Capri was a destination that I reached with my family in September 2020, during the tyranny of covid. In that period, in fact, traveling abroad was impossible and together with my sister we had the idea of organizing a series of trips to Italy and retracing, together with our parents, those destinations where they took us when we were little. Capri is part of the trip that made us visit first Pompei and then Sorrento, a place that we had used as a base and which I have already spoken about. In reality, except for the Amalfi coast which we had traveled many times, all the destinations of that trip were new and in fact Capri was the one that intrigued me the most. The reasons were different, for example in the last decade a successful Italian TV series had been set there which obviously showed fabulous scenarios that went beyond the real beauty of the island but above all thanks to a TV show by a well-known Italian science communicator. In that episode on Capri, in fact, the man showed a different side of the island, more historical than worldly, and above all I was surprised by a very complex and steep staircase that climbed from the sea to a point overlooking the mountain. Another place I had never heard of was a toll booth on top of a rock, called "Salto di Tiberio" where it is said that the emperor Tiberius threw his opponents or enemies from a visible hole. I don't remember the details exactly, but more or less the story was this. The idea of a place that had another dark history beyond the glossy one that revolved around worldliness, was a trigger to convince me to visit the island, even though I was aware that at most I could see that castle from afar but not visit it. Marina GrandeMarina Grande was one of the two coastal parts of the island, as the word “Grande” means, the place was the main and largest one. Probably the most beautiful view of it was the one we had at the beginning arriving from the ferry, a view made even more beautiful by the light that hit the row of white houses on the sea, the most exclusive ones on the hill and then the large overhanging rock. In addition to the natural beauty, what struck me upon arrival was the size of the port; I didn’t think it was so large and capable of hosting even large ferries. We arrived in Marina Grande after 10 AM and I immediately noticed the perfect organization of the small tourist port where there were dozens of boats offering tours of the island. It was impossible not to notice them even though along the small coast there were beautiful houses all with perfect plaster and all in light colors and marine tones. In fact, I personally didn't spend much time in Marina Grande and this is because my sister and I decided to immediately take the tour of the island so that we could then stop for lunch there and visit the center in the afternoon. In other words, I spent the first moments in Marina Grande to select the best tour but more than anything, since the tours all promised the same thing, especially the visit to “Grotta Azzurra”, we focused on the best boat. I enjoyed Marina Grande during lunch, which was done at the outdoor tables of a restaurant covered under umbrellas overlooking the port and then in the evening on the way back from the center. If the place had initially impressed me positively, walking around a bit at the end of the day it turned out to be a little disappointing. In Marina Grande there were only two tiny and overcrowded beaches and then in the area beyond the boats, a square full of souvenir shops and many bars. Since the area was close to the port, it was easy to see a lot of people with large suitcases waiting to leave or who had just arrived. In general, even if I didn't stay long, I saw a place more of a passage than a real area to enjoy and made for relaxing. I didn't visit Marina Piccola but I suppose that if the Grande only had two small beaches, the other was probably even worse. Walking around the area I remember thinking about what a hypothetical stay there in Marina Grande could be like; without a doubt for me it would have been boring. In reality, more than the place, it was the type of tourism that was wrong; personally, like I think many others, Capri was a one-day visit but beyond that it couldn't, given the size of the area, be a place for stable mass tourism. I mean, for me that kind of place should be more exclusive, for a few and even day visits should be limited and already developed without interference with the other type of tourism. I heard that they want to propose an entrance tax on the island, but this is just a squalid form of capitalism to make money and has nothing to do with the intent of creating an exclusive place, which Capri, in Marina Grande certainly wasn't. Island Boat Tour The options for trips around the island were endless and included different types of boats; from small boats for a private tour for two people to larger and more stable ones. Knowing the sea and its dangers, despite it being a calm day, I suggested to my sister that it was better to choose a larger boat even though we initially wanted to do a private tour. Our boat had a very large deck where the seats were mostly empty, this would have given us the freedom to move around as the view of the coast changed. More than the tour itself, our