(A momentary departure from Orcas Island life, continued from Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns V: Minori to Maiori…)
Sixteen years ago, our newborn baby nursed every two hours on the dot – his internal clock, not mine. Days were full, and sometimes during one of those restful nursing times I would sit down on the couch, thankful for stillness, and turn on Giada de Laurentiis’s cooking show, Everyday Italian.
At the time, there were several other cooking shows on the Food Network hosted by chefs Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, Sandra Lee, the Neelys, and Emeril Lagasse. Each had their own style, set design, and overall “feel,” and Giada’s was one of my favorites – simple, clean, and elegant – even though I never cooked the recipes she made. I enjoyed the show for how it made me feel.
I didn’t like the idea of TV filling up much more than a half-hour each day because these precious moments with my baby were experiences I’d never get back. I also didn’t want to fill his brain with junk spewing out of the tube, and figured that to his ears, cooking shows sounded the most like being together with other people to converse and eat – normal, healthy, communal activities. Life was pretty quiet aside from the two of us, with my husband working a lot and my extended family living far away.
One day, Giada’s cooking show was set aside for a special travel documentary about the island of Capri. Her family is from Italy, and she grew up frequenting this island off the country’s western coast. It’s a small, beautiful, mountainous island, and she walked sandal-footed through lush, green groves of lemon trees and along narrow footpaths through the idyllic little shop areas.
It felt like I was in a vicarious storybook – time slowed down, people laughed and ate together under grapevines, and the peaceful immersion in all of the natural beauty stuck with me from that moment on. For years, I’ve imagined what it must be like to go there, but never enough to think of it as any more than a dream.
The dream turned into a reality the minute our COVID tests “counted” in the Seattle airport. I couldn’t believe it. We would soon stand under Capri’s lemon trees and walk its storybook footpaths.
Come along with us, as we ferry from Sorrento to the Isola di Capri…
On the ferry 
Marina Grande on Capri, where passengers get off their boats and ferries
Our AirBnB was a “little jaunt” from the marina, as you can see the red arrow here on the map.
Here’s a closer look.
I planned for all of our AirBnBs to be fairly close to bus, train, and ferry stops so that we could easily walk with our luggage upon arrival. Now, I had pored over the reviews of every AirBnB we booked in order to glean information on every aspect we would need to know once there. This distance from the marina to our place was reported in various reviews as a 25-minute walk. Okay. No problem, right?
What I didn’t fully understand was the combination of heat, humidity, and endless steps to get there. You see, Capri is an expensive place to stay. If you stay near the little town, also called Capri, you pay through the nose to get the upper-crust, shi-shi feeling of being a pseudo-celebrity for a few days. We booked a very modest yet clean place on the far outskirts of town in the neighborhoods where locals live, and it was still our most expensive AirBnB in Italy.
You can either take an expensive taxi from the marina to your place, or you can walk. I loved the latter idea.
Not everyone else did, though.
These steps made me laugh. Here we were, pouring sweat, underslept from the previous night’s late bus, underfed yet again from being constantly on the go, and unsure at what point these steps would end. I’m always game for the glutton-for-punishment route, but our kids were beginning to tire of such decisions. Even so, they climbed the heights with good attitudes, turning their discomfort into humor, and our older one even grabbed some of our bags and ran up ahead of us to wait and take gulps of water in between jaunts.
The steps kept going and going, which I love about Italy – there are footpaths everywhere you want to go. But do you see what’s up ahead in the photo above? It looks like some sort of elevator. My brood began to wonder if there were other ways to get from the marina down below to Capri town up high.
We passed it and kept going, as steps turned into a snaking, narrow street not big enough for tiny cars that passed beautiful shops, and doors and gates to residences we couldn’t see.
Taking a break to message our AirBnB host to let her know we were getting close
Finally we arrived. We disconnected ourselves from our luggage and took a load off.
