Capri

INTRODUCTION
Capri is an island opposed to the Sorrento Peninsula, in the south side of the Gulf of Naples, a famous holiday resort since the Roman times. It is a tourist attraction for Italians and foreigners, with its famous "piazzetta" (the little square), luxury boutiques and expensive restaurants and hotels. During the summer the island is very frequented, also by excursionists coming from Naples and Sorrento. You can get to Capri by ferry or hydrofoil. To move around Capri, there are a funicular or mini-buses. Characteristics of the island are: Marina Piccola ( the little marina), the Belvedere of Tragara, the Faraglioni (famous cliffs), Anacapri (a little village on the hill), the Blue Grotto and many ruins of Roman Imperial palaces.

HISTORICAL SIGNS
The name Capri probably did not derive from the Latin "Capreae" (which means goats), but rather from the Greek "Kapros" (wild boar). According to the Greek geographer Strabo, long ago Capri was linked to the continent: this has been confirmed by geologic examinations and archaeological discoveries. Among the wonders of the island, you can admire the numerous villas, among which Villa Jovis ( built by emperor Tiberius, the successor of August, in 1 b.C.).

ANACAPRI
Anacapri is a community on the island of Capri. The most important architectural building is "villa di San Michele" (St Michael). It was built at the beginning of 20th century by Axel Munthe, a famous Swedish doctor, who collected lots of precious statues and objects from old times and welcomed many important people as guests at Villa S. Michele.

TRAGARA AND THE FARAGLIONI
Tragara is the most famous and appreciated walk of the island: the road is full of elegant villas and ends with a belvedere terrace that leans out on the Faraglioni and from where you can enjoy the view on the whole bay of Marina Piccola, dominated by the steep rocky wall of Mount Solaro. According to Tacitus (Latin historian), one of the twelve Roman imperial villas of Capri was built there by emperor Tiberius. In 1875 the ruins of that villa were still visible. Today the only remain is the marble floor in a chapel of St Stephen church in the piazzetta. From Tragara there is a road going down to the Faraglioni. The Faraglioni are probably the attraction of Capri best known in the world. A Faraglione is in fact a generic word that points out a tall rock-cliff raising from the sea next to the coast. The strong corrosive action of the sea shapes the rock and gives them different forms. The Faraglioni of Capri are three: the "Faraglione di mezzo" (the one in the middle) is crossed from a natural gallery 60 meters long. On the Faraglioni there is also a rare variety of lizard, the "blue lizard". The name Faraglioni derives probably from the Greek word "pharos", that means lighthouse.

LA GROTTA AZZURRA
(the blue grotto) The Grotta Azzurra of Capri is known all over the world for its vastness, the blue intensely color of the inside and the silver white light of its waters. You can enter the Grotta Azzurra, only by small row-boats, through the narrow low natural passage in the rock. This is impossible in windy days or with high tide, because there is just a small passage in the rocky wall, about 2 meters wide and not tall enough: for this reason, to enter you need to lay down in the boat. The blue color of the Grotta Azzurra is due to the fact that the daylight enters through a submarine window, then it is filtered so to absorb the red and let the blue pass. A second phenomenon determines the silvery shining of any immersed objects.