and above all my goal was to visit “Grotta Azzurra”, for the rest I didn't think that the coast of the island had other particular views. The other things I wanted to see was “Salto di Tiberio” and the famous staircase that I had seen on TV even though one of the most publicized moments was the passage through the Faraglioni. We arrived at “Salto di Tiberio” only after ten minutes and the famous overhanging hole was much smaller than I thought. The hole itself was quite big but the difference in height was not as steep or high as it seemed in TV and at first glance it gave the impression of being something that could easily be climbed in a medium difficulty climb starting from the sea. Surely the nature of the hole was quite mysterious because on one side it certainly seemed redefined by some human nature but the opening itself seemed like something that had been created from the bottom up. In general “Salto di Tiberio” did not have the same scenic impact that I had seen on TV but it was something that needed to be studied better and more thoroughly, surely it would have been interesting to explore it in some way. After leaving that area, the helmsman took us along a wall with limestone formations that ended on the “Grotta Rossa”, where the entrance arch it formed was high enough to contain a medium sized boat but not ours which was taller. The next destination was the larger and more complex “Grotta Bianca”, a place I didn’t know and that amazed me a lot. The cave was very large and had what seemed to be two entrances; a low one at sea level and then another “hole”. This was the large version of “Salto di Tiberio”, always structured from the bottom up except that it was only a few meters above the sea and also had linear layers. The gorge of cave was so large that there were several boats all close together, the smaller ones even managed to get under the large hole but we had to stay at a certain distance also for maneuvering reasons. At that point I could notice the different types of boats and customers on the island; there were other boats like ours, small boats with two people and dinghies with families where the exploration of the island took place in sexy swimsuits as an expression of freedom. During the visit to the “Grotta Bianca” I took many photos of the second mysterious hole but at the same time I was distracted by other holes that were covered by tiny swimsuits; people visiting Capri for some reason had the need to be sexy and pose in sexual ways to take pictures, I regretted not having a telephoto lens with me. Continuing the tour and going around the island I could notice that along all the slopes, it was full of holes that more or less had the same characteristic; it seemed that Capri had been hit by a giant Kalashnikov with a perspective from the bottom to the top. If the holes closest to the water could be justified by the waves crashing upwards, the higher holes could not be created by the water, assuming that it could create almost perfectly circular holes. Unfortunately, along the entire coast we came across beautiful boats where mature women were all open-legged sunbathing but to me they gave the impression of wanting to take something else. Even if very inviting, at that moment for me they represented a distraction also because I could not immortalize them and create a form of fine art of latent sexuality. But the real surprise were the “Faraglioni”, both because they appeared suddenly and because they were large and majestic. Even though I knew them and had seen them many times on TV, I had never managed to perceive their grandeur. This became much more impressive as we got closer; they were a true spectacle of nature. Even though there were three “Faraglioni”, for me they were only represented by the two big rocks on the sea; “Faraglione di Mezzo” and “Faraglione di Fuori”. Even though they had a pointed structure that made them similar, in reality these two giant rocks had two different souls; the “Mezzo” was wider and had a hole in the center, the “Fuori” was taller and narrower. Two different symbolisms that were almost attached where the tiny space that separated them seemed like a joke and an almost impossible thing. At that point the tour stopped for a break and proceeded in line with the sexual apotheosis of the island; passing with the boat under or inside the hole. As technical and suggestive as this case could be, it was clear that it had a very strong sexual connotation and seeing in front of me a dinghy where a milf in a thong driven by a young black guy with a statuesque body was getting ready and passing through the hole, was the perfect metaphor for an island that for me was starting to represent the sexual frustration of the rich. Outside the hole we could enjoy the perfect view of all three Faraglioni, an incredibly beautiful tree-some that created yet another different and ambiguous figure, a changing and mysterious one. I must say that the passage through the Faraglioni, beyond the sexual symbolism that they could contain, was an exciting experience that I did not expect. Much larger and more monumental than what I was giving in to and with an ambiguity that was pleasantly tasty. Personally, after the “Faraglioni”, I definitely appreciated the tour that from that point on