Travel: Isle of Capri

The legendary Isle of Capri is a superstar day trip, hydrofoils frequently plying the waters to and from Sorrento.

In many respects this towering outcrop of limestock rock encapsulates the magnetic appeal of the Mediterranean. Capri serves up a lively cocktail of chichi piazzas, al fresco cafes, gales of bougainvillea, whitewashed toytowns, Roman ruins, cliff-clinging villas and heavenly seascapes. The island is quite simply a sybarite's paradise.

The heart of Capri town, Piazza Umberto I, is a bejewelled hothouse of designer stores. Plop yourself down in one of the open-air cafes and soak up the passing glamour parade. Hydrofoils dock in the main port of Marina Grande, which is a fabulously colourful transport hub, studded with cafes, shops and souvenir stores.

To reach the hillside town of Capri, and its even higher sister town of Anacapri, requires a bus, cablecar, open-deck luxury taxi (which is fabulous), some concentrated footwork, or a combination of all of them.

Souvenir-hunters will be enchanted by the bright, seductive ceramics stores which celebrate the region's citrus-growing prowess. Lemons and oranges are dominant themes on the bowls, vases, jugs and plates.

History buffs should visit Villa Jorvis which was home to the Roman Emperor, Tiberius. It stands 350m above sea level and was where the Roman Empire was governed from for several decades. The stairway behind the villa ruins leads to a sheer cliff, Tiberius' Leap, from which out-of-favour subjects were hurled into the sea.