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The Blue Grotto

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Capri’s single most famous attraction is the Grotta Azzurra, a stunning sea cave illuminated by an other-worldly blue light. The easiest way to visit is to take a tour from Marina Grande.

Visit with private boat to the Blue Grotto, famous for its intense aquamarine color.

Sunlight enters through a small underwater aperture and is refracted through the water; this, combined with the reflection of the light off the white sandy seafloor, produces the vivid blue effect to which the cave owes its name.

  •  Location

    Capri

  •  Opening Hours

    Daily from 9 a.m. to 5.00 p.m

    Please note that the tour of the Grotto can only be run under favorable weather conditions and sea.

  •  More information

    Price on request

The Faraglioni Rocks

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The Faraglioni Rocks is one of the symbols of the island. It is represented by three limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea. Legend says  that they are the resting place for mermaids.

This corner of the Island of Capri was the favorite of the ancient Romans, who built sumptuous villas overlooking the Faraglioni along these shores.

During the 1900s, artists and intellectuals colonized Capri once again, finding creative inspiration from the beauty and serenity of the island.

  •  Location

    Capri

Villa Jovis

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This is the best preserved Roman villa on the island.

The Roman emperor Tiberius was history’s first “tourist” who fell in love with the island of Capri, fleeing the chaos of the teeming city of ancient Rome to find peace and serenity here.

During the first century A.D., he commissioned 12 villas to be built on the island, including Villa Jovis. This was the largest and the most sumptuous villa, covering around 7,000 square meters and dominating the Mount Tiberius promontory and the slope descending to Cesina. The view from the north side encompasses most of the Gulf of Naples, stretching from the island of Ischia to Campanella Point, while the view from the south overlooks Capri.

The villa’s architectural style combines that of Classical villas from the Roman empire with elements of a small fortress.

The center of the villa housed a number of cisterns to collect rainwater, a fundamental design element on this island which has no natural springs, which was used both as drinking water and as a reservoir with which to supply the baths, which were divided into the traditional frigidarium, tepidarium and calidarium.

Unfortunately, the ruins of Villa Jovis were neglected for centuries and many finds have been lost. Some objects from the site are collected in Naples’ Archaeological Museum, and much of the villa’s marble was used to build the church of Santo Stefano. It was only relatively recently in 1932 that the site was taken in hand by researchers and official excavations begun.

  •  Location

    Capri

  •  Opening Hours

    from 11.00am – 3.00 pm

    10.00 am – 2:00 pm  from November the 1st to March the 31st

    and 9.00 am – 6.00 pm  from April the 1st to October the 31st.

    Tuesday closed.

  •  More information

    Ticket price € 2

    Free entry for European Union citizens under 18

Villa San Michele

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The Villa is located in Anacapri and was built on the ruins of the ancient roman chapel of San Michele. Today, it is a museum containing a lot of roman archaeological artifacts.

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.

.. Legend holds that if you rest your left hand on the sphinx and make a wish while looking out over the sea of Capri, your wish will come true..

  •  Location

    Capri

  •  Opening Hours

    Open every day from 9.00 am to one hour before sunset

  •  More information

    Ticket price  €  7

Villa Damecuta

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Villa Damecuta is one of the twelve villas that the emperor Tiberius had built on Capri.

It is located at Anacapri directly above the Blue Grotto; indeed, at the time of Tiberius there was probably an internal passage from the villa leading down into the sea cave below.

This was probably one of the most sumptuous of the emperor’s villas, judging from the luxurious marble floors, stucco work, decorations, and art found in recent excavations. The best preserved section is the scenic quarter, built in a style similar to the imperial loggia at Villa Jovis.

Beneath the Medieval tower, there is an alcove (cubiculum) preceded by a vestibule and panoramic terrace suspended over the precipice (not accessible to the public). The mass of volcanic dust found on the walls of the loggia indicate that the villa was damaged by the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Excavations at Villa Damecuta began in 1937 under the direction of Amedeo Maiuri.

Unfortunately, the state of the ruins uncovered both here and at the Palazzo a Mare testify to the deliberate destruction of the building’s structure by the fortifications and military lines of communication built during the periods of Bourbon and English occupation.

  •  Location

    Capri

  •  Opening Hours

    Every day from 9:00 a.m. to the sunset

  •  More information

    Free entry