Few places in the Mediterranean have shaped the European idea of travel as profoundly as the island of Capri. The rocky outcrop of roughly ten square kilometres in the southern Gulf of Naples has been a destination for culturally minded travellers, rulers, artists and summer visitors since Roman antiquity. Emperor Augustus fell in love with its mild air, Tiberius made the island the seat of government of the Roman Empire, German industrialists such as Friedrich Alfred Krupp played their part in its touristic development, and writers from Norman Douglas to Curzio Malaparte immortalised Capri in literature. Visitors to the island today will find, between the Blue Grotto, the Piazzetta, the Faraglioni rocks and the botanical gardens, a richly layered landscape of history, nature and Mediterranean life. A portrait.
What makes Capri so special is difficult to capture in a single observation. It is the combination of ten square kilometres of land with a surprising variety of landscapes: steep limestone cliffs and gentle coves, terraced lemon groves and Mediterranean macchia, neoclassical villas and medieval lanes. It is the cultural density, spanning from the Roman imperial era through the Romantic rediscovery of the 19th century to the literary salons of the 20th. It is the Mediterranean light that has drawn painters to Capri ever since August Kopisch. And it is the social openness that allows a cosmopolitan atmosphere to flourish on a very small island, of the kind usually reserved for major cities. It is in the concentration of these elements that one finds the reason why the island's appeal has never waned in two thousand years.
Where Capri is and how to get there
Capri lies at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Naples, roughly five kilometres from the Sorrento Peninsula, opposite Punta Campanella. The island comprises two municipalities: the main town of Capri in the eastern part and the higher-lying Anacapri in the west, connected by the winding Via Provinciale and by the funicular railway, built in 1874, running from Marina Grande to the Piazzetta. The island is accessible exclusively by sea, with ferries and hydrofoils departing from Naples Molo Beverello, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. Seasonal connections are also available from the neighbouring island of Ischia and from the ferry ports near Pozzuoli . Between Easter and November, tourist vehicles are prohibited from landing; travellers are therefore advised to leave their car in Naples or Sorrento and explore the island by bus, funicolare or on foot.
From Tiberius to the present day: the history of the island
Human presence on Capri stretches back to Greek antiquity, when the island formed part of Magna Graecia and was associated in mythological accounts with the Sirens. The decisive imprint, however, was left by the Roman imperial era. Emperor Augustus fell so deeply in love with the island during a stopover that in 29 BC he acquired it from the city of Naples in exchange for the neighbouring island of Aenaria, present-day Ischia, and had the first villas built there. His successor Tiberius made Capri his preferred seat of government in 27 AD and spent the following ten years until his death largely on the island, with the Villa Jovis high up in the north-east as his principal residence. A withdrawal that Roman writers such as Suetonius described with a mixture of fascination and censure.
In the Middle Ages and the early modern period, Capri was of little note and served primarily as a military outpost of the Kingdom of Naples. It was not until the 19th century that its cultural significance returned, as German and British travellers discovered the island as a Romantic destination. In 1826 the Blue Grotto was rediscovered by the German poet and painter August Kopisch and the Swabian writer Wilhelm Waiblinger, and with it modern tourism began. The Essen industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp had the winding Via Krupp laid out around 1900, leading from the town centre down to the bay of Marina Piccola, and Kaiser Wilhelm II was a regular guest on the island. The 20th century brought, among others, the Scottish writer Norman Douglas with his novel South Wind, Curzio Malaparte with the iconic Casa Malaparte on the cliffs of Punta Massullo, as well as Elsa Morante, Alberto Moravia, Rainer Maria Rilke and many others.
The Piazzetta di Capri: the heart of the island
The central meeting point of the island is the Piazzetta di Capri, officially Piazza Umberto I., a small, easily surveyed square at the heart of the main town, surrounded by four bars with open-air terraces and the clock tower of the former church of Santo Stefano. From here the main shopping lanes radiate outwards, home to well-known international fashion brands as well as historic addresses such as the Cerio Library and the Palazzo del Cerio. The Piazzetta is known as "il salotto del mondo", the drawing room of the world, a reference to the mingling of international tourists and local residents who gather here for an aperitivo, a coffee or simply to watch the rhythm of island life.
