Capri. The most beautiful, serene place I’ve ever been to.

In fairness, I’m used to cityscapes, deserts, English countryside and mountains, so Capri was very much something else for me. In that, it was the loveliest place I’ve ever been.

Before visiting (a long time before in fairness) I read a book called ‘I Love Capri’. A romance novel about a girl that goes to Capri and falls in love (there is much more to it than that but it was a long time ago and I can’t remember it). Ever since I read that book, I had this dreamlike vision of Capri and after our time in Naples, was extremely worried about the visit as I was fairly sure I was going to be let down.

I almost suggested we went somewhere else, just so I could keep the fantasy. Thankfully though, we didn’t. And somehow, Capri was better than I’d expected.

Before I went, I was warned it was full of designer shops, rich people, villas and not much else. In some ways, this is true. But not in a bad way: untouched by trains and planes, we arrived by boat on a beautiful sunny day into a harbour filled with lovely fishing boats in calm waters. A real picture postcard scene.

We didn’t have a map, just a time we had to get back and a rough idea of where the main town was, so we followed the tiny signs and hiked up the (rather steep) winding path to the town. (There is a train, but we decided to walk to get a feel of the place). Yes, it was a bit warm and sweaty due to the weather, but it was peaceful, only with some birdsong to drown out our moans and the smell of lemons and lavender to continue luring you into the town.

Once we got to the town, we knew instantly it was worth the walk. We grabbed a local drink of lemon/orange juice and blissfully meandered around their beautiful streets. We walked all around the town, stopped for some lunch, then walked over the back into the gardens (you have to pay around 2 euros, but it’s worth it for the view alone).

Yes, it is a fairly expensive place, but that makes sense. It has a luxurious atmosphere, that oozes relaxation: if I could afford to live there, I’m fairly sure I know where I’d be right now.

We only had a day there as we had to fly home that evening, but it made it all the more tantalising: if anything has ever left me wanting more, it’s Capri.

And that, was my trip to Italy.

Abi

X

@travelteatv 

P.S. If anyone feels like taking me back to Capri, I’m in.