIT CAPRI ANYWAYS
Island visitors
don’t have to be wealthy, but it wouldn’t hurt
Stars and Stripes
European edition
By Jason Chudy
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Capri is probably Italy’s
best-known island, a playground for the world’s
rich and famous.
But on a recent trip to the island, located at the southwest edge of the Bay of Naples, there were more cruise-ship tourists than celebrities, and we, at least, sure weren’t rich....
After a quick 40-minute
hydrofoil ride from downtown Naples, we queued up with dozens of visitors in
the bus line, waiting more than 30 minutes to catch the first one available,
which in our case was to Capri town. Convertible taxis also ply the route
between the port and two main towns, but for financial considerations, we stuck
with the bus.
Capri is definitely at
the cutting edge of fashion and high
The town of Capri sits
centered on the long, narrow island, with views of the sea from two sides and steep mountain slopes on the other two. It’s
surprisingly small and dense, with narrow streets capable of carrying only foot
traffic and small electric carts bustling back and forth with supplies or
visitors’ baggage.
The streets were crowded
and the stores exclusive and expensive. Grand hotels with swimming pools that
overlook the sea lined one road we walked down, drawing envious glares from
passers-by staying elsewhere.
Still, it’s an
incredible place to see. The grandeur and scenic beauty of Capri brings as many
“oohs” and “aahs”
as “excuse me” and “oops, sorry” as we wandered into
other gawking tourists. The views are free and magnificent, when we could see
through the throng of tourists.
A trip to Capri can be
affordable. Hydrofoils from the Molo Belvedere
terminal are around $28 round trip. Add 1.30 euros for a ticket on the
funicular — or in our case, bus — to either Capri or Anacapri towns, and travel is relatively inexpensive.
We made it even cheaper
with a special ticket from the base USO office that offered both the round-trip
hydrofoil ticket and a multiple-course lunch at one of three restaurants in
either town...
Capri is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for some people, and it is worth
one visit, not only to say you’ve been there, but also for the scenery
and the history.
And if you’re rich
and famous, that would help, too.
TIMES: You can go any time of the year, although spring is probably best, before it gets too hot or too crowded. Avoid weekends, especially during tourist season.
COSTS: Round-trip hydrofoil tickets on
the LN Navigazione Libera
del Golfo lines are 28 euros. On Capri, one-way bus
or funicular tickets are 1.30 euros, and a day pass is about 7 euros.
Combination tickets for a round-trip hydrofoil ride with a multiple-course
lunch at one of six restaurants on the island are available at the Naples USO
for 39 euro.
FOOD: There are plenty of places to eat
on the island. Most restaurants are open for lunch and dinner — and are
expensive.
INFORMATION: The best thing to know about Capri
is that it’s pronounced differently in Italian. Americans accent the
final syllable while Italians accent the first. So, Ca-PRI in English becomes
CA-pri in Italian. The Web site www.capri.net has Italian
and English sites with everything from history to hotels.
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