Monday 31st March 2008

Our Wedding Anniversary – thank you Jane for 33 wonderful years.
Many moons ago Jane had said “Wouldn't it been good to spend our wedding anniversary on Capri?”. Well it would, and it was possible, so we did.
We had noticed yesterday that the train drivers were on strike today but only between 09:00 and 13:00. This meant that it was still possible to get to Sorrento for the ferry to Capri but it meant catching the 08:17 from Pompeii – unsociably early for us now but we used to be up and out of the house at 07:30 in England – we need to remember this occasionally! So, we were on the platform at 08:10 and got to Sorrento on the last train before the strike started. We walked to the port passing many tourists walking towards the station knowing that they their train would not be running. A very smooth and fast ferry crossing got us to Capri port just after 11:00. We could have taken the funicular up to the town but, being made of sterner stuff (and needing the exercise) we walked up. The town was a revelation – how the other half lives! Every designer outlet was there and the prices were obscene. After a brief look around and a minor diversion due to my map reading, we were on our way to the Villa of Tiberius – yes, more ruins. The walk there, uphill all the way, was interesting – lots of luxurious villas, owned by the rich and famous, with large grounds and the smaller houses, owned by the locals, still with wonderful sea views.
Having been to the Grotto of Tiberius, we felt that we should see his favourite villa. He spent the last years of his life 27-37 AD in Capri (he had made this his private island with 12 villas) and he died on his way back from here to Rome. The villa continued to be used by the Romans until 2nd century but little of it remains now and, apart from its spectacular position, it is not very interesting. There was obvious a problem with water supplies high on the cliff and I have never seen so many huge cisterns capable of holding many hundreds of thousands of litres. Tiberius had his gardens to supply and his baths, being above the cisterns, would have to have been supplied by water lifted from them. Tiberius was not a pleasant man (were any of the Roman emperors, you don't get to that position without a great deal of ruthlessness) and he took many lovers, female and male, the younger the better. It is said that once he had tired of them, he threw them off the cliff behind the villa and, believe me, it is a long way down and not a soft landing. Another interesting site close to the villa, but not accessible, is the 'lighthouse' that was used to send signals to the mainland. Given that Tiberius spent a lot of his time on Capri, he needed a way of finding out the latest gossip (and plots?) from Rome. Lack of information could result in assassination, a not uncommon fate of emperors!
We caught the boat back to Sorrento and had a quick look around, trying to avoid the English and Irish bars (fish and chips, Tetley's bitter and Guinness) before having an excellent celebration meal in La Favorita. This was a large restaurant but with a very pleasant atmosphere – a large section was given over to a greenhouse packed with exotic plants and every table was equipped with a pretty pot plant. Service was attentive but not intrusive and with a bottle of local, very tasty Frizzante, the meal went down very well.
Photos: The coastal path at Capri Town – unfortunately it was closed and Jane wanted so much to go down it and then back up!; La Favorita restaurant in Sorento when we had our anniversary meal.