Capri is a tiny island off Naples that is visited by the rich and famous and also by the poor backpacker. To give an idea about the scale, I saw a knitted sweater for 650 euros, and my entire outfit was worth about 65 euros. The ferry left Naples at 7:30am and arrived at the Capri port at 9am and only cost 10 euros, so it makes for a pretty sweet day trip. Three other people from my hostel (a Belgian, Dutch and Portugese) were also going so I hung out with them for a while. We caught the fernicular up to the top of the city and there is a fantastic view down to the water and the port etc. From there we made a walk to another lookout from where you could see Marina Piccolo, one of the most popular beaches of the island, and one of the smallest as well. Done a bit of walking by this stage, and it was damn hot, so the others wanted to stop and have a beer. Paying 7 euros for a beer however is not really how I roll so I left them there and went off on my own.

Keen to track down where the grotto is I got on the local bus to Anacapri. I was told that the walk from there down to ‘Grotto Azurri’ wasn’t that far so I decided to do that. The signage in Italy as you can imagine is just shit. Walking down all these streets there is one sign every kilometre it seems. You come to an intersection and they assume you know to walk straight because there is no other sign to tell you to turn. Eventually the roads I was following actually ran out, and it lead to a bush path. It was going in the direction of the water so I thought it could still be the trail there. After a while I started to hear a lot of noise from boats so I knew I was getting close. The trail made its way through the bush for a while before coming to a road, the road which the buses use from Anacapri. For those that don’t know, the grotto is a hole, about 1.5m in diameter, in the side of the cliff. Go through the hole and it opens up to about a 60m cave inside. The water is a really funky neon blue because the sun only comes through the tiny opening. When I got there though the little row boats that take tourists in were going in and out constantly so I decided to come back later when its quieter so I could swim. Its actually kinda not permitted to swim there, but everyone does it anyway. I think its just so people have to pay the 11euros to get the boats inside instead.

For some reason instead of taking the bus back up to Anacapri I walked the entire way. Turns out its really far and the roads are quite steep. I got back to Anacapri drenched in sweat, went to a shop and slammed down two powerades instantly, I was so thirsty. I then got on the chair lift to the top of the island. I don’t think ive been on anything like it before. Its just one seat, completely open and everything, with the only safety measure a bar that you swing down over your lap. It was Italian engineering at its finest. Up the top were pretty awesome views though, could see all over Anacapri. I took the walk all the way across to the ridge on the other side which offered incredible views straight down to Capri and the port and beaches. Its a walk that no one else does as well, I was alone the entire time.

By this stage it was getting in to the late afternoon so I thought it would be quiet enough down at the grotto. This time I caught the bus down there, much much faster, although rather scary. Walked down the steps to the waters edge and this dude and his girlfriend just got out. I nearly passed out and fell in to the water. This chick was insane off the charts hot. I hated that guy so much. So yea anyway, changed in to my boardies and jumped in the water. Ahhhhhhh refreshing, good to be back in salt water. If you’re a bit of a spanner in the water then I guess the grotto would be kinda dangerous, the hole you swim through disappears with the waves that roll in, so you have to time the entrance or you will get slammed in to the roof of the opening. I swum inside and to my surprise I was the only person there, it was so awesome. Its hard to believe (and explain) just how big this cave is, and when you’re in their alone it feels even bigger. Didn’t spend too long inside though, as my backpack with everything in it was just sitting on the steps outside. Dried off, changed clothes the ol’ towel around the waist Aussie style which drew quite a few looks from confused locals. Bus back up to Anacapri, then another bus to Capri then the fernicular down to the port. The ferries back are a bit of a catch because the slower and cheaper ones don’t really run at all, so you have to pay slightly more for a faster one. It was already 6:30pm though so I was quite happy to pay more to get back faster. The three people from my hostel were also on the same ferry which was a coincidence, meant that I didn’t have to walk through Naples at night on my own back to the hostel.