Spring Break Trip to Italy: The Island of Capri

We checked another bucket-list trip off our list over Spring Break, visiting the island of Capri and the Amalfi Coast. It was a trip I was reluctant to take with kids (more on that later), but it seemed doable with the extra help from Nana and Pops!

Prior to the trip, a nasty cold was going around ISA. Pete was hit first and after a week of misery, which culminated in a throat so swollen, he could hardly sleep at night, he was prescribed antibiotics and embarked on the trip mostly recovered. Maeve was hit next and was finishing her course of antibiotics for an ear infection after many days home with me. And finally, in the midst of all of that sickness, I ignored Jude's complaints about his finger hurting him and he ended up with a serious infection of the nail bed to be treated with antibiotic cream. Ugh, that week was the worst and I was so ready for a healthy family and vacation!

Lunch at the airport

We wanted to visit Capri and had read that it was nice to be there in the evenings when the day-tripping crowds disappear. So we did our trip in a loop: Naples Ferry to Capri, Ferry from Capri to Positano, Car service from Positano to the airport (via Herculaneum). It was nice to have a trip where we didn't need to deal with car rentals, though public transportation was a bit of a challenge. 

Waiting for the ferry. Maeve walked up to the armed serviceman/guard at the ferry terminal, pointed and said "Pirate!" Whoops! 

Port of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background

Cargo container from Liberia

Capri! Villa Jovis, one of Emperor Tiberius' villas is at the very top of this outcropping.

To be close to our various modes of transit, we stayed two night at a hotel in Marina Grande, the harborfront where the ferries arrive and depart.

Sunset view from Nana and Pops room (mainland in the distance)

This was our first trip since moving Maeve to a big girl bed (we went back on the paci after she was sick with the ear infection). So these cuties got to share a bed, which was pretty adorable. 

The next morning we set off to explore the island. We wanted to go to the town of Anacapri ("above Capri") where we could take the chair lift to Monte Solaro and also a bus to the Blue Grotto. We waited at the nearest bus stop and quickly learned a hard lesson in the Amalfi region, the small public transportation buses are often "completo!"So we walked down to the harbor and waited at the first bus stop so that we would be guaranteed a ride and seats on the next one!

Nice beach by the hotel

Maeve fell asleep in my arms on the bus ride so we took advantage of her nap time and took turns riding the chair lift. It was literally a single seat chair lift with a little bar you pulled down. Kids are meant to ride on your lap and while Jude thought it was great fun riding up on Pete's lap, I don't know how Maeve would have managed. Those 12 minutes up and 12 minutes down, sitting on my own, may have been the most relaxing part of the whole trip :) Maeve's mommy phase is still going strong so it is hard to get any peace during her waking hours!

Incredible views from the top of the whole island and over to the Amalfi Coast. Ok, I'm starting to like it here! We relished the alone time with Jude.

Our own personal photographer

He seems so grown up to me now, but then I can look at these pictures and see him for the little boy that he is.

As we came back down, there was a steady stream of tourists heading up, interrupted only by a chair with a box of Limoncello :)

While Nana and Pops went to the top, we walked through town and found the playground that I had seen from the chair lift. It was next to a little farmer's market so we bought some massive strawberries while we waited for lunchtime.

His new pose.

I'm pretty sure that I have a picture from every day of our trip with Maeve holding a gelato and grinning from ear to ear! I thought she would be psyched for the food on this trip (pizza and pasta for lunch and dinner every day!), but all she seemed to want was a Dutch tostis (and gelato of course). 

We're working on her not immediately biting off the bottoms of cones! 

After lunch we took the (empty) bus down to the Blue Grotto where Pete and I planned to take one of the small boats into the grotto. Well the empty bus should have been a clue: the blue grotto was closed that day due to rough seas! So back up to Anacapri and switching buses to Marina Grande to spend the afternoon down on the beach. 

Blue grotto entrance is where Pete is looking. A peaceful scene today (compare to the next day when we went in!)

Giraffe posing

We bought this hat in Tuscany in 2015 for Jude and now it's also been to Sardinia, Sicily and Capri! 

The water may look beautiful, but don't be fooled, it was freezing!  

But of course, kids don't mind cold water. 

Mount Vesuvius in the background again

Nana and Pops had gone out to dinner the night before so now it was Pete and my turn. We took the funicular that runs from Marina Grande up to the top of Capri town in 2 minutes. It was really pretty up there and relatively calm. We got a real local experience at dinner where we shared a dinning room with 15 kids celebrating a tenth birthday party (at 9pm at night of course)!