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IN spring and summer, millions of
tourists find their way to Italy’s exceedingly fashionable
attraction, the Isle of Capri. Located in the Bay of Naples,
visitors spend days and weeks enjoying the scenery.
There was a
time when Capri existed as a simple island, pristine as the Garden
of Eden in all its glory. This island gem is situated in the blue
waters about three miles by boat from Naples. After centuries of
obscurity, word of its scenic attractions started to spread until
the unspoiled island became a veritable tourist Mecca.
The Emperor
Tiberius of 1st-century Rome knew Capri intimately for it was here
where he spent the last ten years of his life. Today, ruins of a
dozen of his splendid villas are scattered throughout the island.
The most breathtaking of his domiciles is the ruins of Villa Jovis.
Situated on a high cliff above the sea, the only way to reach it is
through a heavily taxing climb via donkey.
Capri has some
800 species of flora, many specimens of which you can find in the
Garden of Augustus founded by Caesar himself. This verdant garden
overlooks the vertiginous Via Krupp, a villa owned in the 1800’s
by Friedrich Alfred Krupp, the son of the founder of German
steelworks and zigzags down to the sea.
Capri is the
kind of island one falls in love with immediately. The view is
fantastic, its villages are hewn out of the island’s stone itself
in varying heights and there are several spots for spectacular
viewing of the sea.
One can find
even more striking views in Capri’s laid-back town called Anacapri,
situated on the island’s top shelf. There are regular buses
connecting it to Marina Grande (Capri’s port) and Capri town.
There is even a chair lift that goes up even further to the summit
of Monte Solaro for those wishing a fabulous view of the island and
the whole Bay of Naples.
Tourists do
not leave Capri without experiencing its famous boat ride that
circles the whole island and stops frequently at sea caves, most
notably the famous Blue Grotto. The charm of Capri also lies in how
the people harmoniously blend their daily existence with the influx
of tourism activities. The native fishermen still live and work
here. One can see them in the early morning, far out on the flat
blue water waiting to haul in their nets. Sometimes, you can see
some of the locals in their Neopolitan costumes, playing and dancing
the Tarantella, their liveliest and most passionate folk dance.
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