Capri, San Michele and Sorrento

Capri is a lovely and beautiful Italian island close to Sorrento on the Italian west coast. It's perfect for a holiday, perfect for the holiday maker with a big wallet.

Capri in General

The Square in Capri Village Back Street in Capri Village St. Antonio in Anacapri Village The Sea Outside Capri

The village of Capri lies slightly above Marina Grande. It's one of those villages you find in all the brochures, immensely beautiful and immensely sunny. And immensely expensive. If you're going to Capri, avoid eating and buying souvenirs. You'll be conned for sure. Let's start with two pictures of the settings, to get the right feeling, and then a picture from the Church of St. Antonio in the village of Anacapri, slightly higher up on the island. We end with the black sea we saw on the way home from Capri.

Church of St. Stefano

St. Stefano, left aisleSt. Stefano, the organSt. Stefano, right aisle

The church in Capri village is named after St. Stefano and, like all other Italian churches, it's full of Baroque masterpieces on the walls. The pictures show the church's three aisles. This church is peculiar in that the organ is placed above the altar.

St.Stefano, the altarSt. Stefano, cupola

The small, add-on altar in the left aisle is unusually beautiful, having an altarpiece painted by one of the great masters. The cupola is completely without all frescoes, slightly unusual for Italy, but still very pleasant to behold.

The Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra)

The Blue Grotto on Capri was known already in the Roman time, but then it was an ordinary grotto and not blue. Later, the water levels rose, and when the sun shines in through the low opening, the water and the walls of the grotto shimmer magically blue. Many Roman artifacts have been found in there, showing that the grotto probably was a cult place. The grotto fell into oblivion, until it was re-discovered by some Germans at the end of the 19:th century. You can go to the grotto either by bus or by boat along the coast, from Marina Grande. It costs 8000 lire and isn't terribly expensive. But at the opening of the grotto it turns out you have to pay an entrance fee too: 15,500 lire! As if you could refuse?! Italy is one long row of pay stations.

Get your head down!

Outside the grotto, we had to get into little unsteady rowboats. This picture is taken right after I jumped into the rowboat and was rudely told to keep my head down. Why, I would soon discover. The opening of the grotto is no more than two feet high.

The Blue Grotto, 1/8:th second The Blue Grotto, 1/4:th second The Blue Grotto, 1/2 second

The Grotta Azzurra really does its name justice. As we were going in to the grotto, I thought it would be impossible to get a picture in there. but I set the camera to 1/15th of a second anyway. As the rower turned around at the far end, I snapped pictures at 1/15th, 1/8th, 1/4th and 1/2 a second. And strangely enough, I managed to hold the camera still, as the little boat jumped and skipped. But I don't understand people taking flash pictures in a place like that. It's like using flash at the cinema.

Villa San Michele

The personal physician of the Swedish Queen Victoria, Axel Munthe lived most of his life in Italy. His life was enormously diverse and he lived through many adventures and catastrophes, earthquakes as well as cholera epidemics. He managed to fulfill his dreams and build himself a wonderful house on the cliff wall near the Anacpri village on Capri. His house was built on the ruins of another house, once owned by the Roman emperor Tiberius. At his death, he donated the house to the Swedish State, and today it serves as museum and accommodation for artists.

To fully enjoy these pictures you should have read Axel Munthe's book “The book of San Michele”. It's not difficult to find. It is reprinted all the time. It was originally written in English, but has been translated into some 100 languages. For all those who have read the book, who “belong to the club,” perhaps these pictures call up some wonderful memories. Just let this suite of pictures become a peaceful walk through Axel Munthe's garden. Start in the lower left corner and go around clockwise, because that's the way you walk when you get there. (I have “washed” the pictures from such modernities as burglar alarms and other electric installations.)

 Garden 2

 Garden 3

Garden 5 

 Garden 6

 Garden 1

Garden 4

Garden 9

Garden 7

 The Sphinx looks out over the Mediterranean

 At the grave chapel

Map of Villa San Michele 

Chapel and music room

Walk 2

 The classical picture of the sphinx

Nice backyard 

Axel Munthe's bedroom

Walk1

 The colonnade ends

Colonnade 4

Colonnade 5

Colonnade 6

 Colonnade 2

Colonnade 1

Colonnade 7

Patio

For those who haven't read the book or visited San Michele and Capri, maybe this serves as an inspiration. Why haven't I got such a house?

The Sorrento Cathedral

The holy nosecone in Sorrento Cathedral

The Holy Nose Cone! I don't know what it is for, perhaps some sort of reliquary? Minibar for the priests? There is a handy door at the front. I made the background lighter for the nose cone to be seen properly.

Electric offering candles

Candle offerings are common in the Catholic world. The offering happens as the candle is lit and the thoughts wander towards the icon of your choice. Not so in modern Italy. Behold this fantastically tasteless creation: the electric offering candles. You offer a coin in the slot in the middle and then flip a holy switch on the top, and in this way light a candle. Soon Padre will come along and flip all the switches back, and the console is ready for new offerings. There are various types; with flickering lights, with an angry, red pilot light on the front, with crooked lights, etc. Although in St. Peter's Church there are only real candles. It's the Vatican, not Italy.

Sorrento in General

Sorrento's missile defence

I admire Sorrento's missile defence.

Lazy dog

This tired dog lay sleeping on the piazza behind our hotel the whole day. It had its own sign, so no one would disturb it. In the evening it went home, presumably, to sleep.


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