could have disappointed me because it had already amazed me. However, navigating through milfs lying on their backs and legs wide open we arrived at “Marina Piccola” where I saw another interesting sight; the large arch-shaped rock with the apotheosis of the hole in the center. That glimpse was truly unique, the hole in question, in addition to being large, seemed to have been "dug" in the opposite way to the others, that is, from top to bottom. The whole mountain gave more the impression of a structure, like a large building that had melted or had undergone some process of "decomposition". This is because there was still a certain symmetry and I can say perfection in that rock that did not give me a feeling of normality or erosion process. To the right of the rock there was the famous staircase where I noticed the straight lower part and some glimpses of the ramps that went up. Unfortunately we passed too far from the coast to be able to observe the staircase, however this allowed us to have a perfect view of the rock and its beautiful symmetrical signature. The tour then took us to the “Grotta Verde” where what struck me was the type of rock conformation that had linear layered cuts, otherwise this cave was also more suitable for small boats that could almost fit inside. After passing the lighthouse, the island took on yet another different shape where a bush had taken over the rock that still showed yet another large hole. The final step included a visit to the famous “Grotta Azzzurra”, a visit that required a stop first and then a visit by using a small boat. Clearly all this did not happen because when we arrived in front of the “Grotta Azzurra”, there were dozens of boats in line, all with the same goal. The guide told us that it would take approximately more than an hour given the traffic and that therefore it was not possible to wait, however, we could use the cave ticket for an afternoon visit or a following day. I understood that to visit “Grotta Azzurra" we had to do a dedicated tour and at a specific time to find less traffic so in the end, the increase applied to the ticket of the tour we had done was a joke if not a marginal scam. However, even if initially I was a little disappointed by the lack of a visit to “Grotta Azzurra" which was one of my main goals, I still made some nice discoveries where the only real regret was not having a telephoto zoom and photographing all those rich horny milfs. CenterWe visited the center of Capri after lunch and reached the top using the funicular. It landed directly on Piazza Umberto I, the main and most popular square in the city. I must say that the view from up there was very beautiful because from the left, the mountain sloped down in a sinuous way, and the white houses surrounded by greenery were few and in the right places. Piazza Umberto I on the other hand was a place full of people moving around but for the rest it didn't impress me that much. Apart from the bell tower with the clock that was like a point of reference, I didn't find any other characteristic and particular elements. However, exploring the historic center walking down Via Vittorio Emanuele, Capri showed its personality with characteristic buildings that housed luxury boutiques, everything was taken care of down to the smallest details. The building that struck me the most was the one that housed the Quisisana hotel, it overlooked a small square and was light yellow. Even though it was large, it was mainly visible from the corner part, where the three floors had three different styles with the ground floor dominated by arches, the first floor with a facade with a balcony where the flags of many states were displayed and then on the top floor there was a triangular frame above three windows. A mixed design that however gave an austere and important tone, that building exuded luxury from all sides. Narrow and well-kept streets led us towards our destination which were the "Giardini di Augusto". Already upon entering I perceived the grandeur of these gardens, understood both as an extension of the same and as the type of vegetation and plants that were present there. To complete this grandeur was added the view of the sea on one side and the overhanging rock on the other. After a few minutes inside the gardens I immediately perceived the magic of the place, which culminated with the view of the Faraglioni, a visual impact of a beauty that I did not expect. The view was colorful thanks also to the countless white boats that represented the complementary element to the perpendicular rocks that remained to the left of the glimpse. From the mountain, it faded towards the sea and the Faraglioni remained a little small but still important elements. Together with my sister we immediately stormed the view, taking dozens of photos to immortalize that truly unique spectacle. Later, exploring the large terrace, I approached the overhanging rock and there I had another unexpected surprise: right under the rock climbed the famous staircase that I had only been able to see in part by taking the tour with the boat. The view of the staircase was perfect, I could appreciate it both in the part that climbed and in the long and flat part. This discovery put me in a good mood making me appreciate the island even more