Anacapri

From Praiano we set off on the bus to Sorrento. The trip was amazing, more communities cascading down the hillsides and those amazing views. We decided to go to Capri for a look as a friend had told me it was a highlight of his holiday. As I was looking for accommodation, I found a hotel in Anacapri so it was settled, we were off to Capri for the night. The ferry trip was lovely and I was in awe of the landscape as we approached the island, very steep and rugged. I was wondering if there was a place for the ferry to berth and sure enough, we came into a sheltered bay to see a small town nestled into the hillside. After checking the trusty map, we decided to get a taxi to our hotel. I didn't fancy dragging my bag up that hill! 

A good, if expensive idea. After a scary ride up the side of a cliff we arrived at Faulty Towers, or rather a hotel and staff that initially reminded us of Basil and his crew. We had to review that, once again the people were friendly and helpful providing us with a map and marking the main sights on it. We went wandering. 

Anacapri is the village at the top of Capri Island and seemed like a peaceful community. We visited Axel Munthe's house, one of the local tourist attractions and well worth the entry fee. Munthe was a Swedish writer, artist and doctor who lived in Anacapri in the late 1800 early 1900s. His sculptures are amazing and can be seen in the village. His house, the Villa San Michele was built on the ruins of the Roman Emperor Tiberius' villa. In the process of building he found many Roman artifacts and he restored those to display in his house and gardens. The villa sits at the top of the Phoenician Steps and, at 327m above sea level, the view of the surrounding area is spectacular. Thanks Wikipedia for the detail! 

We wandered the grounds and I took heaps of photos. It was a very restful place and I imagined what it might have been like to live there before the throngs of tourists invaded. There was a small chapel near the edge with my friend the Archangel Michael. Of course I couldn't resist another photo. Anacapri was a bit of time out and we did some shopping, getting gifts for the kids including the best birthday present for our youngest and most difficult to buy for.