walking in
the isle of
CAPRI
| 
Back to
Excursions list
Ulixes' Coast,
Amalfi,
Capri
Caserta,
Erculaneum,
Formia,
Gaeta,
Ischia,
Montecassino,
Neapolis,
Pompeii,
Ponza &
Ventotene islands,
Sorrento,
Vesuvius,
Vietri
|
|
| Do
it yourself - Walking tour
A little history
By Car to Naples port from Tangenziale (superstrada).On Tangenziale,
you will pass exits such as Licola, Varcaturo, and Agnano.
Keep straight, through the tunnel, then yon get off at the next
exit, Fuorigrotta.
Pay the toll and go left, under a small tunnel arriving to a main
stoplight.
Follow road, under a second tunnel, arriving to Piazzale Tecchio
and another stoplight Keep straight to the third stoplight and go
left.
Then follow the road straight until you go under a very long tunnel.
At the end of this tunnel you will be in Piazza San Nazzaro (there
will be a big fountain to your left, in the middle of this piazza).
Come to the stoplight straight ahead, and take a right onto the
water, and an immediate left onto via Caracciolo.
You will see the ticket windows and hydrofoils of Mergellina port
(to your right).
Parking is available only on the road.
If you want to go to Molo Beverello, keep straight, passing the
Mergellina port, along the water-front (via Caracdolo), passing
the Egg Castle, the Royal Palace, then to your left (across from
the New Castle) is Molo Beverello.
You can park inside the port by paying a fee. By train to Naples
PortFor Molo Beverello port:
From Piazza Garibaldi (the square outside the train station), take
the bus or trolley car (tram) to Piazza Municipio (approx. 25 minute
ride, cost is lire 1,500 per person per way). Purchase your ticket
bus/tram ticket at the train station. Molo Beverello port is to
your left. As you enter the port you will notice the ticket windows
on your right.
For Mergellina port:
Once you arrive at the Napoli centrale main train station, you must
take the subway, Metropolitana, (take steps and go underneath the
station ) toward Garibaldi station in the direction of Pozzuoli,
and get off at the Mergellina stop (approx. 20 minutes, cost is
lire 1.500 one way): When you exit the station, the port is to your
right, a 10 minute walk downhill, passing the Piazza San Nazzaro
square with the fountain.Times far the hydrofoils leaving from both
Margellina and Molo Beverello ports. Be sure to check times for
departure and return to be sure there were no last minute cancellation
or changes, as schedules can change without notice.
Suggested
TourBoats to Capri dock at the Marina Grande, port located on
the island's north shore. All but one of the major attractions are
high up in the hills, so while you're still at sea level you should
head directly to the famous Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra)
before the tour groups arrive.
 |
People come from all over the world to marvel
at this fantastic cavern, and in the process of doing so have
made it one of those inescapable tourist traps. Fortunately,
it actually is an incredible, not-to-be-missed sight, one well
worth the expense and bother of reaching. |
An entire local industry has sprung up around the transport of visitors
to this highly inaccessible place on the water's edge at the bottom
of a steep cliff. Motorboats take groups of tourists from Marina Grande
to the cave’s tiny entrance, where you will be put into a small rowboat
and taken inside.The Blue Grotto was well known to the ancient Romans,
who used it as a temple of sorts. Several interesting underwater archaeological
finds have been made there in recent years, but it appears to have
been largely forgotten until being "rediscovered" by tourist
promoters in 1826. The magical effect of its unearthly luminescent
is, of course, caused by refraction of the sun's rays. The Grotto
is open daily from 9 a.m. until one hour before sunset, but not when
the sea is rough.
| Back at Marina Grande, you can take either
the funicular (summers only) or a bus to the delightful time
town of Capri, 150 m. above the port. Its main square, Piazza
Umberto I (known as the little square. La Piazzetta), is
a charming place lined with busy outdoor cafes. You will be
returning to it several times during the day as nearly all of
the paths and roads on the island radiate from there. |
 |
Villa di Tiberio - The entire Roman Empire was presumably ruled
from this villa between A.D. 27 and 37, the last ten years of the
reign of Tiberius. An ancient legend has it that the emperor took
pleasure in having people who displeased him thrown off the thousand-root-high
cliff, but there is no factual evidence of this. Now in a state of
ruin, the immense villa is, nevertheless, a fascinating place to explore.
At its highest peak there is a chapel with a huge bronze Madonna,
installed in 1979.
The villa. is open daily except Mondays and some holidays, from 9
a.m. until one hour before sunset.On the way back, you will come to
a fork in the road just before the town of Capri, this is marked for
the: Arco Naturale and makes an interesting little side trip
to a peculiar natural stone arch by the water's edge. It is not necessary
to go all the way down to admire the view.
Nearby, another trail leads to the: Matromania Grotto, possibly
used in prehistoric times for human sacrifices, and later decorated
by the Romans. Return to Piazza Umberto I, where yon can sit down
at an outdoor cafe for a welcome rest.
From here you may want to continue on Via Vittorio Fmanuele, Via Serena,
and Via certosa to the former: Carthusian Monastery (Certosa
di San Giacomo), dating from the 14th century. Its restored Gothic
church and cloisters are quite interesting, and there are a few Roman
artifacts removed from the Blue Grotto on display. A short distance
beyond this are the: Augustus Gardens (Giardini di Angusto),
a lovely public park overlooking some fabulous scenery. In its northwest
corner there is a small statue of Lenin, who spent a very un-communistic
exile in luxurious Capri after the abortive first revolution.
From the gardens it is possible to descend the steep and narrow Via
Krupp, also called Via Augusto, to the Marina Piccola, a small harbor
and beach from which you can get a bus back to Capri town. Otherwise,
return the way you came.Back in the town, board a bus or taxi to the
island's other settlement:Perched nearly a 300 m. above the sea, this
attractive village could only be reached via the Scala Fenicia, a
staircase of over 800 steps probably built by the ancient Greeks,
until a hair-raising road was constructed in the late 19* century.
Once there, walk uphill from Piazza della Vittoria on Via Munthe
to the:Villa San Michele.
Built about a century ago by the noted Swedish doctor and author Axel
Munthe over the ruins of another of Tiberius' villas, it contains
ancient sculptures as well as furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The gardens are especially enchanting. Visits may usually be made
on any day, from 9a.m. to 6 p.m. The highest vantage point on Capri
is:Monte Solaro, whose peak rises 600 m. above the sea. You can
get to the top in 12 minutes by riding the chairlift from Anacapri.
On a clear day it is possible to see completely across the Bay of
Naples to the Apennine Mountains running down the spine of Italy,
a breathtaking panorama indeed. The lift runs every day except Wednesdays,
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with shorter hours in the winter. |