from an aesthetic point of view. That glimpse was in fact unique in itself even without looking out to look at the staircase because the overhanging rock was a natural element with a strong visual impact. Our visit to the historic center lasted even less than I thought, giving us time to return to Piazza Umberto I calmly and look for places to buy souvenirs. Unfortunately, the unpleasant spectacle was linked to the ordinances undertaken by the municipality of the island with respect to the rules relating to covid. At that time in Capri there was the ridiculous obligation to wear masks outdoors but the worst thing was the zeal as in a country of thieves and traitors as Italy has always been, the police enforced these ordinances without sense and use. I understand that people believing themselves immortal were afraid of covid as the only form of death, but the application of the controls was scandalous! If the Italian had used the discipline that he used to enforce the rules of covid, this country would have been the strongest in the world while it is a simple slave of the Americans like many countries after the end of the Second World War. Luckily, several times my family and I managed to take pictures of ourselves removing the mask and avoided keeping memories linked to the greatest collective craziness in recent history, the craziness of an intelligent virus that struck in a remote-controlled way. Unfortunately, the reality of a tourism that was too nationally popular, presented itself again on the way back to the funicular station where there was an incredible crowd. That around 4:30 PM was the most popular return time and we had to wait a while before we could return to Marina Grande. Fortunately, however, they allowed us to take a ferry back to Sorrento that left an hour earlier and in fact it was not the one we had chosen. The obligation to wear masks had in fact become unbearable with the heat, and the return to a municipality that had been wiser and had removed this deficient obligation had become a necessity. The daily trip to Capri, considering the wait, the expectation and through the positive and negative experiences I had there, was undoubtedly an exciting day. Part of this positive experience was given both by the variety of things done on the island and by the fact that I was able to share almost all of it with my family. It must be said that Capri has much more than what I was able to do and certainly other activities, from hiking to visiting other sites on the island, would have enriched the overall experience. Trying to imagine the island in ancient times, Capri was probably a dream place, a sort of private paradise for a king and his slaves. Seen in this light, the island must have been truly magical, much more beautiful than the mundane one of the Italian economic boom of the sixties of the last century. Today, without a shadow of a doubt, Capri is a faded copy of this last version I mentioned, the glamour no longer has the same charm as it once did because it is visibly fake. However, the masses still believe that certain Hollywood couples go to Capri really driven by the natural and unique beauty of the island; it is too difficult for them to perceive the marketing aimed at the personal benefit of the fake couple and the positive image that this brings to the island. To this I must add the mass tourism that distorts the island, most people visit Capri driven by the popularity and the exclusive aspect of an island for the rich and famous, a sort of visit centered on the metaphor of fifteen minutes of popularity. I do not even want to go into the merits of social media and how this aspect is advertised there because it is even more popular, made up of all the same content based on the principle of copying rather than emulation. Personally, in Capri I have not seen a place where I would have liked to go with a beautiful young companion to relax and give her a magical fairytale place. This is because Capri from that point of view is more of an island for old people, like a large luxury retirement home. This concept is exorcised only because the elderly leave the retirement home and spend their time on boats of all sizes. Personally, as a person who lives by the sea, not having the opportunity to walk along the coast on a promenade is inconceivable. Capri has many beautiful and mysterious things but it does not give me the idea of a romantic or unique island at all. Rather, for me it becomes unique in terms of exploration and investigation into the nature of all those caves and strange rock formations. This is something I would like to do and that for me would be an added value of Capri, for the rest the pathetic fake Hollywood couples, the boats with milfs with their legs wide open or mass tourism do not make a dream island but rather a sort of theme park. I must say that writing this post has given me an idea for a story that is clearly counter-trend, however I would need more information and details about Capri that I don't have yet. Probably if I were to return to the island in the future it would be for this reason and not to accompany a young lover who, seeing Capri on a social network, then developed the irreversible idea of visiting it. A.M.
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