Sights in Capri
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Monte Tuoro
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Santa Maria a Cetrella
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Torre di Materita
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Torre Saracena
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Grotta Azzura
Capri’s single most famous attraction is the Grotto Azzura (insert pracs), a stunning sea cave illuminated by an other-worldly blue light.
Long known to local fishermen, it was rediscovered by two Germans – writer Augustus Kopisch and painter Ernst Fries – in 1826. Subsequent research, however, revealed that Emperor Tiberius had built a quay in the cave around AD 30, complete with a nymphaeum. You can still see the carved Roman landing stage towards the rear of the cave.
Measuring 54m by 30m and rising to a height of 15m, the grotto is said to have sunk by up to 20m in prehistoric times, blocking every opening except the 1.3m-high entrance. And this is the key to the…
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Arco Naturale
A 1.5km walk from the Villa Jovis, down Via Tiberio and Via Matermània, is the Arco Naturale, a huge rock arch formed by the pounding sea.
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Museo Cerio
Museo Cerio harbours a library of books and journals about the island (mostly in Italian) and a collection of locally found fossils.
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Salto di Tiberio
The stairway behind the Villa Jovis leads to the 330m-high Salto di Tiberio, a sheer cliff from where Tiberius had out-of-favour subjects hurled into the sea.
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Isole Faraglioni
The view from the Giardini di Augusto gardens is breathtaking, looking over to the Isole Faraglioni, three limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
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Faro
Rising above Punta Carena, Capri’s rugged southwesterly point, is the faro, Italy’s second-tallest and most powerful lighthouse. The rocks nearby are a great place to swim in the summer with lots of rocks to dive (safely) from and clear turquoise water.
If this sounds like something you’d take the plunge and do, then hop on the bus that runs from the centre of Anacapri every 20 minutes to the faro in summer (if you are a real chill seeker, it runs every 40 minutes in winter).
reviewed
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Monte Solaro
From Piazza Vittoria, the seggiovia carries you to the summit of Monte Solaro, Capri's highest point. The views from the top are outstanding - on a clear day you can see the entire Bay of Naples and the islands of Ischia and Procida.
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Certosa di San Giacomo
This picturesque monastery is generally considered to be the finest remaining example of Caprese architecture and today houses a school, library, temporary exhibition space and a museum with some evocative 17th-century paintings. Be sure to look at the two cloisters which have a real sense of faded glory (the smaller dates to the 14th century, the larger to the 16th century).
The history is a harrowing one: it became the stronghold of the island's powerful Carthusian fraternity and was viciously attacked during Saracen pirate raids in the 16th century. A century later, monks retreated here to avoid the plague and were rewarded by an irate public (who they should have been…
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Seggiovia del Monte Solaro
A fast and painless way to reach Capri’s highest peak, the Seggiovia del Monte Solaro chairlift whisks you to the top of the mountain in a tranquil, beautiful ride of just 12 minutes. The views from the top are outstanding – on a clear day, you can see the entire Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Ischia and Procida.
If all that camera clicking has worked up an appetite, there’s a cafeteria here that serves snacks, drinks and ice creams.
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Chiesa di Santo Stefano
Overlooking Piazza Umberto I, this baroque 17th-century church boasts a well-preserved marble floor (taken from Villa Jovis) and a statue of San Costanzo, Capri’s patron saint. Note the pair of languidly reclining patricians in the chapel to the south of the main altar, who seem to mirror some of the mildly debauched folk in the cafes outside. Beside the northern chapel is a reliquary with a saintly bone that reputedly saved Capri from the plague in the 19th century.
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Chiesa di San Michele
If you appreciate the colour, intricate patterns and historical tradition of antique majolica tiles, check out this stunning church. The glorious octagonal 18th-century majolica-tiled floor vividly depicts Adam and Eve along with a bizarre animal menagerie, including a unicorn, bull, several goats and an elephant.
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Piazza Umberto I
Located beneath the clock tower and framed by see-and-be-seen cafes, this showy, open-air salon is central to your Capri experience, especially in the evening when the main activity in these parts is dressing up and hanging out. Be prepared for the cost of these front row seats – the moment you sit down for a drink, you’re going to pay handsomely for the grandstand views (around €6 for a coffee and €16 for a couple of glasses of white wine).
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Seggiovia del Monte Solaro
A fast and painless way to reach Capri’s highest peak, the Seggiovia del Monte Solaro chairlift whisks you to the mountain peak in a tranquil beautiful ride of just 12 minutes. The views from the top are outstanding – on a clear day you can see the entire Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Ischia and Procida. If all that camera clicking has worked up an appetite, there’s a cafeteria here that serves snacks, drinks and ice creams.
reviewed
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Villa Jovis
East of the town centre, a comfortable 2km walk along Via Tiberio, Villa Jovis is sure to capture your imagination. Standing 354m above sea level, this was the largest and most sumptuous of the island’s 12 Roman villas and was Tiberius’ main Capri residence. Although reduced to ruins, wandering around will give you a good idea of the scale on which Tiberius liked to live.
This vast pleasure complex famously pandered to the emperor’s saucy desires, and included imperial quarters and extensive bathing areas set in dense gardens and woodland.
Spectacular but hardly practical, the villa’s location posed major headaches for Tiberius’ architects. The main problem was how…
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Villa San Michele di Axel Munthe
The former home of self-aggrandising Swedish doctor Axel Munthe, San Michele di Axel Munthe should be included on every visitor’s itinerary. Built on the site of the ruins of a Roman villa, the gardens make a beautiful setting for a tranquil stroll, with pathways flanked by immaculate flowerbeds. There are also superb views from here, plus some fine photo props in the form of Roman sculptures.
If you are here between July and September, you may be able to catch one of the classical concerts that take place in the gardens. Check the Axel Munthe Foundation website for the current program and reservation information.
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Giardini di Augusto
Get away from the Capri crowds by heading southwest from the Certosa di San Giacomo monastery where, at the end of Via G Matteotti, you'll come across the unexpected green oasis of the colourful Giardini di Augusto. Founded by the Emperor Augustus, you should spend a few minutes contemplating the breathtaking view from here: gaze ahead to the Isole Faraglioni and the three dramatic limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
Measuring 109m, 81m and 104m respectively, the pinnacles are home to a rare blue lizard that was once thought to be unique to the Faraglioni but has since been found on the Sicilian coast. While a picture of the lizards from here is…
reviewed
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Giardini di Augusto
The colourful Giardini di Augusto was founded by the Emperor Augustus. The view from the gardens is breathtaking, looking over to the Isole Faraglioni, three limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
reviewed