Saturday, December 2, 2023
Strong winds, cloudy sky, but 19 C (66F). We are ready for a walk, and after a quick breakfast we head outside. Our goal is the lighthouse in the very west of Capri, a point called Punta Carena. This name automatically associates with Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of Chile, where we said goodbye to our son Didi when he returned to Europe almost a year ago.
The road we follow is narrow and steep. I am not really used to walking on a road with cars. Mostly we walk behind each other and squeeze against the rocks when a bus passes. With hairpin loops we climb steeply. Fantastic views over the town of Capri - lots of tiny white houses with flat roofs dotting the slopes. When the sun comes out they are suddenly so white that it hurts the eye.
We reach Anacapri, where Sisi discovers a small grocery with fruit and vegetables displayed outside. On a bench we enjoy some of the best kaki fruit ever.
A narrow pedestrian road between walls descends to the tip of the island. Cactuses and flowers everywhere. And large umbrella pine trees.
Unavoidably the wind picks up as we approach the shore, and suddenly we see the lighthouse. Like a bastion of strength it rises up from the white capped sea.
I’m happy there is a stiff breeze. A lighthouse derives its right of existence from stormy weather.
We climb over the rocks and I notice that in the summer the climate must be very different. There is even a sign ‘Romantic Zone. Kissing obligatory.’
Now Sisi has to hold on to her bonnet or it will be blown off.
In a small park we find a bench in the lee of the wind we eat our lunch. A woman comes by calling cats out of the bushes and feeding them. She turns out to be part of a society that takes care of stray cats. In the village I also saw a sign ‘protected cat colony.’ They leave the cats but feed them. The cats look great, well fed and shiny fur.
To avoid a very long climb back to Anacapri we decide to take the bus, which we share with a Canadian from Toronto. He just retired after 35 years at the same company. ‘Detox’ he calls it, and says that it turns out to be the perfect thing to do - two weeks Italy.
In Anacapri the siesta has started and everything is closed. We start to walk again, back to Capri and our apartment.
Since it is only mid afternoon, we decide to extend our walk to Marina Picola. It is located in the south of the island. Marina Grande, where the ferries land, is in the north.
Our room is on the mountain ridge in the middle of the island.
So we start a long descent over a small winding road, surrounded by beautiful houses. Purple Bougainvillea flowers cover hedges and stone walls. Palm trees rise up from gardens. Large cactuses decorate stone walls. Many houses have greek columns supporting pergolas with grapes or flowers. And high bare rock walls rise sheer and yellow-white hundreds of meters up into the air. It’s a beautiful island.
When we finally reach the pebble beach we feel very satisfied. Every corner and house is a display of gardens and villas, and the steep slopes ensure that every house is different from the rest. And it is fascinating to see how every house has played in its own way with the slopes. Some with terraces, others with steps, winding paths, walls or plants.
For a while we watch the sea and then return by bus to our house.
I take a short siesta myself, and in the evening we eat at Verginiello, where the waiters know us now.
‘How many days will you stay?’
‘If the ferry sails tomorrow, we will leave tomorrow.’
‘But will you come back?’
‘I hope when the weather is warm again, but the tourists are few.’
‘Oh yes. In the summer the tourists are too much. Too much chaos. Come in April.’
Giuseppe is a nice guy.
ab Stevens
2023-12-02
weer een prachtige reis Rob, dat doen jullie goed! geniet ervan
batchie
2023-12-03
it has always been so wonderful touring around the beautiful scenery of the world. great amigo.
Edwin&Tess
2023-12-03
Prachtig! Genieten. Light a🕯when u see 1. Mingle w residents. God bless u.