Capri shopping: discovering the island’s fashion stores

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«If you can’t give up shopping even on holiday, read on to find out more about the highlights of Capri shopping and discove the major fashion streets on the island»

This summer Snap Italy  takes you to discover the best shopping districts with the column  Shopping Maps. Here we are, therefore, on our first stop: today we will talk about what Capri shopping has to offer, and we will take you around the most famous and renowned boutiques of the island.

Capri is famous all over the world, and every year it becomes the favorite destination for tourists coming from all over the globe. The island offers breathtaking landscapes, nature, sea and good food, but also many possibilities to buy fashionable and artisanal products. So, between a dip in the sea, a boat trip (inevitable) and an ice cream in the famous Piazzetta, remember to spend some time shopping. You will not regret it!

What Capri shopping can offer will really satisfy everyone. Whether you are looking for typical local products or must-haves of the great Italian fashion houses, on this magical island you will find everything you want. In particular, we recommend you take a look at the boutiques of the major brands, and then lose yourself among the typical Capri shops, discovering many small curiosities on the island. And, of course, you can not miss among your purchases a bottle of the best Italian limoncello, a perfume and a pair of handmade sandals.

But let’s proceed by order…The luxury shopping triangle in Capri goes from Piazza Umberto I to  Via Camerelle  and Via Le Botteghe. In Anacapri, along Via Giuseppe Orlandi, you will find many craft shops, while souvenir shops are concentrated along the road leading to Villa San Michele.

Right in the Piazzetta, under the famous clock, we find the La Parisienne boutique, which since 1906 (year of its opening) has been one of the major symbols of Capri fashion. The  multi-brand boutique  offers sophisticated and elegant styles. If you are looking for a nice kaftan, or a printed silk tunic, or a colorful dress with crystals, in this store you will find the best proposals. With its two labels Adrian’s and Capri Couture, since the ’60s it has never stopped producing, strictly on the island, its prêt-à-porter luxury, keeping alive the precious tradition of Capri craftsmanship. Definitely a must in your Capri shopping tour.

Starting from the Piazzetta and proceeding to Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Camerelle, you will find the major luxury boutiques. From Roberto Cavalli to Salvatore Ferragamo, from Giorgio Armani to Valentino, passing through Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu and Moschino.

Always here, you will find the iconic Capri Watch store.  The  brand  was founded in the ’90s by Silvio Staiano, but in reality the activity of the store dates back to 1964, when his parents sold ceramic items handmade by the best Italian craftsmen. Another name to remember is  Antica Sartoria Positano by Giacomo Cinque, which we will often find in our column  Shopping Maps, and which brought Positano fashion to the streets of Capri. And of course, in our Capri shopping guide, a mention of the Chantecler boutique, a brand that has exported the caprese style all over the world, conquering the hearts of the most beautiful women (we talked about it here).

In short, the  most hardcore fashionistas  will not be disappointed by their walk to the center of Capri! If, instead, you are looking for handicrafts or souvenirs, here are some other ideas…

If you want to make a smart and fashionable purchase, opt for a pair of handmade Capri sandals (we talked about it here), a typical product of the island capable of overcoming the test of time. All you have to do is enter the shop, measure your foot and choose the bands you like the most, and you’re done! In a couple of hours you will have an exclusive pair of  tailored sandals. The choice of straps, then, is really infinite: simple colored stripes with elaborate jewel motifs. Jackie Kennedy was crazy about it, so much so that she made a shop open a little trustworthy shop just for her to stock up on sandals late at night. We are talking about the workshop of  Canfora, considered the brand of Capri sandals par excellence. Inaugurated in 1946, the store welcomed countless celebrities such as  Soraya,  Margaret of England,  Maria Callas and  Grace Kelly, and was one of the first to open in Via delle Camerelle, even before it became the shopping street in Capri. You cannot say you have experienced Capri shopping if you haven’t been to the sandal shop.

Another typical  fashionable souvenir of the island is a good handmade perfume. Turning around the island you will notice several perfume shops, made by macerating flowers and herbs growing in Capri in the alcohol. It is a very ancient tradition, begun in 1400 by the monks of the Certosa di San Giacomo.

According to the legend, in 1380 the prior father of the Certosa, caught unawares by the news of the sovereign Giovanna D’Angiò coming to Capri, prepared a collection of the most beautiful flowers of the island; those flowers remained for three days in the same water and, when it was time to throw them, the prior noticed that the water had acquired a fragrance to him mysterious. So he turned to the religious expert in alchemy, who identified the origin of that perfume in the Garofilium silvestre caprese. That water was, therefore, the first fragrance of Capri. In 1948 the prior of the Charterhouse rediscovered the old perfume formulas and, on the Pope’s license, he revealed them to a Piedmontese chemist who created the smallest laboratory in the world, naming it Carthusia, namely “Certosa”.

And it is precisely the  boutiques  of Carthusia that carry on this incredible tradition. These fragrances tell of Capri, with its history, its legends and its inhabitants. If you want to try these wonderful scents, between Capri and Anacapri there are five shops to visit.  

Finally, before leaving the island, dedicate some of your time in search of the perfect  limoncello caprese or a good  caprese cake. For those who do not know, limoncello is a liqueur made from lemons, while the caprese is a cake made with cocoa and almonds. Here you will be spoiled for choice because these two products represent the excellence of the island cuisine. It is no coincidence that the best pastry chefs compete to win the title of “best island caprese cake”. In any case, they will be souvenirs, maybe not very  trendy, but that will bring you back with your mind (or rather, with taste) on this magical and unforgettable island.

Now you know how to make the most our of what Capri shopping can offer. What are you waiting for? Pack your bags and go grab yourselves a pair of those sandals!

Raffaella Celentano

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