For the love of travel

Boca Ranton (01/02/2009)

The town of Capri, reigning over the eastern part of the isle, is a warren of winding lanes where gelaterias and fashionable cafés keep company with designer icons like Dolce & Gabbana Louis Vuitton and Versace.

CAPRI. ITALY
The allure: With her sheer, rocky cliffs, mysterious marine grottos, postcard panoramas and a clutch of Roman ruins, the isle of Capri is a captivating siren rising above the Bay of Naples, three miles off of Italy's Sorrentine Peninsula. The town of Capri, reigning over the east, is a warren of winding lanes where gelaterias and fashionable cafés keep company with designer icons like Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and Versace.
A romantic albeit rugged walk along the Pizzolungo provides opportunities for canoodling, as well as spectacular views of the Faraglioni, an array of massive rocks just off the coast.
The east also boasts the 2,000 year old Villa Jovis, once home to emperors, and the Arco Naturale, a huge stone arch framing the bay.
At night, seemingly all of Capri turns out to see and be seen (and to enjoy an aperitif) at Piazza Umberto I. Anacapri, the other major town, lies to the west at the foot of Monte Solaro.
You could hike to the top, but take the chairlift instead and save your strength for a challenging two to three hour scramble along the craggy coastline from Faro to the Grotta Azzurra (also accessible by bus). At the grotto, when the water is calm, you can hire a boat to ferry you into a cave filled with ethereal blue light reflected by the sea.

Where to stay: Perched atop a cliff 1,000 feet above the Bay of Naples, the Hotel Caesar Augustus in Anacapri features spacious terraces where guests can drink in fiery sunsets and misty vistas of Mount Vesuvius' purple silhouette across the water. This Relais & Châteaux property features 55 rooms and suites, an elegant bar and lounge with a fireplace, a candlelit restaurant alongside a two tiered infinity pool, and an al fresco fitness area.
The resort offers a Royal Honeymoon package ($3,330 for two nights), which includes Champagne, flowers and gift upon arrival, in room breakfast, gourmet dinners, a private tour of the island and round trip transfer between the hotel and the port of Capri. Otherwise, rooms start at $577 per night.
(caesar augustus.com)