Walking in Capri… with “Gatto Bianco”

Entering the hall of the Hotel Gatto Bianco, one immediately senses that one is in a historic Capri hotel. This” air of Capri” is evident in so many details: the ceramic tiled floors with floral themes, the paintings by well-known painters depicting enchanted corners of the island, the pergola terraces where guests slowly enjoy breakfast. One has the impression of staying in a sunny Capri home where the art of hospitality is still handed down.

At the Gatto Bianco every guest is the protagonist of a dream. Sitting in a velvet armchair, Renato Esposito, a member of the Esposito family that has run the hotel for 70 years, is waiting for us. This year Renato,exclusively for his clients,will lead walks in the most picturesque places in Capri and Anacapri

What is the spirit of this initiative?

The hotel has always had an exclusive clientele, very interested in the history and landscape of a thousand-year-old island where every stone can tell a story. No small island in the world has the History of Capri. Many times clients who have been frequenting the island for decades always visit the same places. I have always strived to make known the most intimate and secret Capri.

In your “author walks” that you organize for the City of Capri every summer, you always talk about the Genius Loci. What do you mean by Genius Loci

The Genius Loci is the spirit of the island, the identity of the island, which only the attentive and enamored eyes can glimpse and understand. This island is living a moment of transition, where the trivialization and commercialization of the image are creeping. I think that only in the silence of a walk can one relive the true Otium caprese.

Where will you take your clients?

We will take nature walks in the two municipalities. Each one will be special and unique. In spring I would like to introduce people to the immense variety of island flora with walks in the parks, such as the Gloriette of Villa Lysis, Astarita Park, Cetrella and the Via dei Fortini. In midsummer the tours of the island with its magical caves. In autumn, the flavors and colors of Capri’s autumn.

Leaving the Gatto Bianco, one understands that “Wanderlust” the joy of walking is a precious commodity, a true luxury that sola offers to its most sensitive guests.

List of walks:

Saturday, March 30 – Villa Lysis and Park la Gloriette.Astarita Park
Saturday, April 13 – Monte Solaro and Cetrella.
Saturday, May 4 – Anacapri Forts. From Mesola to the Lighthouse.
Saturday, May 25 – Capri odyssey .Capri gods and pagan lights.
Saturday, June 8 – Collina di Tuoro and Piazzetta delle Noci.
Saturday, June 22 – Via delle Sorgenti. The Roman way of the waters. Palazzo a mare.
Saturday, July 6 – Villa S.Michele and the Scala Fenicia.
Saturday, July 20 – Tour of the island at sunset.
Saturday, August 3 – Tour of the island at sunrise.
Saturday, August 31 – Tour of the island at sunset.
Saturday, September 14 – Little Parnassus. Anacapri. Historic center. Boffe and Caprile.
Saturday, September 28 – The heart of Capri .The Piazzetta. Via delle Botteghe. Church of Sant’Anna and Via Longano.
Saturday, October 5 – The history of the Little Marina.
Saturday, October 26 – The heart of Capri.The Big Houses. Via Castello, La Piazzetta del Pittore. Via Castiglione.