They call it the Island of Love

It first sight, Capri looked just a little hazy.

This is my island in the sun

But it wasn't long before we realized that it has a split personality. Maybe it's not so much the Island of Love, but the Island of Sure I Like You A Lot But You're A Bit Creepy.

Riding the chairlift up from Anacapri to the top of Mount Solaro took us into the cloud, to the dark side of the island, straining to make out the horizon, seeing life on the island in a shroud of misty vagueness.

The chairlift takes us into cloud on one side of the peak

And then a few more steps lead us back to the light, to view the sparkling crystal waters 600 metres below.

Clear views on the other side

Back in the town of Capri, the gardens showed us both classical white marble glowing in the sunshine, yet with it, the dark distortions of modernity in the shadows.

A dark creature rises from the murky pool

The streets were full of the bustling euphoria of tourist retail therapy, the purchasing of sparkly strapped sandals and painted ceramic doodahs, the running of fruity ice cream drips down the cones, over the fingers and onto skirts and shorts, and the posing for happy snaps and occasional hilariously ecstatic snaps for FaceBook updates. But walk further down the street, glance from the corner of your eye, and the ever-present dark side reappears.