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Stemma di Capri

Campania · Napoli

Capri

The 142-meter Tyrrhenian island town where Tiberius governed Rome for a decade from twelve villas above limestone cliffs.

Known for

  • TIBERIUS

    Roman emperor who moved permanently to Capri in AD 27 and ruled the empire from twelve villas across the island until his death in AD 37.

  • FARAGLIONI

    Three limestone stacks off the southern coast, the central Mezzo pierced by a tunnel, the visual emblem of the island.

  • LA PIAZZETTA

    Piazza Umberto I, the small social center of Capri town, where café tables and the clock tower frame island life since 1907.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

The festa: Costanzo di Capri, 14 May

Why come

Capri sits above the Marina Grande harbor on the eastern half of the four-square-kilometer island that bears its name, divided between two communes. The town wraps around the Piazzetta, formally Piazza Umberto I, the social center of the island since the funicular replaced the donkey path in 1907. Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire from here for the last ten years of his life, from twelve villas that Tacitus counted; the ruins of Villa Jovis still stand on the northeastern cape.

The Faraglioni, three limestone stacks off the southern coast, rise to 109 meters; the middle one has an arched tunnel through it. Capri is overwhelmed by day-trippers from June through September. After the last ferry leaves at six in the evening the island returns to its six thousand residents, and the Belvedere of Tragara becomes quiet again.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Capri’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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Capri — photo 1
Capri — photo 2

What to see

  • Villa Jovis

    Ruins of Tiberius's imperial villa on Monte Tiberio at 334 meters, the largest of his twelve Capri villas, abandoned after AD 37.

  • Piazzetta (Piazza Umberto I)

    Small square at the heart of Capri town, social hub of the island since 1907 when the funicular replaced the donkey path.

  • Belvedere di Tragara

    Panoramic terrace at the end of Via Tragara, looking down on the three Faraglioni stacks rising from the southern sea.

  • Faraglioni

    Three limestone sea stacks, Stella, Mezzo and Scopolo, the central one pierced by an arched tunnel rowable by small boat.

  • Giardini di Augusto

    Terraced gardens above the Marina Piccola, with the best lookout over the Faraglioni and the switchback Via Krupp below.

  • Grotta Azzurra

    Sea cave on the northwestern coast where light entering underwater turns the interior an electric blue, reached by rowboat.

The slow-trip planner

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Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

Living here

  • Population 6,804
  • Off the beaten pathi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 19 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 142 m
  • Population: 6,804
  • Surface area: 4.06 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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