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1. Blue Grotto
2. Punta Carena and Faro (Lighthouse)
3. Mount Solaro
4. The Path of Forts
5. Villa San Michele
6. Arco naturale
7. The Gardens of Augustus
8. Villa Jovis
9. Tour around the island
Blue Grotto
The most famous marine grotto in Capri.
How to get there
From Materita square in Anacapri, on a road that passes Via Pagliaro and the windmill and winds through orchards and vineyards, you will reach the entrance to the excavations of Damecuta, another of Tiberius villas, and then the Blue Grotto (1 hour on foot, 15 minutes by taxi or bus).
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Punta Carena and Faro (Lighthouse)
A seaside resort and landing place, this picturesque inlet situated to the west of the island, is set in a typically Mediterranean landscape. The lighthouse, which was built over a century ago, is the second largest in Italy in terms of size and power after Genoa’s.
How to get there
By bus from Cimitero square in Anacapri, or from Vittoria square, by taxi (10 mins.)
By foot, from Caprile square (40 mins.).
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Mount Solaro
Mount Solaro (1932 feet) is the highest point of the island. From the summit an incoparable aerial view can be seen of the island and the Gulfs of Neaples and Salerno.
How to get there
By chairlift (in 20 mins.)
The station of the chairlift is situed in Anacapri, in Caposcuro street, near Vittoria Square.
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The Path of Fort
On the West coast of the island is an extraordinarily beautiful and long route which is rich in the intense smells and colours of Mediterranean shrubland.
Set amid seemingly sculpted rocky promontories and strikingly deep inlets filled with crystal clear water are the "Fortini" (blockhouses) from where the route gets its name.
Built at the time of the Saracen invasions, they were transformed into short range artillery "redoubts" by the English and French during the Napoleonic wars.
How to get there
The path starts from Punta Carena (or Punta dell'Arcera) and winds along the western coast of the island until it ends near Punta dell’Arcera, below the road that leads from Anacapri to Grotta Azzurra. From here, one can return to Anacapri with the bus or by taxi. Along the path, in the fascinating colours of the Mediterranean flora, set among the little promontories of wild beauty and bays of turquoise water, one finds the small forts of Pino, Mèsola and Órrico, dating from the period of the Saracen raids.
Time: 4 to 5 hours.
The itinerary can be broken up into several sections by making use of the various roads that cross the route.
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Villa San Michele
Villa San Michele, built by the Swedish author-physician Axel Munthe and now a museum.
How to get there
From Vittoria square, in Anacapri, following viale Axel Munthe, it is only 5 minutes.
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Arco naturale - Pizzolungo
This bold Arch is what remains of a large grotto that penetraded the mountain. The waves of the sea extended its aperture and wasched away its debris. After the uplifting of the island during the paleolithic era, the grotto was freed from the erosive action of the waves and the wind and the rain trasformed its surface. On returning from the Natural Arch, a flight of steps descending to the valley below leads to the Matermania Grotto, an impressive natural cavern trasformed during Roman times into a luxurious Nymphaeum. To-day few remains of the wall, which were originally lined with mosaic „ tesserae“ made of glass paste and decorated with multi-coloured plaster, shells and marine valves, have survived.
These elements, now lost, were also found in the Arsenal Grotto, beneath the Gardens of Augustus.
Beyond the Grotto, an easy path winding along the cliff bordering the sea lads to Villa Malaparte, built at Punta Massullo on a projet by architct Adalberto Libera. It continues up to Tragara Belvedere , from where the centre can be reach in a few minutes walking along the eponymous road (1 hour 30 mins.)
How to get there
From Umberto I° square (Capri), on foot passing along via Longano, Sopramonte and Matermania or always from Piazza Umberto I° passing via Le Botteghe, Croce and Matermania.
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The Gardens of Augustus
The Gardens of Augustus are only few minutes’ walk from the Piazzetta, near the Via Krupp, the road which was the idea of A. F. Krupp, the German steel industrialist, who – for this end – purchased the “Fondo Certosa” (Certosa Estate), on a part of which rise the Gardens.
