FROMTS1 CAPRI: Glamour is relentless it is aMediterranean Avalon, a mystic isle where, ifthe Fates were just, good hedonists would go when they died. Now, after a couple ofdecades as little more than awhistle stop onthe package tour marathon ofEurope, Capri is, fabu- lously, fashionable again. Designer shops are flowering like the bougainvillaea that tumbles down the steep slopes of Monte Solaro. Celebri- ties are once again posing attractivelyin the Piazzetta. And, on a summer after- noon, the waters ofMarina Grande and MarinaPiccola are so crowded with white yachts, it looks like the scattering of icing sugar on storta caprese. Capri (properly pronounced KAH- pree) is a four-by-seven-kilometre rocky outcrop on the edge ofthe Bay of Naples. Ifyou stand on the ferry dock in Naples itself, gazing past the Sorrento peninsula and Mount Vesuvius on your left and the islands of Ischia and Procida on your right, Capri is straight ahead, a misty, purple smudge on the here, where history mingles with horizon. whimsy. Capri, it seems, has two of everything, "Capri is done as museum so every- including its reputation. It has two hills, one want to see, to look one time hihis two towns (Capri and Anacapri), two life," says Elio Sica, head of the Tourism harbours, two world-famous attractions Board ofCapri. (the Blue Grotto and the Faraglioni Phoenicians, Greeks and Saracens, rocks) and two versions ofalmost every Romana and Romantics each swept story throughthe island, each of them leaving It has aculi-great reputation for artificial-island, some sortthe of markon sty and excess: the celebrities, the orgies, nary, architectural or cultural. The Faraglioni rocks, one of Capri's two world-famous attractions. The other lathe Blue Grotto. the frivolity and the hint of delirious, "Capri is little in appearance, but is decadent-stricken, evilvilla gossipy, ."A very large, too," says Sica, and he talks of two-humped chunk of limestone, ami- making "the twoways of tourism work ifYouGo crocosm that does heaven much credit, for the more island," encouraging peo- " There: From Rome, island abounds with restaurants. but mankind none at all," the writer to inits hotels andencourag- Getting Naples Try ple stay 35 is an hour assay by Alitalia flight or eas- the caprese salad (tomatoes, fresh D.H. Lawrence once described it ing those who only visit for the day to also known for its nat- use electronic band-held to see ily accessible by bus, train or rental car. buffalo mozzarella and basil), Capri is great guides frutti di mare local uralbeauty- its caverns and more ofthe island. From Naples harbour, take the hydro- spaghetti (with grottoes foil across the to Marina shellfish), the local fish called pez- and soaring conical peaks its neat villas Romana d'Angiola, a former journalist bay Capri's and riotous - and for the who works for the tourist board, Grande (foot passengers only). zogne with lemon and buffer, torta gardens gra- sug- Your hotel will seed a truck to the dense chocolate cake) ciousness, tolerance and artlessness of gests that a one-day visitor should first caprese (a and marina to pick up your luggage and, limoncello, a head-smashingly strong the 13,000 year-round residents. take the chairlift to the top ofMonte So- Until the invasion ofthe laro, for a viewofthe whole island, then from there, you can either take the fu- liqueur made from Capri's sweet, celebrity nicular to town or catch the lemons. 1950s and '60s, Capri's most famous res- head to Anacapri to take in the eccentric up Capri heavy ident was the Emperor Tiberius,who Villa San Michele and the magnificent bus or a taxi. Paolo De Gregorio at Buca di Bacco da Serafina, Via Taxi can be reached at 081-837- 35, 80073. Phone 081- lived here from AD 27 to 37. His story, church with its 18th-century mosaic Capri Longano Capri, too, has two versions. floor painting, and finally returnto g336/0136. 837-0723. According to one, Tiberio took refuge Capri Townto visit the lovely Gardens " Staying There: There are 35 hotels La Rondinella, Via Orlandi 295, on Capri from the corruption ofRome ofAugustus. in the two towns, Capri and Anacapri, Anacapri, 80071. Phone 081-837-1223. to build his sa magnificent villas, study And, of course, she says, visitors must ranging from a simple hostelry run by Da Paolino, Via Palazzo a Mare il, astronomy and design the blueprint for linger for awhile in the Piazzetta, "the nuns to the opulent La Quisisana. Capri, 80073. Phone 081-837-6102. western civilization. The other tale is small theatre of the world," as the Eng- There is also a plan in the works for a Ristorante Faraglioni, Via Camerelle thathelived alifeofhedonism,seduc- lishwriter Norman Douglas famously pointing. Thenthe boatmen start to sing; local B&B operation. 