Hanging with the Super Yachts on the Amalfi Coast and Capri

Milly amidst the super yachts anchored at Capri.  And this is just a smattering of the parking lot.

We had contemplated renting a car and driving the coast from Solerno to Sorrento so as not to miss any of the villages along the way.  We were advised that traffic and parking would be a nightmare and so on a beautiful day, we cruised along the coast with a host of other yachts.  Even water traffic required an eagle eye and galley paraphernalia safely stowed away for wake from every direction.  Our views of the stopped traffic on the coast road from Milly while sipping tea/coffee made us very grateful to only have wake to contend with.  The views were spectacular.  We didn't see every village but I think the views from Milly bettered whatever we would have seen by road.  Take a look!

The beginning of the Amalfi coastline starting from the east end at Cetara, begged for a photo but it just got better and better.

A rocky mountainous spine had kept the towns on this Sorrento Peninsula isolated until recently.  Now tastefully speckled with sumptuous villas.  Watch towers transformed into inns and villa adjuncts.

The peninsula is about 25 NM, or 50 km for you landlubbers, long.  It is stunning the entire way.  Luckily, we have two sets of binoculars.  

We considered stopping in the town of Amalfi along with hundreds of others.  It was crazy busy on land and sea and didn't really hold much appeal.  Even if we found a spot for Milly, we knew that the boat boys on the beach would not welcome TomTom.  We moved on but enjoyed the land view.

Pretty dazzling!

After a great day of gawking at the beauty and wealth, we anchored in Portofino, the jewel of the coast.  We wanted to walk around but there was no place to leave TomTom.  Most people in big boats who went in for dinner were on a boat with crew who dropped them off from the large, opulent yacht tender.  We hauled TomTom up on the Portofino beach amidst the bathing beauties.  But we seemed invisible.  No one seemed to notice.

Portofino in the a.m. light.  Our walk about the evening before had revealed a tourist town with countless inns and restaurants clinging to the steep rocky slopes and a pedestrian only shopping area nestled in the valley.  High end shops in sweet pastel buildings with only the occasional souvenir t-shirt.  Fun to see - we were underdressed.

The anchorage in Capri.  Milly was a relatively tiny boat.  

The cliffs around the anchorage were dotted with caves which we gamely explored on TomTom.  Capri is a limestone rock and, hence, has amazing and wonderful rock formations - caves, arches, cliffs - in stunning blue water with equally clear blue sky.

Our anchorage was on the other side of the famous Il Faraglioni, pillars of rock emerging from the sea. 

We motored through the arch on TomTom. Happy guy!  Apparently, every Italian destroyer has a photo of itself motoring through at 30 knots and every boat around tries the same thing.

From Milly we could spy a walk way along the bottom of the cliff.  But very few to no people walked it.  The coast below it was rough with huge boulders.  One guy had set up a very makeshift camp in a cave - right of mid screen - with chairs and cooking equipment on his outside patio.  He walked around nude - why not? - as did other bathers there for the day.  The walkway seemed to be our route to town and the rest of the island.  But where to leave TomTom?  We anchored him and tied to a boulder, climbed up the exceedingly steep incline to the abandoned/closed walkway.  Closed because, we think, of falling rocks from the cliffs above.

This was a sophisticated path to get us up a vertical cliff.  We understood why it was closed, but played ignorant and tiptoed around the fallen rocks.

The town of Capri was essentially a compilation of high end shops, restaurants, bars on narrow lanes - no gas vehicles, except the odd garbage truck, allowed in the village.  All very tasteful, elegant - expensive.  We walked the streets and then took the local bus to Anacapris, a less touristy town high on the limestone mountain.

We visited the house Axel Munthe, Swedish doctor, psychiatrist and animal-rights advocate had built on the site of the ruins of a Roman villa.  He had collected Roman relics and art, some of which was found on the property and dispersed it among the heavy furniture in this lovely home built in the early 1900's.

Peter had discovered and loved Munthe's book and memoir about his early career as a physician, his discovery and love of Capri and building of the house, The Story of San Michele, when backpacking through Europe just as he entered medical school.  So, of course, we needed to visit.  

Tranquil and immaculate gardens with a chapel turned library made it a magical place.  Munthe had bequeathed it to the Swedish government who had a consulate in this tiny village next door - and obviously took great care of it.

I haven't yet reached the part in the book which I am now reading, but the Munthe found this Egyptian sphinx on the property buried under other relics.  He dragged it to it's new perch himself.

It was a magical place with a spectacular view at 327 m above the sea, hanging onto a cliff.

On the blue spot, waiting for the single chairlift to the top of the mountain.  The assistant was bored - not amused by my excitement.  I'm used to having skis on for this maneuver.

View from the top away from the crowds.  Wildflowers and a phenomenal view.

A hike to the other far east side of the island brought us to the Natural Arch.  It is all that remains of an incredibly high ancient grotto at about 18m high and 12m wide.  Mother Nature is amazing!

It acts as a great picture frame.

Milly was still there after our day on our feet.

And so was TomTom.  We had left him tied to shore, anchored off the rocks.  And there he was at the bottom of the steep cliff we had to get down.

The multi coloured town of Corricella on the island of Procida was completely opposite to the deluxe Capri, all about Napolonese coming over to sit on their little boats partying, singing, chatting, swimming, diving, eating and drinking and then heading home at sundown.  This time Milly was the biggest of over a hundred boats in a remote bay during the day evacuated to be one of two overnight.