The road was built in 1902 on a project by Emilio Mayer. It starts here and characteristically zig-zags its way to Marina Piccola. According to architect R. Pane, it proves “that even a road can be a work of art”.
The Certosa of San Giacomo (Carthusian Monastery) is only few steps from the Gardens. It was founded in 1371 by Count Giacomo Arcucci, secretary to the Queen Giovanna I of Naples. The monumental building marks an incomparable moment in the traditional architecture of Capri.The charming and panoramic Via Tragara leads to a Belvedere bearing the same name and to the Faraglioni rocks lower down.
How to get there
From Umberto I° square (Capri), walk along Vittorio Emanuele street, F. Serena and Matteotti streets (15 mins.)
On your way back to Matteotti streets, the Carthusian Monastery may be easily reached. Then, following Ignazio Cerio street, Camerelle street and Tragara street.
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Villa Jovis
Villa Jovis is the largest of the twelve Roman villas mentioned by Tacitus in the Annals. It was from here that Tiberius decreed the fate of the Empire from 27 to 37 A.D.
In 1938, archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri exposed its massive structure, which covers a surface area of approx. 7,000 sq. m. on terracing made out of, and adapted to, the mountain's rocky, rugged nature.
In the centre of the main nucleus there are four large intercommunicating cisterns dug into the rock and covered by vaults to collect rainwater.
The various lodgings are laid out all around: to the north the imperial lodgings; to the west the servants quarters and facilities; to the south the baths area and to the east the great apsed hall.
Some distance away from the villa complex stands the Lighthouse, which served as a tower for passing signals to the mainland.
How to get there
From Umberto I° square in Capri, take Le Botteghe street, Fuorlovado street, Croce and Tiberio streets, or, once again starting in Umberto I° square, take Longano street, Sopramonte and Tiberio streets (45 mins.).
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Tour around the island
The round trip of the island by boat starts from Marina Grande, from the small jetty crossing the harbour wharf. Travelling west, we flank the beach of Marina Grande and of Bagni di Tiberio. The next stretch of coastline consist of the high calcareous cliff with fissures and grottoes covered by lush, indigenous vegetation.After passing Punta Gradola, we reach the Blue Grotto.
Continuing our trip westwards, we pass by Cala del Rio, the largest creek on the western side of the island, and Cala Tombosiello, better known as Cala di Limmo. After rounding the Lighthouse of Punta Carena, we proceed untilo we reach : the Saint‘s Grotto, inside which calcareous erosion and action of the sea have created schapes that resemble statues with a religious theme; the red grotto so named because of the dark colour of the water produced by the seaweed and underwater influorescence; and the Green Grotto, with its multitude of colour and light effects.
Passing Cala di Torre Saracena, beneath Via Krupp, appears the Arsenal Grotto, which was used as a temple and nymphaeum in Roman times .Its name is derived from the military use to which it was put during the Middle Ages and even more recently.
About 200 m. fuhrter to the east, below the Cathusian monastery of San Giacomo, we find the Dark Grotto, access to which was obstructed by a landslide, that it the tower guarding the Chartusian monastery in 1808. Alittle further on, in a small protected inlet, lies the grotto known as the Sailors‘s Hotel, which was used by fishermen as a schelter during sudden storms.
After rounding Punta di Tragara with the Faraglioni rocks, we soon arrive at the small harbour of Tragara. The solitary rock on the opposite side is known as the Monacone.
Proceding towards Cala del Fico, in front of Punta Massullo, on which Villa Malaparte stands, and after rounding Cala di Matermania, at the foot of the large amphiteatre covery in greenery, we reach the White Grotto and the Marvellous Grotto . One can be reached from the sea, and the other by steps with a landing stage. They both provide extraordinary light effects due to the reflections of the water on the weird stalactit formations.
Beyond Punta del Capo, we flank a stretch of coastline with large rocky boulders after which the „ Scoglio della Ricotta“. This is followed by the last inlet before returning to Marina Grande, Marina di Caterola, whose reef was produced in 1971 by the crumbling of the overlyng calcareous ridge.
The excursion (about 2 hours) can not be made in adverse weather conditions.
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