Capri Local Customs

Public bathrooms in Italy can be an experience, and FINDING one can be an adventure. We were having a late day beverage at Gran Caffe on the Capri piazzetta when nature called. A request to the waiter for the location of their facilities sent him running - only to return a few minutes later with a key. A key? After much pointing and discussion, it turns out their lavatory was a hike across the piazza, around a corner, down a corridor, to a locked door bearing the same name as the cafe.

They make buildings last a long time in Italy and they're often not able to modernize with luxuries like plumbing, I guess. Good advice? Don't ever wait until the last minute as relief might be farther away than you think! :)

With the majority of Capri and Anacapri towns having streets far too narrow for cars, goods, suitcases and, occasionally, people are hauled to shops and hotels with these little vehicles. If you've pre-arranged with your hotel for your luggage to be transported for you, this is likely how it'll get there (but you'll probably have to hoof it).

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There are very few what I would call 'streets' in Capri town (well, none really once you've passed the bus terminus): it's a warren of little lanes and alleyways. But I did like the ceramic signs embedded into the wall-plaster. Although a bit twee, they did add to the feeling of being in a rather special (that is, exclusive) place.

To be honest, they are fairly small and not particularly easy to read so navigating one's way to Villa Jovis, for example, is not perhaps as easy as it might be. But they are pretty, and in keeping with the general presentation/ethos of the place, so worth looking for/at.