{arrivederci napoli~off to merry england}

{via snippet and ink}

A quick note to say that my week in Naples is, sadly, at an end. However more fun is to be had. Tomorrow I fly to the UK for the month of July. I'll be spending a few days with my cousins in Chelmsford & then cat/flat-sitting for a friend in London. I've got much more to blog about for Naples, so stay tuned.
Cheerio!
xo
L

{via flickr}

{postcards from italy~Bella Capri}

I ventured to the lovely island of Capri today. Contrary to popular pronunciation, Capri is actually pronounced Caaaaaaaaapri (stress on the 'a' with little on the ri-listen here). I had never been before & I have to admit I was a bit reluctant. While one only hears good things of the island, I was loathe to go, primarily because it seemed so touristy, so cliché, and so non-Neapolitan. However, I too fell to the spell of bella Capri. I was pleasantly surprised to wander down an alley, and then another, and then down a covered portico, to find a quaint, quiet, empty, & relatively rustic side of Capri. I realised I took a very different turn than most tourists do, for only upon winding around a few many more bends & alleys, did I stumble on the very busy, very posh Capri that I was more familiar with. But even that Capri is pleasant, if a little upscale. The only thing I'm not too pleased about with Capri is the prices. Everything is overpriced, which is just too bad.
I have plenty of photos that will tell my story of a day on the isola di Capri, much better than my inadequate words. However, before those, let me say that I wandered around this lovely place, then took a bus around hair-pin turns to Anacapri. I meandered around the empty & scorching streets of Anacapri before I headed back to Capri, had a panino & prosecco with a million dollar view, took the funicolare back down to the landing, where I sunned & swam on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. simply divine. (& yes, this was a holiday day for me-I didn't do a lick of work, didn't bring any reading material & just filled my day with little thought except epicurean enjoyment of sights, sounds & tastes.)

{& up, up we go to the town of Capri}

{very quaint little alleys I found }

{more rustic side to Capri}

{yes, perhaps this is paradise!}

{a cloister in an abandoned convent I found}

{absolutely beautiful views!}

{all signs are in tiles on the side of walls--seriously tasteful!}

{lemons EVERYWHERE. seriously  I spotted some of the biggest lemons (these are only 1/4 of the size of some!)}

{a Carthusian profumeria}

{I fell quite in love with this pink building, which appeared to be an abandoned hotel. future home of Dr. Tinza? perhaps!}

{isola di Capri}

{a very cool building in Anacapri}

{centro storico (historic centre) Anacapri}

{hairpin bend on bus}

{my million dollar view at lunch}

{the beach at Marina Grande-there are other beaches on the island. this is the public beach--& full of Neapolitans. I hear to rent a private seat on the other beaches on the island it can start at 30 Euros.}

{Marina Grande-with Capri hugging the hill at the top centre (I was dreaming of cruising with my family here--a tiny bit similar to marinas in the Caribbean we visited as kids)}

{views of Vesuvius on the ferry home. I was lucky to get a ferry with top deck. Some are open air, some not. I prefer the open air ones}

{postcards from italy-Sorrento}

{views of Sorrento's cliffs (all photos my own)}

I spent the day in Sorrento yesterday. It's a bit touristy, but definitely much more calm than Naples and it's not yet full of foreign tourists (it's full of americans & brits in July & Aug).  I was actually planning on taking the ferry to Positano but the times I looked up online weren't accurate so instead I decided to go to Sorrento. I've been before, but this time I paid for a place on a private beach. This is one strange thing about Italy. Most beaches are private & you'll have to pay a fee which varies depending on what you choose: mere access, a seat, a lounge chair, an umbrella etc... While the Amalfi coast is breathtaking, it has little sand. Most of the cities cling to the cliffs which hang over the Med, so there is actually few beaches with sand. Those spots where there is sand are prime real estate & it's hard to find 'public' beach access. If there is, it's usually a tiny bit stuck in between private beaches and it's usually impossible to find a spot to put down a towel. You'll notice in the photos below that the Italians have tried to get around having no beach & have built docks extending outward which they fill with lounge chairs. It does mean it's quite cool as it catches the breezes blowing across the Med.
I got a lettino, or a lounge chair, & took in the sun, the super warm water, & relaxed for the day. I love all the stripes, the little cabins (also rentable for a fee), & the breathtaking views (look above & you'll see hotels built on the cliffs overlooking the beach & sea below).

{arrival into Sorrento by ferry}

{how gorgeous is this?}

{public beach is the tiny stretch at the lower right (where there are no ombrellini (umbrellas)}

{my new green nail polish adorning my sandy feet, matching my green bikini. I love the little striped toilet doors (top left) & the striped cabins}

I also wandered around the orange & lemon-tree lined streets of Sorrento--mostly filled with restaurants & tourist shops. The town is great for walking--meandering streets, relatively little traffic, and pleasant breezes that funnel through the narrow streets.

{chiesa di San Francesco & cloister below}

{gentleman's club of Sorrento-check out the breathtaking  frescoes}

{leather sandals}

{icons of the Virgin are everywhere}

{sorrento is well known for its lemons, and consequently its limoncello}

{having a prosecco & waiting for my ferry back to Napoli (notice how many  nibblies they bring you if you order a drink in the late afternoon. Note too, the fresh green olives, typical of the south)}

{a Napoli!}

I spent the day having an art history overload at the Museo Capodimonte. More blogging & photo soon!

{spritz break}

{via thelittlestblog}

I spent the day at the beach in Sorrento. It was divine. I'll post photos & blog about it soon...but right now, I'm about to enjoy a spritz-one of my favourite Italian drinks:

{via coco+kelley (check out their site for a recipe (aperol version)) }