Narrator:
Tonight, I want to tell you about Capri…
Not the one on postcards or in shop windows, but the one that breathes in the wind, among the rocks and the scent of the sea.
I am a boatman. I have sailed these waters since I was a child. Every wave, every grotto, every stone… has a story to tell.
Every note you will hear tonight – every melody, every voice – will lead you to that place where myth and truth blur.
Let the violin be the wind, and the voice… the memory of the sea.
♫ Piece: “Soave sia il vento” (Mozart)

 

Narrator:
There they are… the Faraglioni, Capri’s magical symbol.
It is said that Virgil himself pointed them out as the dwelling place of the Sirens. Unique, mysterious creatures. And one morning…
their song reached me. They enchanted me. They captured me.
Now you too… close your eyes. Try to hear that sweet and dangerous song.
♫ Piece: “Once Upon a Time in the West” (Morricone)

 

Narrator:
My love for that siren was so great that every morning she would find me there, on the shore, my gaze lost toward the horizon.
I waited for dawn as one waits for a sign, an answer, a memory.
And there it was…
a golden sphere slowly rising from the sea, bathing everything in warm, new light.
The island would awaken gently:
the song of birds among the pines,
the first boats gliding over the water like dreams. Everything was suspended, and yet alive.
And each time, within me, a melody would ignite. Morgen, by Strauss.
I often think of him, the master who once stayed on this island. Was he too captivated?
Perhaps he too gazed at this same dawn
and listened, hidden within the folds of silence,
to the secret song of a siren.
♫ Piece: “Morgen!” (Strauss)

 

Narrator:
Every night, before falling asleep, she – my siren – lulled me with ancient tales, like gentle waves carrying me back to shore.
One of her stories was the most heartbreaking of all: the love legend of Capri and Vesuvius.
It is said that once Capri was a nymph, beautiful, radiant, daughter of the sea.
And Vesuvius, a young man of fire, son of the earth and the winds.
They loved each other in secret, unbeknownst to the gods.
But their bond was forbidden.
And when it was discovered, Capri was forced to flee,
to hurl herself into the waves so as not to abandon the love that burned in her heart.
From her sorrow, the island was born, still today lying upon the sea like a sleeping woman.
Vesuvius, in despair, turned to stone in his waiting.

He remained there, motionless, but the fire within him never went out.
Every eruption is a cry, every cloud of ash… a sigh still searching for her.
And when I closed my eyes,
I could hear the song of that pain,
the eternal lament of a love time has never been able to extinguish.
♫ Piece: “Tu ca nun chiagne”

 

Narrator:
I had to escape.
I could not remain forever with that siren.
My family searched for me, people worried about me… and I, I was a slave to that bewitching being.
One morning, while the siren was heading toward the Blue Grotto, I heard a different sound: a tambourine, then laughter…
It was the sound of Capri calling me back.
And then I saw her: Carmelina.
The beautiful dancer of the island.
Imagine, Carmelina Cerrotta, at just twenty years old, opened a tavern next to Tiberius’ villa.
Carmelina was stunning and entertained her guests with anecdotes and legends about Emperor Tiberius.
She claimed to have inherited her rhythm and movements from an ancient handmaid of the emperor, and she swore that on nights of the full moon, Tiberius returned to visit her, to reveal intrigues and secrets of his past.
But time went by.
The world changed.
And those stories, once whispers, became noises, too loud.
And perhaps, from too much pain, from the fear of a world that no longer listened to her…
one night, as if in a dance, Carmelina leapt from the balcony of her home. Just like in her legends about Tiberius.
♫ Piece: “La Danza”

 

Narrator:
And right then, as Capri was changing…
it began to fill with stars, with icons:
Jackie Kennedy, Neruda, Nilde Jotti, Princess Margaret… And then her.
Her, the Divine.
The greatest opera singer in the world: Maria Callas.
I still remember the first time I saw her in the Piazzetta. So elegant, so splendid… and with that look.
Yes, that look.
Behind those dark eyes… there was a deep melancholy, an ancient pain, but also that mysterious light that only true artists know how to guard.
One day I was called to take her to the Blue Grotto. It was just she and I.
The water was still, the silence perfect.
I asked her, almost whispering:
“Would you like to sing, here inside?”
She lowered her eyes…
a tear ran down her face…
and then she began to sing, a cappella…
And she began… to sing.
♫ Piece: “Vissi d’arte” (Puccini)

 

Narrator:
“Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore”… A prayer. A testament.
When we returned to shore, she said to me:
“Thank you. Thank you, people of Capri, for welcoming me with love.”
Because that’s who we are.
Practical people, but full of soul.
We live in beauty, immersed in treasures.
And we want to share with you this energy, this warmth, this enchantment.
Now, before we leave you…
join us.
Step into our legends. Sing with us.
♫ Final piece: “’Surdato innamorato / Oi vita”

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