Capri Island can safely claim to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The first eminent connoisseur was the Roman emperor Tiberius, who spent here the last years of his life. Later in his works, Capri was repeatedly praised by famous writers, artists, musicians, poets. Many directors chose this island as the scene of action in their films.
If the route of your trip to Italy passes through Campania, namely through Naples, it is worth making time to visit capri island, which is just a stone's throw from here. A boat trip sailing from the port of Naples every hour takes no more than 40 minutes, and from Sorrento even less - only 20 minutes. From Ischia, a sea voyage will last about 40 minutes.
You can go to Capri with a guide - the trip will be even more interesting. As a rule, such excursions to Capri most often organized from Naples. The guide Valentine also conducts them, with whom in November 2014 we walked along Naples together. Contacts of Valentina and the impressions of getting to know her BlogoItaliano described in the article Excursions in Naples: review of the guide.
Marina Grande on Capri is considered the central harbor
The total area of the island of Capri is only about 10 square meters. km, and it is quite possible to get around on foot in a day. The island has two cities. The eponymous Capri, with a population of 8 thousand people, is considered the capital of the island and is located on the eastern side. The second city - Anacapri (Anacapri), with 7 thousand inhabitants, is located in the west. In addition, the island has two harbors: Marina Grande (central) and Marina Piccola.
Weather and climate
Due to the mild climate, moderate temperatures (in the summer months it is rarely higher than +25 +29 C) and rare precipitation, tourists visit the island year-round. The best time to travel to Capri is late spring and early autumn, when the sun is not so active and there are relatively few tourists.
Transport in Capri
Upon arrival to the island, tourists are usually dropped off atthe port of Marina Grandefrom where the center can be reached by bus or funicular. The latter is located in Piazza della Vittoria, which is a stone's throw from the port itself. The funicular (1907) is equipped with comfortable trailers that will take you to a viewing platform located at an altitude of 138 m. The length of the entire route along which the funicular follows is 650 meters. The observation deck can also be reached with a pretty open-top municipal bus or walk.
Anacapri Cable Car Lifts to Mount Solara
By the way, right at the port you can order any excursion you are interested in both by sea and by the island itself.
Capri
With Maria Grande, public transport will take you directly to the central square of the capital of Capri - Piazzetta Umberto I, which locals affectionately call "small", and the famous English prose writer Norman Douglas called the smallest in the world. As in any other city, life is always in full swing in the main square: there are a lot of expensive boutiques, cozy cafes and bars, and numerous entertainment programs are also held especially for tourists.
The square offers a wonderful view of the Clock Tower, the palace of the XIV century. Cherio, the snow-white church of Santo Stefano and the Monastery of San Giacomo of the 14th century, in which baroque frescoes, a shelter for wanderers and other cloisters are well preserved.
The guests of the island are fascinated by the saturated, almost blue color of the sea, the water transparency of which in some places reaches 8-10 m. Numerous turquoise bays and gray stone colosses Faraglioni (Faraglioni), sprouting directly from the water, have long become an integral part of the Capri landscape.
The three limestone colossi of Faraglioni are also a symbol of Capri.
And also white cliffs and bright greenery of Mediterranean shrubs, vineyards, olives, flowers and herbs that abound in the island.
This is especially noticeable in "Gardens of the Emperor Augustus" (Giardini di Augusto) - a public park on the south side of the island. This fabulously beautiful, well-groomed and fragrant garden was built in the 19th century by the German steelmaker Friedrich Alfred Krupp, who, in addition to steel, was seriously interested in biology.
It was on the initiative of Krupp that one of the longest, winding, and, frankly, dangerous streets of Capri (1350m) was built, which was named after him - Via Krupp. Past the monastery of St. Jacob on it you can walk to the pier Marina Piccola and one of the best beaches on the island.
If you want to take pictures or just enjoy the sea views, you should go to the Belvedere Cannone, which leads to Via Madre Serafina or to the Belvedere Tragara via Via Camerella.
Krupp street is one of the longest, twistiest, and most dangerous streets of Capri
This is not to say that the sea is the only thing for which thousands of armies of tourists come toCapri. The island is rich in museums, archaeological sites and historical sites. The museum, named after Ignacio Cherio, tells the entertaining story of the island; Certosa San Giacomo has preserved valuable archaeological finds; the ruins of Villa Jovis will reveal how grand the imperial residences were. A peculiar architectural monument of the last century is red Villa Malaparte (Villa Malaparte) - was used as the scenery for the film "Contempt" with the participation of Bridget Bardot (1963).
Anacapri
From the seaport of Marina Grande to Anacapri can be reached on foot, breaking the 921 step along Phoenician stairscarved into the rock by the first settlers of the island (VII-VI centuries BC). According to the experience of local residents, the climb takes about 1.5 hours of leisurely walking, but the descent, of course, will be much faster - in about 40 minutes.
In addition, in Anacapri there is a cableway that allows you to climb to the main peak of the island - mount solara, 589 m high, from where the picturesque panorama opens.
AT Anacapri it is worth visiting the church of Santa Sofia to see the floor of majolica slabs depicting a biblical plot on the theme “The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise”, made in 1761, as well as frescoes of the 18th-19th centuries, a marble iconostasis inlaid with ornamental stones, and wooden painted altars.
From Anacapri, you will reach the Imperial Villa of Damekut, built during the time of Tiberius and abandoned by its inhabitants after the eruption of Vesuvius (c. 79).
Blue Grotto and Faraglioni
Not far from the imperial villa is located and Blue Grotto (Grotto azzurro), which is 56m long and 30m wide. The grotto is the emblem and symbol of the island of Capri.
Its discoverer in 1826 was the German poet August Kopsh. You can get to the Blue Grotto only by water on a boat, and its name is due to the extraordinary play of colors inside it. Sunlight, passing through the water and reflected in it, creates multi-colored, rainbow radiance that illuminate the walls, and objects placed in the water acquire a silver tint in it. Statues of Poseidon, Triton and other ancient artifacts of archaeological value were found in the caves of the grotto.
The Blue Grotto was opened in 1826
Three limestone colossus Faraglioni (Faraglioni), rising from the depths of the sea to a height of 111m, 104m and 81m, the locals call the "Sons of Capri", and they are also a symbol of the island. In one of them - Fraglioni di Fuori - for natural reasons, a natural arch was formed, swimming under which you can see the blue lizards that have inhabited the reef since ancient times. According to legend, these exotic creatures were introduced as pets for the entertainment of the Roman nobility.
Capri beaches
Getting to know the equipped beaches of Capri is better to start with the popular Marina Grande, located near the port of the same name, or go to the beaches of Marina Piccola, located near the second harbor of the island. Like all central beaches, it is also full of people.
If you want privacy and peace, on a rented rubber boat, you can go to one of the many bays, grottoes or ravines. And if you rent a motor boat, you can go to the Baths of Tiberius - a rocky beach, on which there are still the ruins of one of the 12 palaces of the Roman emperor, located on the island.
