You know I love an island. One of my favorite places in all of Venice is the tiny, sleepy Isola San Pietro, but on my most recent trip to Venice the place normally stay was booked for one of the nights of my trip so I sailed across the canal over to another sleepy, but not so tiny island.
Directly across from Piazza San Marco the Giudecca, sometimes called Spina Longa owing to its fishbone-like shape, is the perfect spot to escape the crowds that unless you are visiting Venice in January, are inevitable.
I booked a room at the trendy Generator Hostel, bought a 24 hour vaporetto pass and lived Venetian island life for a day.
If you visit Capri in the winter or early spring you are very likely to have at least a few hours of gray skies or drizzle. Downpours are rare, but somehow feel more epic on this island that is more well known for hot summer lazing in the sun.
As much as I love a day spent under an umbrella at a beach club or on a boat anchored in a private cove there is a special charm to a cold rainy day in Capri.
Some practical information. The sea can be rough in the winter and spring months. It is very rare that all boats are canceled but there can be only one or two that sail between Naples and Capri on really bad weather days. Look for the slow ferry, that takes about 25 minutes longer but is a much smoother ride and is the least likely to be canceled.
I love pizza. When I am in the states I love a greasy slice of pepperoni eaten on the boardwalk. Here in Rome I love a quick snack of pizza bianca stuffed with mortadella, I love thin crusted Roman pizza, and I will travel on trains and boats for soft crusted Neapolitan pizza. So when I noticed a new place on the eclectic food haven that is via Urbana I was hopeful that this was another good adoption to the neighborhood.
When you are wandering in Venice down the very narrow calle you may not know that behind some of the weathered doors are grand palaces with vast gardens and marble floored rooms filled with antiques and art. Most of these palazzos are private residences and the doors are firmly shut. There are a few exceptions and I am very happy to open another Venetian door for you.
