Yesterday, Sophia, Alex and I walked to the nearby salumeria (a small neighborhood grocery with a meat and cheese counter) and had three fresh sandwiches (panini) made. The Italians layer fresh tomato, mozarella and whatever else you desire (prociutto cotto or crudo, cooked or aged ham, salami, etc.) drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with fresh herbs.
Provisioned with our picnic lunch, we took the bus to Grotta Azurra (the famous Blue Grotto), then walked back 100 meters to the beginning of il Sentiero dei Fortini -the stone strewn path along the western coast of the island, linking a series of small forts built by the British in the early 19th century to defend the island from the impending Napoleonic invasion. This coast is wilder and rougher than the eastern coast, with few houses, and low-growing weather beaten vegetation. The rock of the island is predominantly limestone, and the pitted holes in the rock face we saw as we hiked the coast attested to its porous quality. I was amazed to see amaryllis growing wild, as well as euphorbia, rosemary, unusual ferns, yucca and cacti. We hiked for four hours from the northwestern Punto dell' Acero to the lighthouse on the southwestern tip or Punta Carena. We had intended to watch the sunset from the lighthouse point, but after a cappucino at a bar overlooking the cove, we caught a bus back into Anacapri. We were physically tired in a satisfying way after a day on the windswept rocks in the warmth of the late fall sun.
The island, especially Anacapri because it is slightly more remote, is quickly depopulating as the tourist season draws to a close. We are practically alone in the Hotel Bussola, and when we go out in the evening to dinner, most restaurants are either nearly empty or already closed for the season. Last night, we found a cozy little restaurant tucked off the street at the end of a shrublined walkway. The owners obviously live upstairs, as the children came down to show Papa (the chef) and Mama (the waitress) their homework during the evening. The evenings are cool (even cold!) and autumnal, so I was hankering for a bowl of soup. I hadn't seen it on any of the menus, but I was certain that the locals must be preparing hearty soups at this time of the year. "C' è zuppa?" I asked the signora. "Si, c'è zuppa dei fagioli," she offered. She served the soup in a rustic clay bowl with small handles on the sides. Deliziosa! The white beans, tomato and spinach were heavily laced with garlic, and together with the country bread it made a most satisfying supper after our hike. Alex and Sophia have both developped a taste for a local dessert - torta caprese - a chocolate cake that is only lightly sweet but served with a generous dollop of heavy whipped cream.
(4;50 pm)
The sun is descending and there is a chill in the air. Dry leaves rustle about my feet as I sit on the blue tile terrace surrounded by Roman statuary. I met a man from Santo Domingo this afternoon who was selling ice cream in the center of Anacapri. He detected my Spanish when I tried to ask in Italian what type of fruit was in one of the flavors. He works here with his nephew during the tourist season, but will go home to Santo Domingo for the winter. He claims that it gets very cold here in Capri in the winter (at least for a Santo Domingan!), and of course there is no money to be made here until March when it begins to warm up and the tourists return. Judging from the large clumps of amaryllis I saw again today while hiking near Monte Solaro (the highest point on the island at 589 meters), it couldn't get too cold.
We took the chairlift to the peak to take in the panoramic view, then Alex and Sophia rode down, while I hiked down, detouring to see the little hermitage of Santa Maria at Cetrella. I was completely alone on the trail, and felt that this was as close as I might come in 2009 to discovering the island the way it would have looked in the late 1800's when Axel Munthe first came here as a young man. I startled birds from their hiding places, and when they flew off, the air was completely silent. I never would have imagined that I could find myself in such complete wilderness on the island of Capri. It was fantastic! Wild cyclamen were growing in clusters in the deep shade, and I even spotted them growing from a rock crevice. Capri is full of surprises...
A final comment on our stay in Anacapri...leading up to October 31, we saw many telltale signs of the approach of Halloween. I am amazed at how this typically American tradition seems to be catching on in Europe. It seems a bit odd, but I guess children everywhere love to dress up and receive candy, so that is the key to Halloween's universal appeal. On the tiny island of Capri on Halloween, we watched as little Italian ghosts, witches and devils went trick or treating in all the little shops in Anacapri. They would enter a shop and say: "Dolcetti proveddete!" which I think means something like "You will provide sweets!" Older Caprese ladies sat out on the steep narrow streets with plates covered with hand tatted lace doilies covering the treats they were handing out. It was quite a sight!
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