We didn’t plan to go to Capri because I’ve been told that it was too “touristy” and superficial so I decided to go to the island of Procida instead. One day before leaving for our trip (yes I know we are not organized people), we realized that the ferry timetable for Procida didn’t match our schedule and anyway the B&B we booked was closer to Capri. Therefore, we headed to Capri (there’s a ferry for Capri every 30 minutes) and I don’t regret it even if I would have loved to see Procida.
In Naples we rented a car but unfortunately it wasn’t an old Fiat 500 (or an Ape Piaggio)… for that matter it wasn’t even a recent Fiat 500 but a Peugeot…what a disappointment ! However the landscapes were so beautiful that I quickly forgot about it. We took a ferry at Sorrento which in only 20 minutes took us to Capri. The ferry disembarked us at Marina Grande where you have 2 solutions to go up to the old city : ride up in the funicular or climb on foot. Of course I advise you to take these paths along cute houses and gardens even if there is a lot of steps to climb up (995 steps to be precise) but it’s quite quick and will “only” take you around 30 minutes. After climbing all these steps we were out of breath but happy and arrived in the center of the city filled with tourists and surrounded by luxury stores and chic restaurants. Ah this is what people were talking about ! However it was not that unpleasant to see. We only took a quick tour around because it wasn’t what we wanted to see. As soon as you go away from the center and from the crowd, you can see these long paths surrounded by wonderful villas and lush gardens : this is where the magic happens ! We went to the “belvedere di Tragara” overlooking Marina Piccola. This is one of the most beautiful viewpoints of the island. We enjoyed this outstanding view while eating a granita. I enjoyed also so much all these ceramic stairs. You know how much I love old floor tiles so I was in heaven ! My shoes were a match made in heaven for these stairs. I was invited to the new Bensimon boutique opening in Paris (5 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau) on September, where they offered me a pair of white shoes so that I could customize them during a DIY workshop. I knew I wouldn’t’ be able to do something nice so I decided to leave them white and to customize them with some Bensimon tattoos. I love them like that, don’t you ?
In the afternoon, we took a bus to go to Anacapri, a village less famous than Capri on the island. You can also go by taxi or by bike.As soon as we arrived, we took an individual chairlift to fly over rich garden vegetation and admire this wonderful view (you can also go by foot if you want). The chairlift drops you on top of the Monte Solaro , the highest point of the island (589 meters), where there is a spectacular view on Capri, Naples gulf and Sorrento peninsula.Once on top, there isn’t much you can do except eat another granita on the big terrace facing this astonishing panorama. Life is hard. The 3 rocks carved by the sea that you can see in the middle of the water are the famous « faraglioni di Capri ». We took back the chairlift to go down and we took the time to stroll in the streets of Anacapri which is less invaded by tourists and more authentic. This village is really charming!
To eat :
We only spent the day on the island so we didn’t have that much time. We wanted to eat quickly but good still so we went to a small shop where we made our own sandwiches and it was delicious!
In the evening we went to a restaurant close to our hotel at Massa Lubrense (a 40 min ride from Sorrento harbor) which didn’t look anything special but mamma mia the food was amazing and the prices so cheap. We took an entrée, a meal, a dessert, a some wine and a digestive : we paid 20€ for 2 !As an antipasto we had a plate to share with delicatessen, cheese and tasty grilled vegetables. Then we had zucchini pastas for me and pastas with shells for him. (Sorry for the bad quality of the picture but it was quite dark).
Ristorante Eughenes – Via Roncato 9 – Termini, 80068 MASSA LUBRENSE (ITALIA)
To stay:
Like I told you, Capri wasn’t on our list so the B&B we booked wasn’t on the island but anyway it’s the best idea because hotels in Capri are very expensive and it wasn’t too far. If you’re looking for a cute hotel go to Casale Villarena that we found on Airbnb, you will love it ! It’s impossible not to, it’s so charming ! It’s an old property from the 18th century lost in the middle of the lemon trees. By the way, don’t forget to have a glace of limoncello (lemon liquor) made with their own lemons.The restaurant and breakfast room.When you go up the stairs you see a cute vegetable garden facing the sea. There’s also a former farm and its wine cellar from the 1400’s which has been restored and turned into a restaurant where you can participate in wine and cheese tastings or just have a romantic dinner. Here is another original lamp idea after the tea pot in Naples !Here this is our beautiful terrace with a view on the sea. And this is our room or I should say our little flat with a kitchen, a bathroom, a room and a tiny living room. If you want to come with your family or friends there are bigger apartments you can rent. Everything in this b&b was charming, even the staff with whom we had a nice chat. Gorgeous place isn’t it ?
