September 20 was my last full day in Italy.    It turned out to be a very special day as we signed up for a Capri excursion.   We were picked up a van and taken to  a small town just outside of town to board the boat to sail over to and around the Isle of  Capri.  The very comfortable and gorgeous  Sorrento- built boat was only a year old..  The twelve passengers fit on her very nicely.   The best part of the day was actually  sailing  over to Capri and around the Island which took most of the morning.   The boat was stopped for lunch (crew had made fabulous sandwiches for everyone) and a few brave people went swimming.   I was not one of them as the water was much too cold for me.  I spent a lot of time sitting  on the cushions in the front of the boat and  at times trying to get photos without actually falling off the boat.   I especially loved it when the boat flew over the waves.  On the way back to the mainland there was one time when  all of us sitting in front of the boat got soaked but it was worth it (camera was protected).   Capri is an Island on the south side of the Gulf of Naples and has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.  It has been confirmed by geological surveys that Capri was once part of the mainland.  In the latter half of the 19th century Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and other celebrities.  After sailing around the Island, the boat let us off in the town of Capri for a few hours.  We all found it extremely busy with tourists and shops.  However, the views were spectacular- we ended up taking the funicular to the top of the town and exploring that area.  

Our first stop was to pick up two passengers  at the docks in Sorrento.

As we sailed away from Sorrento I took  this shot  to show the  trees on the cliffs with the dramatic skies.

There were cliffs everywhere as we sailed around Capri.  

This is the White Grotto.  The cavern is filled with stalactites and stalagmites where the limestone rock seems to reflect  only white rays of light.  

The Green Grotto looks like an enormous liquid emerald.   The Blue Grotto is actually the famous one of the three Grottos.  To go inside the Blue Grotto you have to transfer to small boats.  There was a long line up of the boats to get into the cave and no-one from our party wanted to go so we sailed by getting a fairly close look.  No pictures because the sun was shining right into the Grotto.

There were a lot of boats cruising around the Island.  

This shot and the next one are photos of limestone crags called sea stacks that project above the sea.  The collective name for these three stacks is called Faraglioni.    One of them is still attached to the Island.  

The tour boats all sail  through the small hole.  

This was my shot going through the opening.

We sailed by the Punta Carena Lighthouse located on the Island.  

Some shots just look so dramatic in black and white.  

This shot was taken from the top of the town overlooking the lower part of town. 

Pam, Doug and I went walking up into the hills to get away from all of the tourists in town-not that we were totally successful.  We came to the Certosa di San Giacomo which was a Carhusian monastery founded in 1363 by Giacomo Arcucci.  There was often conflict between the islanders and the monks who owned land and the hunting and grazing rights.  During the 1656 plague in Capri, the monks sealed themselves off and the islanders threw their corpses over the wall of the monastery in retribution.  Since 1974 the buildings are used for a museum and a high school.  

We kept exploring the area and eventually came to  the Gardens of Augustus.  This was the place to take the classic shot of the sea and the Faraglioni.   I took several shots in the area.   

The gardens are actually comprised of a series of panoramic flower decked terraces overlooking the Faraglioni on one side and the Bay of Marina Piccola and Via Krupp on this side.  The gardens are on the ancient property that the German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp Steel bought in the early twentieth century to build his house.  In 1918, the gardens of Krupp were renamed the gardens of Augustus.  

This shot shows a better view of the terraces.  

Here is a close up view of the terraces.  

Pam and Doug with a view.

This shot was taken as we made our way back to town to meet up with Barry and Irene.  

Once back in Sorrento,   I went for a walk to get a few last pictures of the town.  

I made my way down to the road leading  down to the beach area.

There were still a lot of people out enjoying the last light of day and waiting for the sun to set.

Great color in the skies tonight.  

My last shot of the trip was of this cruise ship with Mount Vesuvius in the background.