Capri, Italy

Umberto I Square (Piazzetta)

Hard to believe, but this tiny square-more than a piazza, a piazzetta-is considered one of the most elegant places in the world, where the stars show off their tans and outfits, while everyone else competes for the best spots in cafés and restaurants. There’s plenty to fight for: from the terraces you get breathtaking views of the Bay of Naples and of the little town of Capri itself. It’s easy to slip into a trance from such beauty, from which you’ll be brought out only by the steady chimes of the famous 17th-century tower-Torre del Orologio.

Villa Malaparte

This villa, based on a design by the Roman architect Adalberto Libera, was built for journalist and writer Curzio Malaparte in 1938-1949. Over the years, it has hosted Alberto Moravia, Albert Camus, and many other prominent writers. A narrow building with red walls and a flat roof, it is located in the eastern part of the island on the Punta Massullo cliff, 32 meters above sea level. It looks truly striking against the backdrop of the local lush vegetation. In 1963, the villa was the filming location for Jean-Luc Godard’s film “Contempt,” starring Brigitte Bardot. Today, much of the villa’s original interiors and furnishings have been preserved; exhibitions and various social events are held here often.

Jupiter Villa

Many things on Capri are connected with the name of the Roman emperor Tiberius. For example, in the eastern part of the island, at the top of Monte Tiberio mountain, picturesque ruins of the Villa of Jupiter can be seen by travelers, where the emperor spent his final years. Archaeologists believe the villa covered an area of more than 7,000 square meters and consisted of endless labyrinths and corridors, numerous passageways, and rooms. The villa is located at the island’s highest point, and the best view of the sea and the rocks opens from the “Salto di Tiberio” viewpoint, which translates to “Tiberius’ Leap.” You can reach the Villa of Jupiter on foot from the town of Capri in about an hour. The trail is quite steep, so it’s best to make the climb in comfortable shoes.

San Michele Villa

When the famous Swedish writer, doctor, and scientist Axel Munté decided to build a villa on Capri, he gave the designers this instruction: “My home must be open to the sun, and the wind, and the voices of the sea, like a Greek temple, and light, light, light everywhere!” The villa appeared here in the late 19th century on the site of a former ancient Roman structure, and Munté placed his entire extensive collection of artifacts there. Today, it is home to a truly impressive museum with a majestic Egyptian sphinx made of pink marble, blooming gardens with the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, and a small medieval chapel personally restored by Axel Munté, as well as an excellent viewpoint from which the entire Bay of Naples can be seen.

Phoenician Stairway

Two main (and only) cities on the island of Capri are separated by a mountain. A road runs along the mountain for nearly two kilometers and consists of 900 stone steps. It is called La Scala Fenicia - “the Fenician Stairway.” According to legend, the road was built in ancient times, even before our era, by the Phoenicians. It is believed that they were the first to settle on Capri. However, modern scholars tend to think that the road was built by the Greeks in the 7th-6th centuries BC. The Fenician Stairway was restored in 1998, and now it can be used for walks from Capri to Anacapri and back instead of the modern asphalt road. In Capri, the Fenician Stairway begins on Marina Grande Street.

Blue Grotto

Blue Grotto centuries ago was a nymphaeum (that is, a private pool) of Emperor Tiberius, who swam there with a large entourage. For added beauty, statues of ancient gods were installed in the grotto. Later, the grotto fell into long disfavor-well-known travelers forgot about it, while locals considered it a “bad” place and tried to avoid it. It was “rediscovered” anew in 1826 by German artists August Kopisch and Ernst Fries. No one is bothered by the fact that you’ll have to spend money for a boat ride, and that upon entering the grotto you’ll have to lie down on the boat’s bottom-the entrance is extremely narrow. In any case, the sight of the water, shining with an unbelievable blue in the reflected rays of the sun, will outshine any inconvenience, and memories of what you see will stay with you for life. The Blue Grotto has fantastic acoustics.

Beaches of the Island

On Capri, there are no beaches in the usual sense of the word. Most of them have very little sand, and from most hotels and the places popular with tourists, they are far away. Marina Piccola is probably the only spot on the island where, instead of stone platforms and pebbles, you can find small stretches of sand. There is also a beach near the port, but it is quite crowded, and the pebbles do not really add to the mood. The best solution is Faro Beach. It is cut off from the rest of the island, located in the farthest corner of Capri, in a place called Punta Carena, not far from the large lighthouse. Faro Beach is not quite a beach, but a rocky platform overlooking a bay of incredible beauty with crystal-clear water flowing out between rocky cliffs.

Via Krupp

Via Krupp may lay claim to a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most winding and crooked “street.” In reality, it looks more like a winding footpath. It was named after the German industrialist and inventor Friedrich Alfred Krupp, who had it carved out. Via Krupp descends in a steep pedestrian serpentine from the Gardens of Augustus and Krupp’s villa down to the wild beaches. In bad weather, which, however, is quite rare on Capri, the steep descent along Via Krupp can be quite dangerous. At the beginning of the route there is even a warning sign that states that the street is closed during rain and wind.

Gardens of Augustus

The Roman emperor Augustus greatly loved Capri and called it “the city of sweet idleness.” But it was not he who laid out the magnificent park in the southern part of the island, but the German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp. Overlooking Krupp’s gardens, he built his villa, now turned into the eponymous hotel. Among flourishing flowerbeds and rare exotic plants, visitors are in for a surprise. It is none other than a monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. It turns out that the leader of the proletariat visited the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky, who lived on the island, and the party school that had been set up there. In Augustus’s garden, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the azure sea and the legendary Faraglioni rocks, and then, down via Via Krupp, reach one of the best beaches on Capri-Marina Piccola.

Skaly Faraglioni

The first rock-FARAGLIONI STELLA-never seems to break off from Capri, the other two-FARAGLIONI MEZZO and FARAGLIONI DI FUORI-are located nearby, out at sea. Through the natural arch at FARAGLIONI MEZZO, you can romantically sail by on a boat, which many people do. To understand the hypnotic influence of the FARAGLIONI on the minds of the ancient Romans who built villas overlooking these rocks, as well as on the many writers and artists who came here for inspiration, you only need to see them. People who want to do that are always plentiful, so even today the FARAGLIONI remain among the island’s three most popular natural attractions.

Arco Naturale Rock

Residents of Capri argue about which sights they have more of-those of natural origin or those created by human hands? In any case, the island’s true calling card is the stone rock arch built by nature itself, known as Arco Naturale. A majestic rock rising 200 meters above sea level, it is a unique geological phenomenon. Once, there was a subterranean cave here, which-thanks to landslides and earthquakes-ended up on the surface. And over the next hundreds of thousands of years, the water, sun, and wind completed the “work” of forming the giant stone arch, measuring 12 by 18 meters.

Capri Island Sightseeing Tour

During the excursion, you will visit both towns on the island of Capri: Capri and Anacapri. In Capri, you will climb to the Piazzetta- the city’s miniature central square, see the Gardens of Augustus, walk along Via Krupp-the longest and winding street carved into the rock, and visit the smallest perfume factory, the Cartusia. In Anacapri, the Phoenician Steps await you, along with a stroll through the historic part of the town, a visit to St. Michael’s Church, where you can admire the beautiful 18th-century majolica floor, as well as a climb to the highest point on the island-Anacapri (586 m), where the remains of the ancient Villa Damecuta-the summer residence of Tiberius-have been preserved.

For a more detailed list of excursions and their prices, you can check after booking your cruise in your “Customer Personal Account”.