The Blue Grotto and the Faraglioni
Two natural icons define the image of Capri https://vivereinitalien.de/capri-cecilia-barbara-walch worldwide. The Blue Grotto, Italian Grotta Azzurra, is a sea cave 60 metres long and 25 metres wide on the north-western coast of the island, whose waters take on a characteristically luminous blue through an underwater opening, an effect that on clear days appears almost artificial. Access is by small rowing boats through a low entrance that is only passable in calm seas and at certain tidal conditions. As the official tourism portal Italia.it documents in its portrait of the Grotta Azzurra, the cave is visited daily by numerous boats, with sometimes lengthy waiting times during the high season.
The second great natural icon is the Faraglioni, three distinctive rocks rising from the sea off the south-eastern coast. The first, Faraglione di Terra, is connected to the mainland; the second, Faraglione di Mezzo, features a natural tunnel through which boats can pass; and the third, Faraglione di Fuori, is the habitat of the Blue Lizard endemic to Capri (Podarcis siculus coeruleus). The Faraglioni are best seen from Punta Tragara or on a boat tour around the island, and rank among the most photographed subjects in Italy.
Villa Jovis and the Roman traces
On a rocky promontory 334 metres high in the north-east of the island stands the Villa Jovis, the residence built by Tiberius between 27 and 37 AD and the last official seat of government of the emperor. The ruins include the imperial living quarters, a large cistern, the remains of a watchtower and the so-called Salto di Tiberio, a sheer cliff from which, according to legend, Tiberius had his enemies thrown to their deaths. As the archaeological portal of Capri Tourism documents, Villa Jovis was the largest and most elaborate of the twelve Roman villas that Tiberius had built on the island. The ascent from the Piazzetta through narrow alleyways and a pine forest takes around 45 minutes and is rewarded with one of the most spectacular views in southern Italy, across to the Sorrento Peninsula and the Gulf of Naples with Vesuvius in the distance.
Anacapri and Monte Solaro
The western and higher-lying part of the island is the independent municipality of Anacapri, which is traditionally quieter and less geared towards mass tourism than the main town. Among the most important sights is the Villa San Michele, built by the Swedish physician and writer Axel Munthe between 1896 and 1910 on the ruins of a Roman structure. His book The Story of San Michele from 1929 was translated worldwide and contributed significantly to the European fascination with Capri. From the villa, a chairlift ascends to Monte Solaro, the island's highest point at 589 metres above sea level, offering a panoramic view of the Gulf of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, the Sorrento Peninsula, and on clear days as far as Vesuvius, the Phlegraean Fields, and the island of Ischia.
The culinary island: Insalata Caprese and Torta Caprese
Capri has given Italian cuisine two well-known recipes. The Insalata Caprese made from Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil, seasoned simply with good olive oil and salt, is among the most widely copied Italian antipasti in the world. Its colours, white, red, and green, mirror the Italian tricolour and are said, according to legend, to trace back to an appearance by the Marchese Palazzo at a banquet in the 1920s, where he wished to demonstrate national patriotism through food. The second icon is the Torta Caprese, a gluten-free cake made from dark chocolate, ground almonds, butter, sugar, and eggs, which legend has it came about by accident: a pastry chef on the island is said to have forgotten the flour in the early 20th century and served the cake regardless, to unexpectedly fine results. Both recipes are today firmly established in the repertoire of Italian restaurants worldwide.
Practical tips for visiting
For a rewarding visit , Capri is particularly well suited during the shoulder seasons of May to June and September to October, when temperatures are pleasant and the high-season crowds are absent. In July and August the island is overcrowded, with long queues at the Blue Grotto and restaurants that are difficult to book. Those with only one day are best advised to arrive on an early aliscafo from Naples or Sorrento, take the funicolare to the Piazzetta, walk to the Belvedere di Tragara with its view of the Faraglioni, have lunch at one of the trattorias there, and spend the afternoon either on a boat tour or visiting the Villa San Michele in Anacapri. For a longer stay, Anacapri offers a quieter and more affordable alternative to the pricier surroundings of the Piazzetta.
Those wishing to explore the island more thoroughly will find in German-speaking guide Cecilia Barbara Walch a island expertwho has lived on Capri since 1994 and offers guided tours in German. For the official opening times of the Blue Grotto, Villa Jovis, and further sights, the official Capri tourism portal provides up-to-date information. Travellers who wish to explore the mainland before or after their visit often combine Capri with a stay in Pozzuoli, in Naples, or along the Amalfi Coast, with the Sorrento Peninsula remaining the most convenient departure point for day trips to the island.
