La Dolce Vita, Part II

In which the mystery of Axe's favourite swimming hole is revealed...

After Pompeii, we left the quaint, touristic port of Sorrento and took the ferry to the Isle of Capri (which Amy spotted instantly! Amy, look for an email from me about your bamboo.)



The first glimpses of the port were just as you might imagine of a luxe holiday spot in the Med.





There are only two towns on the island: the glamourous resort town of Capri, and its more tranquil cousin, Anacapri, at the top of the island. After a little gelato along the waterside, we made our way by taxi (big mistake, by the way), to our hotel in Anacapri, where the digs were... not too shabby.



Our host, a distinguished gentleman named Franco, who was the perfect blend of Mr Roark and Tattoo, took it upon himself to show us around our temporary home on this fantasy island. And we embarked upon an immediate inspection of the essential facilities:





Tempting as the infinity pool was, we caught a ride back down the only road that zigzagged along the rock face to Capri.



... which could probably by characterized by one of the first shops to greet us along the walk in:



A word to the wise: for this place, the plastic that you never leave home without is probably best left... at home. The operative word in this town is most definitely BLING. And it often comes at an eye-popping price.

The town bustled with extremely fashionably -- and less fashionably -- dressed people. The distinction between the two, I leave to you.



In Capri, shopping is more than just an afternoon activity, it is an art form -- and the pulse of the little town. Not surprisingly, this is one of Michael Kors' favourite sun spots. While we didn't see Kors, more than once we ran into Valentino himself, flanked by members of his staff (in coordinating attire).

Giving our feet a break, we had lunch in the Piazza Umberto I, in the shadow of the Chiesa di Santo Stefano, where guests had begun to arrive for a wedding.



Random guests in their attire, loitering glamorously in front of the church and the adjacent Frette boutique:



The bride arrived to the applause of the entire square -- friends, family, and starry-eyed strangers. No pictures of her, unfortunately, because by then the crowd had grown and obscured any good vantage point. But her dress was a bodice of white lace mesh and a meringue of tulle. On a mere mortal, it would have looked frumpy, but this bride was stunning.

Continuing on the walking tour, there was much to enjoy in the way of architecture and flora, before settling down to dinner after the sunset.







(to be continued...)