Capri.

This past weekend we had the privilege of going down to southern Italy to one of the islands called Capri! We arrived by boat from Naples around sunset. From the moment we all walked off the boat, we knew it was going to be an amazing weekend. We were welcomed with champagne as we walked through the doors of our upscale hotel which was embedded into the cliff side to allow all rooms to have views of where the cliffs of Capri meet the aqua water. The first night we walked around the small town, settling on a small Italian restaurant to eat dinner. The people in Capri are always happy and incredibly friendly to the point where it starts to rub off on you and you suddenly find yourself always smiling! Spending the day at Casa Malaparte was on our schedule for the next day (for half the group, the other half went on Saturday). It was perfect weather, nothing but blue sky a few white clouds and a slight breeze. We hiked our way through the cliff side to Casa Malaparte where we found ourselves looking at a red house sitting on the edge of a cliff. It was incredible! After getting a tour of the house (which is very rare, very few people are allowed to visit this house), we spent our day sketching and relaxing. Our one sketch assignment for the day was to to sketch the house using nothing but tone and hatch. We had to create a composition that grasped the concept of how this house is an extension of the surrounding landscape, how all these elements come together as one in the end. Casa Malaparte was a place where all your concerns are swept away and you are left sitting there thinking about nothing at all. Every view from every inch on top or in that house was amazing. The brilliance behind this house is Curzio Malaparte's positioning of windows. The windows act as frames capturing specific views of the surrounding landscape. This entire day was hands down one of the best days I have had here on my Study Abroad trip.

Casa Malaparte!

On Saturday we were given a free day to explore Capri. We took a bus into Anacapri and began to walk. After following signs that lead us towards the edge of Capri, we took a bus that to our surprise took us to the Blue Grotta! To my surprise the Blue Grotta is a cave, it is actually in part of the cliff side! With a total of 5 in each boat, we laid entirely on our backs as we were pulled into the small hole! Inside was AMAZING!! The color of the water was a bright aqua blue, it was just breathtaking, an incredible experience. After the Blue Grotta we took a bus back into the town of Anicapri and went to the Villa Michele. The gardens of this villa (which is situated on the cliff side) were gorgeous! There were so many different flowers, bushes, trees (orange and lemon), it was great timing to see everything in bloom. We then took the chair lift (so SCARY getting on!!) up to the top of the mountain. It was a 12 minute slow ride above all of Anicapri! The views from the top were beautiful, you could see for miles!! We decided to follow in the boys footsteps and HIKE to the next mountain over to a small cross that was placed on the top of the mountain! After hiking down, we shopped for handmade sandals and Capri perfume! Great way to end the day!

Chair Lift up to the top of the Mountain

Villa Michele

The Blue Grotta!!

On Sunday (our last day) we took a private boat tour of the island! Within about 15 minutes of beginning the tour our boat driver asked if we wanted to swim to a small grotta, it was called the White Grotta. We all jumped in the FREEZING! water (literally freezing, it was actually hard to breath!) and swam VERY fast to the small opening! Once inside we saw the same aqua blue water that was in the Blue Grotta but in addition there was a small side cove that had completely white light pouring in because it was open to the sky. The boat tour was awesome, we got to see all of the other grottas and see the beautiful island of Capri up close! It really was a once in a lifetime experience we were fortunate enough to have! It was the most relaxing, fun and beautiful place I have ever been too!

TIPS: I definitely suggest going to Capri! It is GORGEOUS! Best time to go is in April, no tourists, very quiet, but still warm and comfortable! Bring lots of SUNSCREEN!! Defiantly go into the Blue Grotta (worth every penny). Take a boat ride of the island. BUY authentic hand made sandals from Capri!! The perfume is also really good! It's a bit expensive, but worth the experience!