OVERVIEW
The pleasure island Capri beckons the weary traveler with promises of breathtaking natural sights, comfortable accommodations, and gorgeous beaches. The tranquility of the sun-baked landscape has beckoned visitors since earliest times to enjoy its balmy climate, its rugged coastline, its whitewashed villages and the almost subtropical lushness of its gardens and hill interior. Regular boats and hydrofoils from Naples and Sorrento dock at Marina Grande, the island's colorful main port and the point of departure for boat trips around the island.
Augustus fell in love with this island's fantastic beauty in 29 BC and swapped it for its more fertile neighbor, Ischia. His successor Tiberius passed his last decade on the island, leaving a dozen scattered villas. Visitors today tour the renowned Blue Grotto and rub elbows with the rich and famous. The town of Capri, reachable by funicular from Marina Grande, is the island's pretty main village. Surrounding streets are lined with cafés, souvenir stores, and chic boutiques. Anacapri is home to chic hotels, spectacular vistas, and rugged mountain paths.
CUSTOM TOURS TO CAPRI
Cantalupo Tours To Italy can design a tour to Capri for your own group customized for your specific interests, time frame, and budget. Let us know what attractions and sites you'd like to see or an activity such as a boat tour or wine tasting that your group is interested in and our staff will create a personalized itinerary. We'll work together with you to create a viaggio indimenticabile - an incredible voyage! Contact us for details and prices.
CAPRI TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Boat Tour
Boat trips are an essential part of the Capri experience, offering a firsthand glimpse of the coast's jumble of cliffs, bays, caves, and rocky sea stacks. The Blue Grotto—la grotta azzurra—is considered by some to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The cavern's shimmering blue hues are a must-see for island visitors. The cliffs do not connect to the sea floor, allowing light to enter the cave from below, making the water shimmer and glow a fantastic neon blue. The remarkable beauty is captivating.
Luxury Speed Boat Charter
Another option when visiting Capri is via a luxury speed boat. Tour the island in style on a 40' speedboat fully equipped with cushions, a spacious sunbathing area, sun canopy, and an outboard shower. Or take an excursion to the mainland and visit some of the picturesque towns along the spectacular Amalfi Coast.
Walking Tour
If you prefer the mainland to the briny blue, the rugged landscape has many trails to fabulous panoramas that have some of the best vistas and offer solitude. A ride on the Monte Solaro chairlift affords awesome views—on a clear day you can see the Appennines to the east and the mountains of Calabria to the south.
Villa San Michele
Henry James once declared that the Anacapri villa was where "the most fantastic beauty, poetry, and inutility had ever been clustered together." Built in the late 19th century by Swedish author and physician Axel Munthe on the site of one of Tiberius' villas, the house shelters 17th-century furniture and ancient Roman sculpture. Its garden terraces boast magnificent views across the island and offers classical concerts during the summer.
Villa Jovis
Covering an enormous area, this was the Imperial villa from which Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire during his final years. There are wonderful views down to the sea, and on a clear day from this vantage point there is perhaps the most beautiful view in all of Italy: the bay of Naples with Vesuvius looming in the background.
Certosa di San Giacomo
Founded in 1371 on the site of one of Tiberius's villas, this Carthusian monastery was suppressed in 1808 and is now in part a school.
CAPRI CUISINE
La cucina caprese—Capri cuisine—is as glorious as its panoramas. Savor the local mozzarella on its own, or with tomatoes, oil, and basil in an insalata caprese—many consider it the summer meal. The ravioli alla caprese are hand-stuffed with tasty local cheeses. Indulge in the torta di mandorle (chocolate almond cake). Local red and white wines bear Tiberio or Caprense labels.
