ITALY, July 18, 2011
ITALY, July 18, 2011
Today, after breakfast at the Michelangelo Hotel, we were transported by two mini buses to the dock at Sorrento, in order to catch the ferry to the Isle of Capri, a beloved resort since ancient Roman times. We boarded the ferry and in 30 minutes had reached Capri. Of course there were tons of tourists there, and absolutely cartloads of tchotchkes just waiting to be bought by the unwary tourist.
Guarding each prong of the Bay of Naples, the islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida make up the best-known group of Italian islands. Each is very different. Capri is the place of legend and home to the mythical Sirens. Today, it is a playground of the super rich.
Capri has long been the most sought-after part of the Bay of Naples. During Roman times, Augustus retreated to the island’s cliffbound scenery to escape the care of office. Later, Tiberius moved the imperial capital there, indulging himself in legendary debauched antics until his death in 37 A.D. After the Romans left, Capri was neglected until the early 19th c., when the discovery of the Blue Grotto and the island’s remarkable landscape coincided with the rise of tourism. The English, especially, have always flocked her: D. H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, Graham Greene. Even Lenin stayed here.
It would be hard to find a place with more inspiring views. The ferry arrived at Marina Grande, roughly in the middle of Capri’s northern coast, with the island’s main town perched on top of the hill. Our first order of business was to take a small boat out to see the shoreline to the west of the Marina Grande, noting caves, lagoons, and grottos, as well as series of arches of limestone perched out in the water near coastline. The water alternated between an intense turquoise and lapis lazuli blue—truly enchanting. Three-masters as well as five-masted ships were plying the shoreline, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous—but hot. When we returned to the Marina, we took the funicular to the town of Capri. There we roamed around, and I explored many lovely, out of the way alleyways and hotel forecourts to photograph. We walked to the Tiberius Garden and took amazing photos of the stunning cliffs and bay below, and the bougainvilleas, hydrangeas, and roses were in full bloom. Lunch was in town proper, and I had a wonderful green salad with the addition of tuna fish, mozzarella cheese, olives, tomatoes, and a great olive oil and vinegar combination.
Nancy and I roamed around afterwards, and she bought two dresses. I was mainly interested in a shop that sold indigenous colognes and eau de toilettes made in the area. I settled on Carthusia, I Profumi di Capri. In 1380, legend says that the prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. Giacomo, a church on the isle of Capri, learned that a queen was about to arrive on the island of Capri. He began to create a flower arrangement with the most beautiful flowers of the island. Soon after, the water was not changed for three days, and when the flowers were thrown away, the prior noticed the water had acquired a fragrance which he did not know. He went to the father alchemist, who then traced the origin of the scent back to the correct flower. The recipes of the colognes were lost for years, until 1948, when the prior of the monastery discovered the ancient perfume formulas and, with permission of the Pope, revealed them to a chemist from Torino. He then began to construct the smallest laboratory in the world, and so was born “Carthusia” or “Certosa.” The tradition is continued, and the limited production methods used by the Carthusian monks are still in practice today. I myself bought the Fiori di Capri cologne—the refined floral notes deriving from the lily of the valley, along with wild carnation blend, are mixed with sandalwood, ylang-ylang, and oak. A magnificent scent!
On the way back from the perfumery, Nancy and I noticed that there was an exhibit of photographs (black/white) at the Church of St. Giacomo, the origination point of my cologne. We made our way all the way to the church, through back alleyways, some of which were extremely picturesque and gave us glimpses of the courtyards and gardens of hotels and villas (to give you an idea of the shops around this town, imagine Salvatore Ferragamo and Moschino). However, it being Monday, the exhibit was not open and, disappointed, we made our way past the zillions of tour groups (the only thing that is driving me mad, even though I am part of a tour group!) and back to a café near a funicular, where we had a lemon gelato, which was the one thing which cooled us down a bit. Then we caught the funicular back down, met the rest of the group, and took the ferry back to Sorrento. Nancy and I have had dinner at a small trattoria (tomato / mozzarella salad drizzled with olive oil and rosemary, and a plate of grilled vegetables—pumpkin, eggplant, and squash), which Nancy and I shared, along with bread dipped in olive oil, and a Fanta apiece—our standard, wonderful, fizzy cool-down drink we have almost every day.
We are now packed for luggage pickup at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, as we are on our way to Rome, for the final two days of my trip. Nancy’s husband Jim is getting in tomorrow morning, and after the sightseeing events in Rome and at dinnertime, Nancy and I are going to have dinner with Jim. The Coliseum is among our most important sites tomorrow. Stay tuned! As ever, Sylvia
Today, after breakfast at the Michelangelo Hotel, we were transported by two mini buses to the dock at Sorrento, in order to catch the ferry to the Isle of Capri, a beloved resort since ancient Roman times. We boarded the ferry and in 30 minutes had reached Capri. Of course there were tons of tourists there, and absolutely cartloads of tchotchkes just waiting to be bought by the unwary tourist.
