– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

The island of Capri in Italy.

It's picture-perfect landscapes and turquoise sea

draw visitors from around the world.

But this is also Capri: foot traffic at a standstill in narrow streets,

hours of waiting, upset residents.

In summer, Capri is hopelessly overcrowded.

What about visiting in fall instead?

You can only reach the island by boat.

Capri is located in southern Italy, in the Bay of Naples.

From Naples it takes between 50 and 90 minutes to get there by ferry.

Even the journey there is an experience.

All visitors pass through this Marina.

And it quickly becomes a bottleneck.

It's the end of September and it's still super packed.

From the harbour you can take the funicular directly

to the centre of the town of Capri.

But you'll need to be patient.

Taxis are an alternative, but you'll have to wait for them too.

It's Antonio Alfano's job to keep the chaos under control.

He's the manager of the taxi queue and a one man show.

To skip ahead in line, some tourists have even offered Antonio money.

But he promises he cannot be bribed.

Most taxis here are convertibles, specially designed for Capri.

That's how warm it gets even in fall.

It's tough to catch one, but much easier now than in summer.

Anacapri is one of only two towns on the island with a real must see:

The Villa St. Michele.

Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe

had it built in the 19th century.

Today tourists flock here and enjoy the magnificent view.

Munthe discovered this spot 300 meters above sea level

when he was just 19 years old.

He had a magnificent garden created and collected antique art.

Like this over 3,000 year old sphinx.

There's plenty of art to see inside the villa, too.

In 1948, Munthe handed it over to the Swedish state,

which is why the site is now open to visitors.

If you want to spend a bit more time taking in the spectacular view,

have a seat in the café.

On to the next tourist hotspot!

On the south side of the island are the Gardens of Augustus,

created at the beginning of the 20th century

by German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp.

This also gives you a stunning panoramic view of Capri,

spanning the historic serpentine path Via Krupp

and the famous Faraglioni rocks.

And on we go to the most famous square in Capri — Piazza Umberto I.

This is the heart of Capri.

It's crowded and full of cafés - even in the off-season.

Everyone checks it out when they come.

For locals like Marco Milano, it's a real nuisance.

He was born here and is a member of the local consumer association,

he doesn't recognize his hometown anymore.

In high summer up to 16,000 tourists come every day,

with a population of about 14,000.

Since 2024 tourists have been charged 5 euros during high season.

The aim is for more people to visit in winter instead.

But it doesn't seem to be helping.

For locals this is causing huge problems,

for example with housing.

But no tourism isn't an option either.

Many locals make their living from it, such as the boatman.

Every day they ferry visitors to the famous Blue Grotto.

In midsummer, the rush for tours is enormous, while in fall it's quieter.

In a nutshell, Capri is gorgeous, but it's definitely not an insider tip!

If you still want to see the island, come in the off-season

or the shoulder season.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
island /ˈaɪ.lənd/ A2	noun - a piece of land surrounded by water
tourists /ˈtʊr.ɪsts/ B1	noun - people who travel for pleasure or interest
overcrowded /ˌoʊ.vərˈkrʌpt/ B2	adjective - filled with too many people or things
ferry /ˈfɛr.i/ B1	noun - a boat or ship used to carry passengers and vehicles across water verb - to transport by ferry
Marina /məˈriː.nə/ B2	noun - a harbour facility for small boats and yachts
bottleneck /ˈbɒt.əl.nɛk/ C1	noun - a point of congestion or blockage that slows progress
funicular /ˈfjuː.nɪ.kjʊ.lər/ C1	noun - a railway on a steep slope where a cable pulls the cars
convertibles /kənˈvɜː.tɪ.bəlz/ B2	noun - cars whose roof can be folded or removed
Villa /ˈvɪl.ə/ B2	noun - a large, luxurious country house
garden /ˈɡɑːr.dən/ A2	noun - an area of land where plants are cultivated
panoramic /ˌpæn.əˈræŋ.kɪk/ C1	adjective - offering an unobstructed and wide view in all directions
Faraglioni /ˌfɑːr.əˈʎoʊ.ni/ C2	noun - the iconic limestone sea stacks on the coast of Capri
Grotto /ˈɡrɒt.oʊ/ B2	noun - a small, picturesque cave, especially near water
tourism /ˈtʊr.ɪ.zəm/ B2	noun - the business of people traveling for pleasure
housing /ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ/ B2	noun - the provision of homes or places to live
season /ˈsiː.zən/ A2	noun - one of the four periods of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
spectacular /spekˈtæk.jʊ.lər/ B2	adjective - impressively large, beautiful, or effective
historic /hɪˈstɒr.ɪk/ B2	adjective - important in history; famous or significant in the past

Key Grammar Structures

• You can only reach the island by boat.

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' expressing possibility

  ➔ The modal verb "can" is used to indicate that reaching the island is possible only by boat, with "only" emphasizing exclusivity.

• Capri is located in southern Italy, in the Bay of Naples.

  ➔ Passive voice structure

  ➔ The verb "is located" uses a passive construction to describe where Capri is situated, focusing on the subject.

• From Naples it takes between 50 and 90 minutes to get there by ferry.

  ➔ It takes ... to structure expressing duration

  ➔ The structure "it takes" is followed by a time expression and an infinitive to describe how long the journey takes.

• He's the manager of the taxi queue and a one man show.

  ➔ Coordinate conjunction and appositive phrase

  ➔ The conjunction "and" connects two descriptions of the subject, with "a one man show" acting as an appositive renaming it.

• To skip ahead in line, some tourists have even offered Antonio money.

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to skip" expresses the purpose of offering money, indicating why the tourists did so.

• Most taxis here are convertibles, specially designed for Capri.

  ➔ Past participle used as adjective

  ➔ The past participle "designed" acts as an adjective modifying "taxis", describing how they are made.

• Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe had it built in the 19th century.

  ➔ Causative 'have' structure

  ➔ The verb "had" in this structure means Munthe caused or arranged for 'it' to be built, using 'have' + object + infinitive.

• Since 2024 tourists have been charged 5 euros during high season.

  ➔ Present perfect passive

  ➔ The phrase "have been charged" is in present perfect passive, showing an ongoing action from "since 2024" with tourists receiving the action.