La celebrità Stan arriva a Capri

Celebrity Stan arrives in Capri

My mum often says if you can’t beat them, join them. In this case, since we haven’t yet met a celebrity, why shouldn’t Stan be one? I’m sure you will agree that he’s well qualified for the job. With that in mind there was only one way for Stan to arrive in Capri - in style! And, who better to do it with than his Chief Other Mother, Leigh. Whilst it was his real mum that called him Stanley, it was Leigh who christened him Stanley Poochie.

Descending from the boat we had that same feeling when alighting from the boat in Portofino. ‘We’ve arrived!’ and a collective sigh of contentment and a frisson of excitement bubbled through our veins. Stan felt it too but as a seasoned celeb, turned back and said, ‘be cool, I have a reputation to maintain!”

Despite the sentient connection between arriving in Capri and Portofino, the port area is very different from its Northern neighbour. Here, countless boats, ebb and flow with the regularity of the waves. To get to the refined elegance of the town, you need to climb the winding road. A multitude of transport options present themselves; our vehicle of choice was the delightful open topped taxi you can see.

In the spirit of playing it cool, Stan advised us to relax and get a coffee before embarking on his goal for the day. Of course, all the same 50’s film stars that frequented Portofino have visited Capri and Stan was keen to learn more about them. First stop, the Gran Caffè R Vuotto for a pastry and some gentle people watching. Did I call it a pastry? It was, in fact, a sfogliatella! This morsel of pastry perfection sums up the refined elegance of Campania in one delicious bite. Stan was quick to let us know when it was time to leave and pursue his main goal for the day.

If Portofino was where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got married, Capri was where they fell in love. Brought to Ischia to film Cleopatra and then moving on to Capri, their affair reached new heights in this beautiful setting. Such was the outrage at their very public affair (both were married) that the Vatican accused them of ‘erotic vagrancy’ and the US threatened to ban them from the country. In Capri they stayed at the Hotel Tiberio Palace. Remember him? He’s the guy that named the delightful town of Nerano. So, off we set in pursuit of our story. The exterior of the hotel did not disappoint, however sadly as with most of the high end hotels in Capri the season was over and it was closed. At least we got one step closer to Tiberius though.

Strolling along the Via Croce on which the Hotel is located, presents numerous shopping opportunities - not all of them the high end luxury brands; though they are absolutely here. We headed towards the Giardini Augusto and, in doing so, made further discoveries about the celebrities that had visited before us. Stan’s scent detectors took over and we found ourselves in Stan heaven - his own personal bar, a delicious scent and back on the trail of celebrities in Capri!

Legend has it that the creation of the sweetest scents of Italy started in Capri as early as 1380 when an unexpected dignitary Queen Joanna of Naples visited the monastery. I guess this was the equivalent of J-Lo showing up and you hadn’t bought a gift. It’s a great adage to see beauty in the things around us, and so the ingenious Prior picked a bouquet of flowers. We can only imagine the Queen’s delight as the scent lingered softly in her room throughout that stay. On her departure, three days later, the Prior went to her room and was struck by the intensity of the aroma the flowers had lovingly bestowed upon the room. But it was the water itself, unchanged throughout that stay that formed the basis of the first scent - Garofilium Silvestre Caprese.

By 1948 the monks made a formal application to the Pope to create the smallest perfume laboratory in the world. As you can see, this time Capri was ready for its celebrity visitor Stan. They made sure the dog bar was well stocked and knowing Stan’s refined love of scent perfectly positioned a bloom within his reach. As something of a refined chap, his first focus was on the flower itself - the dog bar could wait; the flower was temporal and its scent needed to be appreciated just at the right moment.

Of course, Stan wasn’t the only celebrity beguiled by the beauty of the Carthusian scents. The walls of the factory are littered with images of film stars from the 50’s and 60’s. Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, in fact, you can pick the name of virtually any star from that period and it’s likely they set foot here.

By the time we left Carthusia, we were all feeling the celebrity vibe so we headed to the Capri Rooftop for a very special refreshment with a view. In their garden, we rocked the celebrity photo shoot with a very special picture amongst the beautiful flowers in their garden. The only challenge the staff had was attempting to keep the many pigeons and gulls away from Stan’s vista. The moment they came into view they were a terrible distraction for him. I coached Stan that, at least these pesky birds didn’t pose a threat like those nasty mosquites. That turned out to be a good way of assessing the everyday irritations that blight our lives; can they really hurt us or are they just getting in the way?

Revived by refreshments it was onwards to the Giardini. Stan’s newfound karma left him at one with nature and relaxed enough to enjoy a sublime sit at one of the many beautifully decorated ceramic benches. By this time of the year, the crowds here have really dissipated giving you the chance to enjoy the vistas calmly. As you can see, the clouds kept rolling in and out - keeping us on our toes with what to expect next. Not surprisingly, the sundial pictured couldn’t help us out or tell the time. That said, it was nice to discover a more modern day emblem of the deep love the islanders feel for Capri. It is based upon the ancient Horologium built by Augustus in 10 BC in the Campo Marzio in Rome (our next destination). It provides a wonderful relief as it peeps between the famous stacks of the Fragiolini. And what better way to close out our lovely day in Capri than contemplating its sublime beauty.

Stan arrives in Capri with his puparrazi

When the Capresi cook, they make Sfogliatella

Celebrity Stan in fighting form

Stan sniffing out a scent at the Carthusia Dog Bar

Lifting the lid on the creation of Carthusia perfumes

Living our best life

A chilled out Stan having a well earned sit!

No luck telling the time