The Gulf of Naples lies before the large city of Naple and a handful of smaller towns. The blue waters of the Gulf host the island of Capri in the south.
Boats head to the islands from Naples, and it’s the best way to see the Gulf. Italy small islands represent a significant part of the country’s natural and historical heritage. The natural landscapes forming the dramatically beautiful setting the settlements of truly ancient origin.
The region around the Gulf of Naples is, from a geological point of view,a part of the older chalk mountains. In the Gulf of Naples, just off the end of the Peninsula, Capri is a veritable treasure trove bursting with natural beauty with stunning panoramas and dramatically beautiful coastline.
Numerous symbols of the force of nature can be found here, such as the Faraglioni stacks. The Faraglioni, a three rocks looming from the sea with a natural tunnel that runs right through one of them. These are three of the most famous remaining rocks which have survived coastal landslides and erosion by the sea.
Places which are rich and centuries of history, where traditions of the distant past still survive. Places where the many civilisations to have inhabited them have left indelible, artistic and cultural traces. During the first century, the roman emperor Tiberio ordered the construction of Villa Jovis, his Capri mansion on the top of Mount Tiberio. That’s when Capri became for the first time an holiday destination. The island of Capri, having no natural port was accessible only from a small beach, which was probably one of the reasons why the Emperor Tiberius preferred it. Today, the port is further east and everyday boats and hydrofoils go from here to other points at the Bay of Naples. In 1900, the German entrepreneur Krupp provided money for the footpath that leads to Marina Piccola from the Parco Augusto. Built with admirable skill by the engineer Emilio Mayer, it’s been called from many the world’s most beautiful road, thanks to the manner in which it hugs the rock and the appropriate use of local construction materials.
We have much more heritage from characters of the past who loved Capri like Jacques Fersen who left the beautiful Villa Fersen or Curzio Malaparte who built the unique Villa Malaparte in an incredible location by the sea, close to the Faraglioni. The Blue Grotto is one of the most world famous emblems of the island of Capri. There are three main caves on the island, the Blue Grotto, the white grotto and the green grotto. The white grotto and the cave, two wonderful cavities, both directly accessible from the sea through a series of very steep steps built in 1901 by two Englishmen. The green grotto is particularly amazing, almost unreal, with water that simply indescribable. on sunny days, beneath the crystal clear waters, one can see a seabed which is rich in flora and fauna.
That’s been visited over the centuries by intellectuals, artists and writers, all enthralled by its magical beauty. A mix of history, nature, worldliness, culture and events that daily blend together and bring the legend of Capri to life.
