Capri Island

Capri is a 10-square-kilometre island in the Bay of Naples, Campania, separated from the mainland by 5 kilometres of water and accessible by hydrofoil (35 minutes) or ferry (50 minutes) from Naples, or by ferry (20 minutes) from Sorrento. The island rises steeply from the sea on all sides, forming two distinct settlements: the main town of Capri (lower, more commercial, centred on the Piazzetta) and Anacapri (higher, calmer, reached by bus or the Seggiovia chairlift). The Piazzetta — officially Piazza Umberto I — is the social heart of Capri town, a small square of cafe terraces overlooking the marina, famous for its conspicuous celebrity-watching. The Gardens of Augustus, created by the German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp in the late 19th century, offer terraced viewpoints over the Faraglioni rocks — three dramatic sea stacks that are the island's most photographed landmark. The Faraglioni can be approached by rented motorboat or on the island circumnavigation tour that departs from Marina Grande and includes the Blue Grotto, the sea arch of Arco Naturale, and the Grotta Verde. The Villa Jovis on the island's eastern tip was Emperor Tiberius's principal residence in the final decade of his life (27–37 AD) and preserves Roman cisterns and foundations with views across to the Sorrento peninsula. Monte Solaro, accessible by the Anacapri chairlift, rises 589 metres and provides the highest viewpoint on the island — across the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast, and on clear days to the Pontine Islands. The chairlift ascent takes 13 minutes and is one of the simplest and most rewarding activities on the island.