"Capri" a Capri Travel Page by TRimer

Capri, just off the Sorrentine peninsula, is a beautiful island of limestone rock whose dramatic coastline is accented with numerous caves and reefs.

The name Capri was given to the island by the Greeks, who were first to populate the island. In fact "Capri" does not, as many might think, derive from the Latin "Capreae" (goats), but rather from the Greek "Kapros" (wild boar). Today you can find boar fossil remains on the island. After the Greeks, the Romans settled on Capri. After visiting the island in 29 BC, Caesar Augustus was so taken with the its beauty that he decided to buy it from Naples, in exchange for the considerably larger and richer island of Ischia. Legend has it that his successor, Tiberius, built twelve villas, dedicating one to each of the twelve gods of Olympus, and ruled the Roman Empire from the most splendid one - the "Villa Jovis".

After The Blue Grotto was discovered at the end of the 19th Century, the large flow of tourists began. They were drawn to the island by Capri's climate, the enchanting colors, and the hospitality of the islanders. From the end of the 1800's until World War II, writers, painters, exiles, rich and eccentric visitors (e.g. Jackie Onassia) chose the island as their residence, building villas and establishing the multilingual, cosmopolitan comunity that made Capri famous.