75, Capri, 80073. Phone 081-837- ingyoungboysinhisprivate orgy called it where thebeautiful people are Volare, O Sole Mio, Nessum Dorms La Palma is the oldest hotel on the is- 0320. room,theBlueGrotto,andhurling barely clad in Versace and Valentino,the bounce offthe walls, echoing, ghostly. land - dating back to 1822- and is " Shopping: This is a shopper's thosewho displeasedhimfroma bars happily charge$20 for a small glass Then the unearthly blueglow, an optical an elegant, comfortable and surpris- heaven, with designer boutiques 300-metre-high cliffwhileboatmenbe- ofwine and the glamour is relentless. illusion, atrickofthe light fills the cav- ingly tranquil choice just off the Pi- spilling all over the island. lowbeat themwithoars asthey There is also the serene monastery, ern. No hype could dimits glory. azzetta. In addition to fashion, you can buy plungedinto the sea quirky museums (one has "ninfei," Like everything else on this magical While still glamorous, it is also ceramics, bottles of limoncello and After Tiberio's death, the island was naughty ceramics from the orgy rooms, island, there is reality and myth here, slightly less exorbitant than some of perfume made from the local herbs left largely to the locals and to the goats, on display), fabulous shopping, the boat and it is impossible to untwine the two. the other accommodations on an is- and flowers. the "capre" for which it is named. Then, tour around the island that takes in Il land not exactly known as a bargain La Parisienne, Piazza Umberto 17, in i8al,a couple ofGerman painters, Faraglioni, concerts at San Michele, the If1 could, I would be in Capri right destination. Hotel La Palma, Via Vitto- Capri, 80073. Phone 081-837-0283. and Ernest Fries, "re- marvelous Via that leads to an now, on a August Kopisch Krupp perhaps relaxing lounger at rio Emanuel 39, Capri Town, 80073. Da Costanzo Sandali Caprese Via nude beach of the discovered" the Blue Grotto. unofficial and, course, blaredel Canzone,theposhestoftheis- Phone 081-837-0113. Roma 49, Capri, 80073. Phone 081- Since then,cover this has beenthe the chosen where Blue Grotto, la GrottaAzzurra,beaches, in- land'sprivate " Dining: Caprese cuisine is simple - 837-8077. destination ofpoets, artists, aristocrats, escapable, over-hyped, cheesy and is about $30 a person and most of seafood, pasta, local produce and " For more information: Check the fashion celebrities as it thechargewomenwear their diamonds with sybarites, designers, touristy is. herbs complemented nicely by that Capri Web site (www.capri.net) or call and the who followbikinis them. From Perla to La or the ofEres . paparazzi May September (except skimpiest slightly acidic local wines - and the your travel agent for details. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald honey- when it's stormy), tiny rowboats bob "The thing is that in Capri you don't mooned here. Maxim Gorky and outside the grotto, each one manned by have to dress as in the city;' says Vladimir Lenin planned the Russian a boatman called a "barcaiuolo" The Francesca Settani, whois the owner of Revolution here, at the Villa Krupp. grotto is only accessible from the water the local Fendi boutique and Adriana di Sophia Loren and Clark Gable made through a tiny opening in the cliff face, Finre's daughter. "I always say don't movies here. A young local woman although legend has it that Tiberius had bring any clothes, you don't have to named Andria di Fiore was inspired by a secret passageway from the villa he dress here. It's very simple." the caprese fishermen's trousers to de- built above what the barcaivolos call, Like many caprese, she left the island sign the first capri pants. Jackie with a lewdwink the emperor's "pri- to goto school and work for a few years, Kennedy Onassis and her sister Lee vate swimmingpool." but she came back. They always do. And Radziwill arrived, hiding from the pa- The barcaivolos use s chain to pull I think now, that I knowwhy. parazzi behind oversized sunglasses. A theirboats inside the grotto while their "In Capri you can do whatever you young local man named Costanzo passengers lie down to avoid the rocky want to do," says Francesca "In Capri, Ruocco handmade their caprese san- overhan. Inside, it is atfirst dark disap- you cando the life that you want" dais. Brigitte Bardot, Liz Taylor, Maria Callas and Frank Sinatrawere all here at one time. Today, a visitor might catch a glimpse ofElizabeth Hurley, Rod Stewart, Julia Roberts or Linda Evangelista, along with such famous Italians as Prime Min- ister Silvio Berlusconi and the Ferrag- amo dynasty. But the average visitor doesn't stay long enough to see anything but the Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks and the view from the funicular from Marina Grande to CapriTown. It is a shame: There is so much to see.