Casale Villarena – Via Cantone 3 – 80061 NERANO (Massa Lubrense)
I’m really happy we went to Capri after all, don’t listen too much to bad comments, as soon as you go on wild paths you can easily see the authentic side of the island. I just regret we didn’t have time to go on walking trails in the middle of Mediterranean maquis or to visit the blue cave or Villa Michele.
I’m leaving you with this picture of this fat cat, I think one of the biggest cats I’ve ever seen. I’m not surprised because I saw one cat in the street eating pasta ! Dolce vita is for everyone here. :)
See you for the 3rd and last post with Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and a video at the end. Baci baci !
C’est magnifique !
Tes photos nous font voyager, ça fait plaisir de revoir le bleu du ciel et de la mer…
Vivement le pintemps, ce sera mon tour ! En attendant je note tous tes bons conseils.
Bonne journée, bon week-end.
L.C.
Vivement que ce soit ton tour que l’on puisse partager nos impressions !
Super beau !!!! Ca donne envie de partir en vacances !!!! Des bisous de la Bensimon Team !
Chouette ! Gros bisous également à toute la Bensimon Team !
Je reviens de Sardaigne, et certaines de tes photos me rappellent les mêmes paysages. L’Italie est si belle! Je vois que tu as fini par croiser le chemin d’une vieille Fiat rouge! :)
Ah ah oui il y avait pas mal de Fiat 500 ici contrairement à Naples, ouf ! :D
De très belles photos pour un dépaysement garanti ! Je me croirais presque encore en été…
ça me fait bien plaisir si grâce à cela tu as eu l’impression de faire un bain de soleil.
Je fais partie des gens qui rêvent d’aller à Capri quelques jours. Il parait qu’il y a plein de chats, et tes photos ont confirmé ce fait! Ce qui me donne encore plus envie d’y aller! Les paysages sont somptueux, et vraiment charmants, j’aime aussi ces vieux carrelages, mosaïques et maisons colorées!
Oh oui beaucoup de chats et pas n’importe quel gabarit comme tu peux le voir ! XD J’espère que tu auras l’occasion d’y aller bientôt. Des bisous.
C’est tellement magnifique ! Ca fait je ne sais pas combien de temps que je reve d’y aller mais je m’y prends toujours au dernier moment et ca fait vite trop cher. Tes photos me font rêver :)
Réserve pour cet été alors, ça serait dommage de louper ça. ;) Merci en tout cas pour ton gentil message. A bientôt.
Quel joli séjour ! Ça me donne terriblement envie de découvrir ces paysages paradisiaques !
Pleins de bisous
Oh oui on se régale les yeux et le ventre ici :)
J’adore Capri!!! J’y suis allée toute seule quand j’avais fait un vol de Singapour-Rome. J’ai passé une nuit et meme maintenant, je regarde avec nostalgie les photos de l’eau bleue et les rochers! C’est un des endroits où c’est touristique mais toujours agréable à découvrir!
Oui je ne regrette absolument pas, c’était magique !
La palette des bleus est dingue! Celle des ocres aussi, remarque!
Merci :)
Looks absolutely amazing!! You make me want to go there right now! Love the tiled steps x
Me too, I’m so in love with them.
Hihi, effectivement, je vois qu’on a la même organisation…. Tu es moi en fait^^ (ou je suis toi!) Dommage pour la fiat 500^^ !
;)
Oh my goodness the tiles! And the colors of the buildings and walls and wallpaper and landscape and the water and…and…sigh…heavenly! xo Jen
Ah ah yes it’s paradise !
Superbe! Je vais à Capri bientôt et j’adore ton récit et tes photos – ça va direct sur Pinterest :-) Merci pour le partage!
Merci à toi, je suis ravie que cela te plaise. :)
Heureuse de tomber sur ton post en preparant notre séjour à Naples.
J’ai dans l’idée également de louer une voiture pour faire Naples Sorrente, en m’arrêtant à Pompei. Avez-tu boucler la réservation de la voiture avant de partir ?
Baci :)
Ciao Julie, oui en effet on avait réservé la voiture à l’avance mais seulement 2/3 jours avant de partir. Par contre on voulait une Fiat 500 mais elles sont très demandées donc il n’y en avait plus… :(
Je veux moi aussi voir tous ces escaliers magnifiques !!! mais en me baladant sur d’autres blogs, aucun ne présente Capri d’une aussi jolie façon. As-tu des coins spécifiques et précis à proposer ?
Merci ça me fait plaisir. Pour ce qui est de mes recommandations à Capri, tout est dans l’article. :)
Hello Aurélie ! Merci pour ces beaux articles que je lis avec attention car je fais le même petit weekend prolongé que toi d’ici qq semaines ;) Petite question pratique : vous aviez donc loué une voiture sur 2 jours. Qu’est-ce que vous en avez fait à Sorrento pendant que vous visitiez Capri ? Parking payant ? Et après se garer dans Positano et Amalfi est aisé ? merci d’avance :)