From insalata caprese to perfume ads to images of celebrities vacationing on the Costiera, the 10 square kilometer island of Capri off the Sorrentine Peninsula in Campania has almost unintentionally become one of the places most synonymous with Italy, or at least an Italian summer.

Tourists of all shapes and sizes swarm the Marina Grande all season long, both for the clear waters and also for the glamorous shops, restaurants, and hotels. The moneyed crowd that brought their spending power here has altered the fabric of the island, shellacking it in a high-gloss veneer.