da Gemma Capri

Gemma and her husband Raffaele, better known as "the chef", opened a little restaurant 55 years ago: a couple of tables overlooking the heart of Capri carefully positioned on the then roofless terrace, a small selection of traditional dishes and, above all, a huge dose of determination.
These were difficult years, an era of war followed by the postwar fight for recovery, but Gemma was astute enough to see beyond the immediate future, as if able to foresee the boom years of the 1960's, and with such a strong belief in the charm of Capri that she was sure she would never be short of work.
In true southern style, her choice was guided by passion, by instinct, and resulted in her establishing a restaurant destined to enter the pages of many a book dedicated to the island. With her innate business sense she siezed an opportunity and captured a moment in history.
In the past, people from all walks of life have found their way to this fine eatery, and today those very customers children and grandchildren continue to return just as numerous celebrities from all over the world.
The "ghosts" of past patrons have been captured in hundreds of photographs which line the walls of the restaurant, along with that of Gemma herself, smiling in her red apron.
One could say that anyone who happens to visit Da Gemma, not only with the intention to eat, but also so as to take a pleasant journey through the past, to get to know and understand the golden era of Capri, feels almost able to hear the voices and the roaring laughter of those who were seated at that very table before him, able to admire the clothes and extravagant hairstyles of the ladies of another era and, who knows, to perceive a friendly slap of a hand upon his shoulder and the voice of Gemma with her " Well sir, what are we going to eat this evening then?"