Summer Letter: The Complicated Art of Packing a Beach Bag in Capri

Kristina Kappelin on becoming a Capri lady, with her favourite places on the island

Capri, July.

A Swedish friend is visiting Capri. It’s Sunday, and we’re going swimming.

“I’m ready. We can go now if you want,” she says. There she is, already standing in the hallway, apparently ready for our trip to the sea, with a normal-sized tote bag over her shoulder.

This is one of those moments when I realize that I’ve become Italian. Is that really all she’s planning to bring?

“I’m just going to pack my swimming bag. You can have some coffee in the meantime,” I say, hurrying into the bedroom.

Packing a swimming bag doesn’t sound particularly complicated, but it is. A day at the beach in Italy, not to mention Capri, requires careful planning and a range of options in order to maintain the all-important bella figura, the Italian imperative to be equipped with the right things at the right time.

To begin with, this requires a large bag and a long checklist. To avoid forgetting anything, it is best to follow a logical order, starting with the head, working your way down to the feet and ticking off every essential item along the way.

Sun hat. It is hot by the sea, very hot, and if you dye your hair as I do, the sun bleaches all the highlights in a flash and I end up looking like the grandmother I am not.

It is also stylish to go to the beach in a nice sun hat. But once you lie down, it needs to be soft enough to tuck under your head. In other words, I need one sun hat to wear and another to lie on.

“You are coming at some point, right?”

Oh my God, I’m still only on the headgear.

Sunglasses. A cool pair and a pair for reading. Oh, how dirty they are! I quickly add two glasses cases and a small spray bottle of lens cleaner.

Sunscreen. One for the face and two for the body, SPF 50 and SPF 30. Don’t forget hair lotion, because your hair gets brittle and frizzy from the sun and the sea. A swimming cap! A wide-toothed beach comb! And a nice hair clip for lunch.

“What lunch?”

“You don’t think you can sunbathe and swim in Capri without having lunch, do you?”

On Capri, people go to the beach in the kind of clothes normal people wear to parties. I glance at my daughter’s purple caftan embroidered with gold thread, but stop myself. A mother is not allowed to borrow clothes from her child. So I stick to my usual style, something slightly eccentric and perhaps a little ethnic, since I am a grown woman in my prime and also from exotic Sweden, forests and moose, you know, but it has to be done with finesse.

My only concession to the Swedes’ favourite adjective, “practical”, is a pair of Birkenstocks. It says something about effective marketing that such an ugly shoe was actually fashionable for a while. If you’re really meticulous, you also bring a little bottle of nail polish, but that is where I draw the line.

Note, note, note: don’t forget a pair of flip-flops! The rocks and the sand are both boiling hot, and who wants blisters on the soles of their feet? The swimming shoes go into their own dedicated bag.

“What are you actually doing in there?”

The swimsuits. Of course, one is not enough. Here, you have to take into account general elegance, swimming and the risk of a urinary tract infection. At least three. And perhaps a fourth in case you change your mind about the colour or style. A pareo to wrap around your hips so that you look slightly dressed up for lunch. Note, note, note: a waterproof bag for the wet swimsuits on the way home, and underwear.

“Now you’re finally done, aren’t you?”

Absolutely not. Then comes the beach wallet, along with the little Marimekko purse for the coins needed to pay the bus fare. A bus to go to the beach on Capri? Yes, that is actually the only way to get there quickly without dying of heatstroke.

Do I have everything now? No, a book! I need something to read, and a pencil for La Settimana Enigmistica, and…

“If you don’t come now, I’m leaving!!!!”

And damn it, I forgot my goggles.

Kristina Kappelin

The Famous Beach Bag

My Capri Tips

Il Faro

Whether you’re looking for the island’s best free beach or the best beach club with seafood lunch, Il Faro is the answer.

Address: Località Punta Carena, 80071 Anacapri.

Villa San Michele

Besides going to the beach, the best thing to do on Capri is to visit Villa San Michele, the house museum and award-winning garden created by the eccentric Swede Axel Munthe. His international bestseller, The Story of San Michele, made the place iconic. In the interest of full transparency, I should add that I am also the director of the museum and cultural institution, which is now owned by the Swedish state. If you are lucky, you will meet me there.

Address: Viale Axel Munthe 34, 80071 Anacapri.

Bar Columbus

For dinner, Bar Columbus is my favourite. The only Slow Food restaurant on the island, it is authentic, sustainable and unmistakably charming. Don’t be fooled by the exterior: the magic happens upstairs.

Address: Salita Caposcuro 8, 80071 Anacapri.

YUU-Bar

Drinks at YUU-Bar, with the wonderful Raffaele choosing the perfect glass of wine for you, are the perfect way to end a perfect day on Capri.

Address: Via Castello 1, 80076 Capri.