Capri, Anacapri and Caffé

We have now left Naples and I still love the city- but with that being said I picked up on some interesting vibes. The city is indirectly controlled by the mafia. When my sister lived in Milan she told me that she had visited Naples and felt slightly uncomfortable while only traveling with females. On my third day in Naples my friends Christine, Laura, Lauren and I went back into the hills of the city. We stopped by Caffé Torado, I'll note on that later, and then wandered the same streets we had explored two days ago. Unlike two days ago we did not have a guy with us and you could see the change in the locals behavior. About two blocks in an older lady asked us where we were trying to go and through our broken Italian we explained we were walking. She suggested going back down the hill to the beach. We didn't quite understand her suggestion and kept walking up the hill, at which point another lady asked us where we were going and we decided to just turn around and go back to the main city. It was interesting because we were dressed even more conservatively than the other day, yet met greater concern by mother-type females.

            Once returning to the city center we had no issues and enjoyed our last day in Italy. Now back to Caffé Torado. We navigated the zigzag cobble stone streets until finding our favorite caffé. When we walked in the owner instantly recognized us and as we tried to order our pastries, he made the decision of what we would have. I had a freshly made chocolate filled croissant and a cold cappuccino. As we sat at the tiny bar we watched an Italian soap opera about a nun and a bishop. Before we left I handed him a note that I had my sister translate into Italian for me. It said, "Grazie per la vostra ospitalità, l'altro giorno. Il tuo caffè ha i migliori dolci che abbiamo mai avuto. Grazie per il caffè, che era anche delizioso. Il tuo caffè è stata la nostra preferita." In English this means, "Thank you for your hospitality the other day. Your cafe has the best pastries we have ever had. Thank you for the free coffee, that was also delicious. Your cafe has been our very favorite." At first he seemed a little confused, which I presume is from the online translation, but then a smile spread across his face. He pointed to the paper and motioned for us to sign our names. After doing so, he placed it on the mirror behind the bar. We felt famous because the only other thing on the mirror was a picture of him and some man. I know that someday I will return to Italy and I would love to visit Caffé Torado again!

            In the last two blog posts I've jumping all around with the sequence of events- sorry! On the second day in Naples I took a Semester At Sea trip to Capri and Anacapri. I quickly observed that it is pronounced Cahh-pree and Anna-cahh-pree. Capri and Anacapri are two of the villages on an island. Capri has early history of man, tracing back to prehistoric times and then vacancy until pre-Roman times. The Roman emperor Augustus particularly liked Capri and made it into the Capital of the Roman Empire for a short time. We took a short bus up to Anacapri, and then we hopped on a gondola that fit one person at a time. The ride was 12 minutes of breathtaking view that got better and better with the increase in elevation. At the top was a viewing area of all of the island- absolutely amazing!! You could see the bays, aqua colored water and fancy yacht floating by the grottos (which I didn't have a chance to see.) My Pi Phi sisters were taking a picture with our hands in the shape of an arrow –the Pi Phi symbol- and a girl came up to us asking if we were Pi Phis and it turns out she is our Florida sorority sister! On the gondola ride down I took in the view one last time while listening to a chorus of church bells and birds chirping. I miss the sounds of birds so much! Our feet touched the top of plum and apple trees as we returned to the lower platform. We had a delicious and giant lunch along the ocean and then had free time. Some people went shopping, but with the average price of 200 euro ($300) for a pair of sandals, I preferred spending my time by the ocean. We found a rocky beach where laid out and swam in the warm, clear ocean. Upon returning to Naples we went to a famous pizza restaurant that was in the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts- but I preferred the small local restaurant from the night before better. Either way, Italian pizza is a in whole different food category than American pizza!!

Although Spain was fantastic, I love Italy a little bit more. I'm excited to go to the next five countries and compare them to each other. At the end of this voyage I'm not sure if I'll be able to compare the countries because they are all so different.

Ciao! –Or as they say in Croatia, Dovidjenja!

~Tori