Guarding each prong of the Bay of Naples, the islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida make up the best-known group of Italian islands. Each is very different. Capri is the place of legend and home to the mythical Sirens. Today, it is a playground of the super rich.
Capri has long been the most sought-after part of the Bay of Naples. During Roman times, Augustus retreated to the island’s cliffbound scenery to escape the care of office. Later, Tiberius moved the imperial capital there, indulging himself in legendary debauched antics until his death in 37 A.D. After the Romans left, Capri was neglected until the early 19th c., when the discovery of the Blue Grotto and the island’s remarkable landscape coincided with the rise of tourism. The English, especially, have always flocked her: D. H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, Graham Greene. Even Lenin stayed here.
It would be hard to find a place with more inspiring views. The ferry arrived at Marina Grande, roughly in the middle of Capri’s northern coast, with the island’s main town perched on top of the hill. Our first order of business was to take a small boat out to see the shoreline to the west of the Marina Grande, noting caves, lagoons, and grottos, as well as series of arches of limestone perched out in the water near coastline. The water alternated between an intense turquoise and lapis lazuli blue—truly enchanting. Three-masters as well as five-masted ships were plying the shoreline, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous—but hot. When we returned to the Marina, we took the funicular to the town of Capri. There we roamed around, and I explored many lovely, out of the way alleyways and hotel forecourts to photograph. We walked to the Tiberius Garden and took amazing photos of the stunning cliffs and bay below, and the bougainvilleas, hydrangeas, and roses were in full bloom. Lunch was in town proper, and I had a wonderful green salad with the addition of tuna fish, mozzarella cheese, olives, tomatoes, and a great olive oil and vinegar combination.
Nancy and I roamed around afterwards, and she bought two dresses. I was mainly interested in a shop that sold indigenous colognes and eau de toilettes made in the area. I settled on Carthusia, I Profumi di Capri. In 1380, legend says that the prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. Giacomo, a church on the isle of Capri, learned that a queen was about to arrive on the island of Capri. He began to create a flower arrangement with the most beautiful flowers of the island. Soon after, the water was not changed for three days, and when the flowers were thrown away, the prior noticed the water had acquired a fragrance which he did not know. He went to the father alchemist, who then traced the origin of the scent back to the correct flower. The recipes of the colognes were lost for years, until 1948, when the prior of the monastery discovered the ancient perfume formulas and, with permission of the Pope, revealed them to a chemist from Torino. He then began to construct the smallest laboratory in the world, and so was born “Carthusia” or “Certosa.” The tradition is continued, and the limited production methods used by the Carthusian monks are still in practice today. I myself bought the Fiori di Capri cologne—the refined floral notes deriving from the lily of the valley, along with wild carnation blend, are mixed with sandalwood, ylang-ylang, and oak. A magnificent scent!
On the way back from the perfumery, Nancy and I noticed that there was an exhibit of photographs (black/white) at the Church of St. Giacomo, the origination point of my cologne. We made our way all the way to the church, through back alleyways, some of which were extremely picturesque and gave us glimpses of the courtyards and gardens of hotels and villas (to give you an idea of the shops around this town, imagine Salvatore Ferragamo and Moschino). However, it being Monday, the exhibit was not open and, disappointed, we made our way past the zillions of tour groups (the only thing that is driving me mad, even though I am part of a tour group!) and back to a café near a funicular, where we had a lemon gelato, which was the one thing which cooled us down a bit. Then we caught the funicular back down, met the rest of the group, and took the ferry back to Sorrento. Nancy and I have had dinner at a small trattoria (tomato / mozzarella salad drizzled with olive oil and rosemary, and a plate of grilled vegetables—pumpkin, eggplant, and squash), which Nancy and I shared, along with bread dipped in olive oil, and a Fanta apiece—our standard, wonderful, fizzy cool-down drink we have almost every day.
We are now packed for luggage pickup at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, as we are on our way to Rome, for the final two days of my trip. Nancy’s husband Jim is getting in tomorrow morning, and after the sightseeing events in Rome and at dinnertime, Nancy and I are going to have dinner with Jim. The Coliseum is among our most important sites tomorrow. Stay tuned! As ever, Sylvia
Wow! That cologne sounds incredible. Can't wait to get a whiff of it. What an interesting story. And all this Italian food talk is still making my mouth water every time I read these updates! If only you could overnight me a boxof that Italian bread along with a pool of olive oil...
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