Nov 21 – Capri

From Sorrento we took the hydrofoil for a visit to the exclusive island of Capri. Capri isn't usually my favourite place, because when I've been in the past in the height of summer, I've found it a little overcrowded, totally overpriced, and fairly over-hyped. But at this time of year, there are hardly any day-trippers, and most of the luxury boutiques have shut up shop until April, so it's a much more relaxed and less superficial place to be, and you can enjoy its natural beauty without too many other distractions.

We went up to Anacapri (the town above Capri Town), and then went even further up, by taking the slightly hair-raising chairlift up to the top of the island's highest mountain. The views from the top were unbelievably breathtaking, as you looked down a sheer cliff to the deep blue seas hundreds of feet below, with flocks of circling, squawking seagulls noisily riding the thermals up the side of the cliff. On the other side of the mountaintop, there were even more fantastic views of the rest of the island, seemingly floating above the haze of the sea – wonderful.

At the bottom, we challenged ourselves to find the cheapest lunch ever purchased in this millionaire's playground – we found a supermarket where we bought some delicious foccacia for a couple of Euros. I don't think the managers of the Gucci or Armani shops were regretting their decision to close up, with a couple of high rollers like us in town.