Capri Chairlift

Yesterday we boarded the ship. Today’s scheduled visit to Napoli (Naples) was rescheduled to be an hour earlier due to the Serie A futbal (soccer) situation. Specifically, the Napoli team could clinch the league championship today for the first time since the early 1990s if they won and another team lost. The city was prepared for a party, with blue and white streamers everywhere, and apparently lots of noisy horns (perhaps vuvuzelas?), fireworks, etc. The match was scheduled for 3pm. The captain advised that it would be a good day to visit Capri. 

As it turns out, that’s exactly what the five Oregon women in our cruise group chose to do. We took a boat to Capri — the boat itself reminded me in some ways of the trip to Albania in 2019 (by no means a favorable comparison) because the windows were opaque. Then we boarded a bus only slightly larger than a minivan for the arduous trek up the hill to the town of Anacapri. The road was busy, and seemed to be about 1.5 lanes wide which made passing rather challenging. At times it seemed that we were within a few centimeters from other vehicles, hardly a comforting feeling. 

Capri itself is home to 12,000 inhabitants, but gets up to 20,000 visitors per day. 

Rosario, our guide, was good but not great. When we got to Capri there were 3 options: pay 14 Euros to take a chairlift to a stunning view, follow Rosario to a museum, or wander on our own. With the additional fact that there were no nearby caches, it became an easy choice and 4 of us chose the chairlift. 

Each chair was for one person. Stand on the “feet” on the ground, let the chair pick you up then close the bar and off you go. The ride was 13 minutes, covered 1211 horizontal meters (about 3/4 of a mile), and climbed 288 meters (not quite 1000 feet). It was incredibly peaceful, lots of birds chirping (but mostly staying out of sight), views of the ocean and Mt. Vesuvius (which famously erupted in 79AD (or CE for those who prefer) destroying Pompeii and in 1944 when the US Army helped evacuate survivors), views down to land that was once used for terraced farming. It was the ultimate foot dangle experience. It was also a bit of nostalgia, as I saw familiar flora, including lots of plants I remember in our yard growing up: philodendron, ferns, bird of paradise, prickly pear (or similar) cactus, the spiny plant that ruined countless rubber balls, daisies, etc. 

The views were indeed stunning. The Mediterranean water was crisp, bright blue except were it was more teal or aqua in shallower areas. We could see the iconic three rocks that likely look familiar if you were to do a search for Capri scenery. Then we had to return — that ride was a bit scarier, especially the very steep section near the stop, though also more scenic as the ocean view was more easily seen. 

After the chairlift was a very mediocre lunch, a short walk through town to see some huge lemons — about the size of a cantaloupe — and a bus ride partway down the hill to the town of Capri. We walked through the town, or more precisely through the throngs of people in the town and had the option of an uphill walk to a garden or wandering around town. We chose the latter, and availed ourselves of the free limoncello and other bites at a nearby shop. Turns out that Rosario’s daughter worked there. The samples were fine, though nothing special, but clearly the limoncello was strong as I felt the ounce or so I consumed. That said, I am confident that the colorful girl zebra statue we saw was indeed the colors I remember since I have photographic evidence. 

The final part of the day was fighting crowds at a decidedly unspectacular funicular that brought us back down to the marina area where we boarded a boat for the return trip. Fortunately it was a different boat, this one with an open-air deck which made for a nice windy ride back to Napoli. On the way back I checked the score. 0-0 at halftime. Then Napoli scored in the 47th minute — it was easy to deduce that they’d scored as we could see many firecrackers. Some people were saying they had clinched but that seemed premature. Turns out the opposition scored after the 80th minute and the game ended in a draw. So they did not clinch the title today. 

All in all a satisfying day, and I may have a “wall” photo candidate from the top of the chairlift. 

Sue and Glory have been counting modes of transportation which has inspired me to do the same. Here’s my list from today: boat, small bus, chairlift, and funicular. For the whole trip I can add airplane, city train, subway, boat on a river, fast intercity train, car, funicular, cable car and ship.