Our private patio, not quite as pictured in the AirBnB photos but it’s okay 
The night before, I had gone to bed the latest, always making sure we were two steps ahead with bus, train, and ferry bookings for future transitions before hitting the hay each night, so I beelined straight for our bed here and drifted off for about 20 minutes in the cool air of what would be our new home base for the next several days.
I awakened to my husband making fresh lemonade for us. He had collected lemons right outside our door. Boy, I tell you, when you’re in this kind of atmosphere, the fresh foods growing all around you are the ones you crave – lemons, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, etc.
It only felt right to give the boys a break. We hadn’t sat down much, eaten much, or enjoyed “being” rather than “doing” since arriving in the country. It was time to let them just “be,” even if it meant they’d watch a show or two. They had been troopers, exploring endlessly on foot, often with luggage in hand.
My husband and I, on the other hand, didn’t want to give up any precious time with only about three whole days to explore this island. We said goodbye to the boys and set out to explore the town of Capri.
Heading toward the center of town from our AirBnB; these are the streets in Capri town – amazing 
Our AirBnB is just down the way on the bottom floor of that white building you see on the right 
Gates to all kinds of residences line the streets – classy, beautiful, historic, forgotten, you name it 
A fork in the road; the street we need to remember to get back to our place later is on the left 
Yet another spontaneous fountain along the street – I just love how these are all over the place everywhere you go in Italy 
Now in the main area of Capri town, where white, immaculate, glass-paned shops lure tourists 
Sugared roses at a confection shop are on display outside, selling for about $50 each, if I remember correctly
Join us on foot…
Some of the ritziest names in fashion line these streets.
My husband felt at home with this store 
After all of those COVID times, this was a welcome, joyous relief to see people out enjoying life in the sunshine.
Headed back toward our place, we noticed something at an overlook of the island. You see that glass elevator again that my husband is looking at below? Well…just a bit higher and to my husband’s back-right is a big entrance to something with an admissions sign above it. It’s called a funicular. What’s a funicular? “A cable railroad, especially one on a mountainside, in which ascending and descending cars are counterbalanced,” says the dictionary. Hmmm. That endless walk up steps that we did a few hours ago…not necessary. Cost of a funicular ticket? Two euros, or $2.50 each.
I got teased for that one for awhile. But I still prefer the memory of all those steps.
I’m not sure what this was all about, but it was definitely not a proposal; I think he was in the doghouse 
I love these Italian stone pines in the background, also called umbrella pines; they’re all over Italy 
A shot through a gate leading toward someone’s fancy Capri residence 
Garlic hanging on a hook outside a market 
On the way back to our place, we stopped in a market to stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and groceries. If you buy more than you can carry, the market will deliver your food to you on a little motorized cart that fits the narrow streets, shown above.
The driver of this one is the kindest man, and he asked if I’d like to ride along with our delivery. He’s from Sri Lanka, but because COVID has caused his family members to lose their businesses, he works to support eight people back home, including his wife, whom he hasn’t seen for a year-and-a-half. Yet in all of that, he exuded pure joy. What a guy.
Considering the prices in Capri and the fact that we needed some time to just hang out and not keep going and going, we liked the idea of cooking at home with all of the fresh market foods and laying low for the evening.
This dinner would have cost an arm and a leg in a local restaurant. I’m salivating just looking at it as I type. It became our common meal for the rest of the trip, every ingredient fresh and easy to come by. Eat your heart out, Giada!
Fresh tomatoes, marinated olives, and buffalo cheese sprinkled with balsamic vinegar syrup from a little bottle became my standby snack every day when I needed a quick bite to eat. Oh, how Italy’s marinated olives fresh from a market are like a symphony of flavor all on their own. They’re a little on the expensive side, but worth it. And it’s still cheaper than eating out.
With that, we trailed off to bed for a well-earned night of sleep. No traveling to other towns in the morning. A-swimming we would go.
Steps: 12,237 (~5½ miles)
Miles from Sorrento to Capri: 12
Next stop: Capri’s Marina Piccola – the swimming beach!
Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns I: The Planning
Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns II: Rome Arrival
Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns III: Sorrento
Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns IV: Amalfi to Ravello
