Yachting in Italy with a view of Mount Vesuvius — 2

Suppose you decide to visit Ischia’s thermal springs later, and your cruise starts from Naples or Castellammare di Stabia — another place in Italy where you can rent a yacht. Then the next point on your route will be Capri or Amalfi.

Capri: the pants and the island

You need to live your life so that your name appears in the Wikipedia article about Capri, in the section «They lived here at different times ...». There are a variety of famous inhabitants who lived here permanently or temporarily, from Roman generals to Italian revolutionaries, writers, artists, and others who like the sea air and warm climate.

However, the list of famous guests is almost the most diverse thing that there is on Capri. Judge for yourselves: there are two cities: Capri and Anacapri; There are also two harbors: Marina Piccolo and Marina Grande, that is, Little and Big; and, you will not believe it, there is still a monument to Lenin — in the island’s most beautiful park. Nothing special, so you’ll ask — what haven’t we seen here?

Well, in fact, you have not seen, and have not tried, a lot of wonderful things on Capri.

Firstly, the Blue Grotto is the pearl of the island, the natural beauty of the blue water, which is explained by the penetration of light into the grotto. It is amusing to watch how tourists get inside: they lie down at the bottom of the boat to squeeze through a narrow entrance.

Secondly, the 589 meters high Monte Solaro, from the top of which the best view of the Gulf of Naples opens.

Thirdly, 900 steps of the Phoenician staircase — the path connecting the two cities.

And, of course, the traditional list of any Italian island: a castle, churches, monasteries, as well as multiple villas that compete with each other in beauty.

What about wine? There are different sorts for local mozzarella and silano, chestnuts, seafood, and tomatoes: red (pedirosso) and white (phalangino) Capri DOC. They say, by the way, that the emperor Tiberius, who built himself a villa here, ordered the appointed praetor to drink an amphora of Capri wine — it is almost 40 liters. I wonder what the deadline was.

Well, when all the wine has been tasted, it’s time to sail from the islands to the mainland — to Amalfi. And believe me, it’s worth it.

Amalfi

Amalfi is when you moor at a monument.

A tiny marina (or rather just a pier for two to three dozen yachts) was built by its owner with his own money. He personally moors every boat that comes to this place, and the rest of us just admire it silently. A place in the marina should be reserved well in advance, and it is not cheap at all.

The story about this town could start with a quote from Wikipedia: «The city is located on a cliffside, so houses are connected to each other by carved staircases in the cliff, while the roofs serve as gardens.»

What else do you need to fall in love with it?

We can only add a bunch of historical facts: it was the Amalfi people who ruled the sea in the past, it was the native of Amalfi who invented the compass, it was here that they created the Sea Law and started trading left and right until the Pisans defeated both the city and the fleet.

Well, now Amalfi is a quiet tourist town where locals fish and mass-produce limoncello. They even had to start a lemon festival to celebrate their love of lemons. And, honestly, I’ve never tried such giant and delicious lemons. And mozzarella. And tomatoes. And...

The town is also the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Amalfi, there is the amazing Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, built in the Norman-Byzantine style, which gates were made in Constantinople itself, as they say.

A small town with winding streets, flooded with the sun and lemon aroma, charming and with a remarkable history. It is on their coat of arms, as they say, the future Maltese cross first appeared.

And what about wine? Well, no wine, just limoncello!

It’s hard to leave Amalfi. Almost impossible. Load the yacht with lemons, and then sail directly to Ischia — to watch one of the most stunning sunsets in your life: from a thermal spring, overlooking the yachts in the anchorage.