Yesterday we caught a fast jet boat across to Capri for a quick two day visit. The boat, one of many that travel to Capri each day from Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast or Naples, holds about 400 people and it was absolutely packed (and we caught the 8am one in the hopes of missing the hoards!). Boats arrive at a small town on Capri called Marina Grande, then you can catch a funicular up the cliffs to the town of Capri. You could also clamber up the steep roads and steps to the town, but what fun would that be?

The main part of Capri town is completely overrun with tourists, but you can walk off the beaten track to some spectacular look-outs . The views across the island, the cliffs, and some of the rock formations (like the two rocks sticking up in the sea called the Faraglione), are quite special. There are also a couple of beautiful gardens, some gorgeous churches, and a very steep switchback footpath called 'Via Krupp' after the German industrialist who built the footpath as a means of getting from the marina to his very swish hotel.

We stayed in the second biggest town on the Island, called Anacapri, in a small B&B in an old monastery. The room had only one tiny window, but it had two large skylights and loads of lights so it seemed quite bright and airy. The room was also quite large, not at all like the monastic cells we have seen in monasteries on our travels! The owner was explaining to us that this month is actually the start of the quiet season, and in the peak times, there can be up to four times as many tourists as what we experienced in our two-day visit. Goodness knows how so many people would manage to get around the island in the tiny buses (minivans), as many of the ones we went on were completely packed . Most people were standing and hanging on grimly as the buses careered around the many sharp bends all over the island. Again though, I was very impressed at the skill of the drivers, who seem to know exactly how many millimetres there are spare each side of their bus as they pass other buses and trucks on the narrow roads.

We did a 3 hour walk down the west coast of the island, up and down the limestone cliffs, following a reasonably good track to a number of forts built around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The walk was signposted using ceramic tiles, with drawings and text in both Italian and English. There were also ceramic tiles explaining the animals, fish and flowers along the way, which was a fantastic way of finding out about the local area. The limestone cliffs are quite remarkable, great big white expanses full of little holes, big holes, caves.... The very last part of the track goes to a lighthouse, and I think this was probably the hardest part of the walk. The path became quite steep and it went on and on and on, until I thought my legs were going to drop off!

As compensation for the forts walk, today we caught a cable car up to the highest peak on the island, Monte Solaro, and then did a much shorter walk to an old church set high up, overlooking the coastline with views right through to the Faraglione peaks. This part is very high, and we were looking down at clouds rolling along the coast, which was quite a surreal feeling.

Capri is a very beautiful island. Many of the seats and stairs around Piazzas are decorated with ceramic drawings, and there appears to be a real pride in making the island look attractive. There are also some delicious Caprisian foods (the chocolate cake is amazing!). There were many areas we didn't visit, like the Blue Grotto, because of the difficulty getting access because of the number of tourists. It would be good to visit in the quiet months to see what it is like without the tourists everywhere (not counting us of course!). I will add it to the list.