Day 8 -- Capri

Today was beautiful, with nothing but sun and blue skies. We took the ferry to Capri, which appears as an enormous jagged rock rising from the sea. Once there, we took the furnicular (a mountain-climbing trolley) up to town and then walked 1 1/2 miles along the ultra-narrow route that serves as both walking path and road for what must be custom-made carts. Capri's scenery is breathtaking -- countless stone walls containing lemon groves, gardens, and stunning villas overlooking the sea. We stopped for a nice picnic lunch on a bench, while Maggie napped in the backpack with her head sticking out the side, much to the delight of all who passed us. After lunch, we visited the remains of Villa Jovis, a first-century retreat of the Roman Emporer Tiberius. The ruins of the estate were impressive, but we no match for the stunning views of the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, the Sorrentine Peninsula, and the Amalfi Coast. After a snack in town, we returned to the dock. The ferry home was slow and crowded, but we ran into Jessica, a fellow American with whom we'd celebrated New Year's Eve in the Berkshires years ago. Back in Amalfi, Maggie and Bill followed an Italian feast through the streets, comparing the ritual to that seen in the North End every weekend of the summer (it was very similar). We climbed the steps to the Duomo, said ciao to the turtles, packed our things, and readied ourselves for Rome.