Capri

The island and hilltop town in the Bay of Naples, Italy. The town’s central square is the Piazza Umberto I, known as the Piazzetta.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
Neither Here Nor There	Bill Bryson	setting	A long climb up from the harbour, rewarded by one of the loveliest squares Bryson has ever seen.

Neither Here Nor There — Bill Bryson (1991)

Source: Readwise highlight

I passed beneath an arch and stepped out into one of the loveliest squares I have ever seen. It was packed with German and Japanese tourists. The tears streamed down my cheeks.

• Role: setting
• In the book: Chapter 14. Bryson takes the ferry over from Sorrento, finds the funicolare not running, and climbs from the quay past villas and up steep cobbled alleys until he comes out into the square. He takes a room at the Hotel Capri and describes “an infinitely charming little place of villas and tiny lemon groves”. Its heart is the Piazza Umberto I, with cream-coloured buildings, café tables, a white church up wide steps at one end and a railed terrace at the other.
• Why it matters: It’s the climax of his southern-Italy chapter and a joke at his own expense: after the climb, the perfect square is full of tour groups. ⚠️ This run read the Capri scene only up to Bryson’s walk past the shops beyond the church; the next run will read on.