My ideal destination

I'd love to go to Capri -which, granted, is an island (though not remote so I voted "other"). It's just a few miles off the southern coast of Italy and, in fact, many tourists travel to it from Naples.


The island comprises two main towns: Capri itself, and the village of Anacapri. The weather is mild and, unlike what happens in other seaside places, it doesn't really get chilly as the sun goes down. Actually, the climate there is often described as "stimulating and invigorating" -just what's needed after a long year of work and study...The wildlife is stunning; you can see numerous species of marine animals, such as the large diomedei gulls and some rare reptiles like the blue lizard of the Faraglioni rocks. There's also a vast variety of plants and flowers, which make hiking very pleasant and interesting.

Nature, however, is not the island's only attraction. You won't find yourself in a secluded and solitary place at all, because it's a very popular place for day trips. Your trip will probably start at the heart of the island, the Piazza Umberto I (better known as "la piazzetta") from where you can take a bus to Anacapri or a funicular to Capri. I'd personally love to take the funicular. An interesting thing to do is walk along "Via Krupp", commissioned by Mr Krupp in the early 20th century and labelled as the "world's most beautiful road". You can also visit the Gardens of Augustus and see the statue of Lenin, erected to commemorate his stay on the island -the more I learn about Capri the more it seems to me a place full of condensed history, with German magnates living there, Russian socialists visiting and Ancient Romans establishing part of their Empire there. So much and so many seem to have come and gone, left their imprint, and yet the island has somehow managed to appear untouched, with all its wilderness still there for us to enjoy.

There are numerous natural caves, promontories and interesting man-made churches to visit. However, what I'd love to see there is the Grotta Azzurra: you can only enter in a small boat shared with two or three other people at the most, lying on your back. The view is supposed to be amazing: by some natural phenomenon, everything that is above water is cast in a blue light, and what's below shines with a silvery quality. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be there.

There are other attractions, of course, but after the Grotta Azzurra I think I'd just go back to Anacapri or Capri and sit in the sun sipping some limoncello, watching the crowd from afar and taking the time to just finish taking in the whole experience.

Then, at night, I'd visit one of the local bars for some live music, chatting and maybe dancing.

Anyone up for Capri? Just follow the road and meet me at "la piazzetta"...