"Capri" a Capri Travel Page by nicolaitan

In this idyllic island of the rich, the famous, and the daytrippers it is easy to forget that like so many Italian sites, Capri has a long distinguished history. Originally connected to the mainland, ancient fossils on non-aquatic animals have been discovered on the island. Evidence of human occupation extends back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The earliest recognized settlers by modern historians were Greeks and Phoenicians from the 8 th Century BC and indeed the name Capri may be Greek in origin for wild boar rather than Italian for goat. The Roman Emperor Tiberius moved his entire court to Capri in 27 AC until his death 10 years later ruling the Roman Empire from this island. It was here that he and his nephew Caligula perfected the practise of wanton sexual excess and perversion for which the latter is so well known. These activivites were documented by my favorite ancient author, Suetonius. Many of the villas constructed by Tiberius remain as ruins. After the fall of the Empire, Capri was variously ruled by Naples, Amalfi, the Normans, the Spanish, and Napoleon and the French. The island began, in the early 1800's, attracting European artists and intellectuals. With its climate and natural wonders, the latest invaders have been tourists. Particularly since about 1950, the jet set has settled here with expensive boutiques and restaurants lining the Piazzeta and extending up to the 5 star Quisisana hotel and beyond. On a daily basis, the island is overrun by daytrippers from Sorrento, Naples, and the south shore of the Amalfi peninsula.

The largest majority of visitors are, like ourselves, daytrippers from the Amalfi peninsula, arriving in time to be ripped off by the obligatory trip to the Blue Grotto, a lunch, a little wandering around the town of Capri, and a boat ride back to the mainland. For those with more time, an overnight stay may give considerably greater satisfaction - scenery, the smaller and less touristed town of Anacapri, and monasteries and ruins off the one-day beaten track.