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Easter is a holiday Italians take very seriously and one in which many take time from school and work to take a vacation. Being in Italy, my boyfriend and I decided last week to do the same with a little vacation of our own!
The Bay of Naples is home to several beautiful islands, which allow one to connect with nature and enjoy the nice weather of a southern Italian spring! On the morning of Good Friday, we took a 45-minute ferry-ride to Ischia, a volcanic, mountainous island in the northern part of the Bay of Naples. Interestingly, Ischia is a popular vacation destination for Germans, so I found myself translating some signs and menus! We stayed in the town of Forio (one the largest on the island with 20,000 inhabitants), but it only being an island of about 46 sq. km, we were able to easily take buses to other parts of the island for daytrips. We visited the medieval Castello Aragonese, a castle built in 474 B.C. on a rock near the island, and even got some beach time near the port in Forio!
Next, we headed to the island of Capri, a vacation spot for many celebrities (and now I understand why!). Capri is just off the sorrentine coast, a little south of Naples. The town of Capri being ridiculously expensive (a tea was 4.50 Euros on the main piazza!), we luckily found a relatively inexpensive and nice hotel outside of the smaller town of Anacapri. We took a chairlift up to Monte Solaro for some amazing views of the entire island and rode a row-boat into the famous blue grotto, a half-way submerged sea cave of an unusual fluorescent turquoise blue. Luckily, Anacapri is a small, peaceful town, relatively unscathed by tourism despite a few shops along the main street. We passed tiny vineyards and children playing soccer in abandoned piazzas as we wound through the narrow streets. We took a bus to the far corner of the island to watch the sunset near the lighthouse (and almost got stranded) and spent an afternoon braving the more crowded town of Capri to see ritzy hotels and spas and restaurants boasting pictures of celebrities with the staff. Most importantly for both of us, it was quiet and relaxing and completely different from Naples.
View the pictures at http://www.andreasodyssey.shutterfly.com/!
The Bay of Naples is home to several beautiful islands, which allow one to connect with nature and enjoy the nice weather of a southern Italian spring! On the morning of Good Friday, we took a 45-minute ferry-ride to Ischia, a volcanic, mountainous island in the northern part of the Bay of Naples. Interestingly, Ischia is a popular vacation destination for Germans, so I found myself translating some signs and menus! We stayed in the town of Forio (one the largest on the island with 20,000 inhabitants), but it only being an island of about 46 sq. km, we were able to easily take buses to other parts of the island for daytrips. We visited the medieval Castello Aragonese, a castle built in 474 B.C. on a rock near the island, and even got some beach time near the port in Forio!
Next, we headed to the island of Capri, a vacation spot for many celebrities (and now I understand why!). Capri is just off the sorrentine coast, a little south of Naples. The town of Capri being ridiculously expensive (a tea was 4.50 Euros on the main piazza!), we luckily found a relatively inexpensive and nice hotel outside of the smaller town of Anacapri. We took a chairlift up to Monte Solaro for some amazing views of the entire island and rode a row-boat into the famous blue grotto, a half-way submerged sea cave of an unusual fluorescent turquoise blue. Luckily, Anacapri is a small, peaceful town, relatively unscathed by tourism despite a few shops along the main street. We passed tiny vineyards and children playing soccer in abandoned piazzas as we wound through the narrow streets. We took a bus to the far corner of the island to watch the sunset near the lighthouse (and almost got stranded) and spent an afternoon braving the more crowded town of Capri to see ritzy hotels and spas and restaurants boasting pictures of celebrities with the staff. Most importantly for both of us, it was quiet and relaxing and completely different from Naples.
View the pictures at http://www.andreasodyssey.shutterfly.com/!
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