Painting: View of Capri by Teresa Dominici, Year: 2007, Medium: Acrylic, Sold.
Capri - is an island off the coast from Naples. It is a popular place for day trips. Villages on the island include Marina Grande - the place where you arrive by boat, and Anacapri, up in the mountains, and Marina Piccola which has a smaller port.
Capri, nestling between the gulfs of Naples and Salerno, is stunningly beautiful with its cliffs that descend rapidly to the sea and vistas of gardens bedecked with fragrant subtropical vegetation. The main town of Capri can be reached by taking the funicular cable train which runs every 15 minutes from the main marina. Once there you will find a maze of alleyways and squares with the popular La Piazzeta at its heart, frequented by many famous celebrities. To the west the little town of Anacapri offers a restful charm. For a wonderful view, take the chair lift from Anacapri to Monte Solaro.
The Blue Grotto is worth a visit but be prepared for hidden charges and pushy tourists.
Capri is a very expensive island to visit, and we found food and drink was double the price of the same on the mainland.
The Port of Marina Grande: Marina Grande is an enchanting waterside village located to the foot of the verdant saddle along which the romantc town of Capri.
The Marina Grande (Large Seashore) is the harbor of Capri, located in the bay on north side of the island, in front of Naples and its gulf. The harbor consists of two large arms: the western one is the former and it works as commercial port, where ferries and hydrofoils berth, while the east arm is the latter and it is occupied by the tourist port, where pleasure boats park.
The village of Marina Grande is very old and among its renovated buildings we can see some structures and passages from previous houses, that were initially built right upon the shore, at few meters of distance from the sea.
The Certosa di San Giacomo (Charterhouse of St. James) is the loftiest expression of Caprese architecture. It is a monastery that was built during the late Middle Ages which today houses a museum, a school and a library. It is open to the public and has a garden attached.
Tragara is the most famous and best liked walking passage in Capri: along it there are many elegant villas. It ends with a panoramic terrace facing the Faraglioni, the view of Capri known the world over. From Tragara's terrace you can enjoy also a wide view over island's southern side, featuring Marina Piccola, underneath the steep face of Mount Solaro, in the middle of which is found the enormous cavity of Grotta delle Felci (Grotto of the Ferns). The whole area called Tragara extends from Mount Tuoro's western slope to the plain of Occhio Marino (Sea Eye), situated behind the Charterhouse.
The Pizzolungo (High Peak) is a quaint rock shape, a crag that stands out among the greenery and assumes different aspects according to the point from which you see it. Seen from the front it shows a compact and heavy structure, tormented and rough, which suddenly turns to its sharp point. Seen from behind it shows a slender and smooth face rising upwards to the sky, with a light appearance. At the foot of the Pizzolungo there is a graceful viewpoint right over Faraglioni, divided into two small balconies facing both sides of the crags.
Matermania is the name of the area between the hills of Mount Tuoro and Mount Tiberio, on the east side of Capri island. You can reach it either by the main square (through the uphill street of Sopramonte or the steeper slope of Croce Street) or by Tragara, through the sheer stairs starting after Pizzolungo street and climbing the rocky side of Tuoro hill.
Capri was chosen as a place of residence by two emperors: Octavian Augustus and his successor Tiberius. The latter built some particularly charming villas. By tradition, there would have been no less than twelve villas all around the island, each dedicated to one of the Olympus gods. Unfortunately, only the ruins of three remain: Villa Jovis, Sea Palace, and Damecuta. Villa Jovis is the largest and most sumptuous of all the Roman villas on Capri. Located on top of Mount Tiberio, at 354 meters above sea level, in an outstanding position, it was the main residence of Emperor Tiberius, and reflects his austere personality it its design.
On the north-western promontory of the island, draped over the capes of Vetereto and Arcera, there is another Roman imperial villa called "Damecuta", name of uncertain provenance that also indicates the whole headland's area and the pinewoods. Standing in a solitary, lonely position, it resembles Villa Jovis with its promenade and hemicycle. The view from Damecuta comprises a panorama which includes spectacular views all over the Bay of Naples, from isle of Ischia, Cape Miseno and Phlegraean Fields up to Sorrento peninsula on the other side, with the Vesuvius in the middle. Damecuta was one of the largest of twelve villas Tiberius built on Capri, and it was once divided into several small blocks which extended as far as the port of Gradola and the Blue Grotto. The remains of cisterns are all around the neighbourhood, enclosed in modern buildings, and their locations suggest the villa was originally connected to quarters of Timberino and Monticello near the center of Anacapri. If so, Damecuta could have formed a wide complex like other imperial villas on the mainland, each of which is characterized by large gardens and variety of small buildings.
The Migliera (or Migliara) is a spectacular lookout, on a sheer drop from the cliff to the sea in the Lighthouse area, on the south-west corner of the island. You can reach it from the center of Anacapri by a long walk through Caposcuro street, passing near the cemetery and the Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli (Our Lady from Costantinople), the earliest parish church in Anacapri, which was built during the Byzantine age. Then you continue on Migliera street.
The Church and Hermitage of Santa Maria di Cetrella is placed on the rocky slope of Mount Solaro facing Capri, straight over the bay of Marina Piccola. It is reachable on foot from the center of Anacapri through a long climb (the path starts from Capodimonte street, near the Villa of San Michele by Axel Munthe) or through a short descent from the top of Monte Solaro, where there is small tourist resort connected to the center of Anacapri by a chairlift. It is reachable also through a path between the wood and the cliffs called "Passetiello" (small passage) that starts from Capri, at Torina Street (near place called "Due Golfi"), clambering along the mountain. For the difficulty of the walk and for the current bad conditions of the path it is not advisable to take it without the aid of an expert local guide.
The Island of Capri, Italy Video by: http://www.aldimarvp.com/
What a picturesque place to visit. Come with us as we take a funicular to the town of Capri, a bus ride to Anacapri, and finaly a gondola to the top of mount Solero. Along the way we will visit the magnificent "Natural Arch" and other interesting sights.
