Italy’s iconic island offers a five-star retreat and rugged natural beauty
Why you should visit Capri
Capri has long been synonymous with glamour and the high life. A jewel of the Mediterranean just off the tip of the Sorrentine peninsula, this rugged island blends dramatic natural beauty with five-star allure that makes it a magnet for the rich who park their superyachts in the marina. A-listers from the Clooneys to Beyoncé have luxuriated in its environs.
Divided into two parts, Capri and Anacapri, it is the former that draws the tourists, who come to browse designer shops, wander down delightful car-free alleyways, take boat trips and hike paths that offer up Insta-worthy views of jagged cliffs. Couple that with high-end hotels, a vast array of restaurants and well-run beaches, and it is easy to see while Capri remains such an alluring destination.
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Top attractions and things to do
Landmarks and historical buildings
From the ferry port at Marina Grande, guests whizz up the funicular to The Piazzetta (“little square”), the heart of Capri, ringed by quaint low buildings and packed with tourists people-watching over a cappuccino. It’s overlooked by the Torre dell’Orologio, a Byzantine clock tower with a striking yellow and blue clock face.
Capri’s ancient past is just as storied as more recent history. Among its most notorious early residents was the Emperor Tiberius (42BC-AD37), who escaped Roman politics to indulge himself on the island; his debaucheries were legendary. He had a dozen villas built, the ruins of three of which are worth a look – Palazzo a Mare and Villa Damecuta (in Anacapri), but if you’re prepared for the uphill 45-minute walk from the Piazzetta – I suggest just after breakfast – the largest and best preserved is Villa Jovis, completed around 27AD and covering around 7,000 square metres. Although the site is light on information boards, you’ll absorb a sense of history wandering among its stone ruins. Perched on Capri’s second highest peak, it rewards visitors with jaw-dropping views of the Gulf of Naples all the way to the island of Ischia.
Retail therapy
There’s an undeniable glamour to Capri that first drew stars like Clark Gable and Audrey Hepburn here during Hollywood’s Golden Age. They warmed to its isolation and stunning scenery as well as a chance to party with the other jet-setters revelling in Capri’s surrounds. Its glamour is best encapsulated in the designer boutiques lining Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Camerelle, where shoppers can spend hours browsing the wares of Dior, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and more. For an authentic caprese retail experience, step into Carthusia, the high-end caprese perfume brand said to have been invented by monks in the 14th century, and Canfora, the artisan sandal-maker beloved of Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Grace Kelly.
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Sweet treats
For fortification on shopping expeditions, it’s worth queueing for a treat from Gelateria Buonocore on Via Vittorio Emanuele, whose ice cream “fantasia de Capri”, featuring almonds and swirls of Nutella, is revered in these parts.
Charming streets
Capri’s natural beauty is just as much of a pull as its quaint shopping streets. Travellers can escape the crowds by taking almost any turn off the main thoroughfares and immediately finding themselves in near-empty, charming narrow byways shaded by giant stone pines and with violet bougainvillaea spilling over stone walls. Try Via Longano off the Piazzetta for a stroll by picture postcard houses, grand villas-turned-hotels, archways and churches, which every so often give way to a glimpse of the twinkly Tyrrhenian Sea.
Stunning scenery
Capri’s wild beauty is probably best showcased in the cliffside walk called the Pizzolungo, which affords breath-taking views of the sea and walkers almost total solitude. The trail starts in the vicinity of the Arco Naturale (an ancient limestone rock formation also worth a look), via a set of hundreds of stairs curling down through the forest. They take visitors on a winding cliff path around the southern end of the island, offering enchanting eyefuls of lush vegetation and sea vistas. You’ll pass the occasional villa perched on a rock and wonder how its residents get there, with only a remote hiking trail to their front door. Look down to see the famous rust-coloured seaside Villa Malaparte with a giant roof terrace made famous in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film “Contempt”.
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‘Faraglioni’ and Belvedere Tragara
At the end of the walk comes the pièce de résistance: a glorious view of the “Faraglioni”, the symbol of Capri – three iconic giant limestone sea stacks shaped over millennia that jut dramatically out of the water. The path ends with a short flight of steps up to Belvedere Tragara, a viewing platform for the Faraglioni and Marina Piccola Bay, where the superyachts park.
Beaches
Capri’s beaches are magnets to those eager to dip in the island’s azure sea: the largest is next to the Marina Grande, its shallow clear waters making it perfect for families. On the south is Marina Piccola, where you can take a dip in full view of the Faraglioni sea stacks. Popular boat trips include one to the Blue Grotto, arguably Capri’s most famous natural wonder, the mouth of which can be reached by land or by boat from Marina Grande. There guests board rowboats and are chauffeured into a sea cave in which the water shimmers an unearthly bright blue, due to sunlight entering the cave via an underwater opening. Beware that despite an €18 entrance fee, guests spend only about five minutes inside.
Manfredi Fine Hotels Collection
Where to stay: Punta Tragara Hotel
On a promontory overlooking the Faraglioni sea stacks, Punta Tragara Hotel offers a high-end escape that includes uninterrupted vistas of glorious seascapes. Arrive via a pleasant 15-minute stroll from the bustling Piazzetta down citrus-scented pedestrian lanes, having pre-arranged a luggage transfer from the ferry.
Designed as a private villa by the modernist architect Le Corbusier in 1923 and taken over as an Allied HQ during the Second World War, Punta Tragara is now a glamourous five-star establishment that oozes style. It hits you as you enter the reception area, a boldly decorated space with a vaulted ceiling and eye-catching décor that includes dazzling geometric rugs, futuristic floral sofas, 60s-style coffee tables and statement lighting. Glass cabinets showcase curious objets d’art.
Rooms and suites
Because it clings to the cliff, the hotel’s layout is labyrinthine, with narrow staircases leading here and there, heightening the impression that this 44-room hotel is a real one-off. That ethos extends to the accommodation, with each room decorated in individual style. The newest of the six suites is the Pegasus Etro, showcasing the upscale Italian home furnishing brand, which features a grey and white scheme of paisley and nature-themed fabrics, plus mirrors and gold accents to create an uber-stylish oasis of calm.
Manfredi Fine Hotels Collection
We checked into a luxurious junior suite that was very nearly overshadowed by the lure of the giant private terrace just outside our doors. A truly magical place to enjoy a sundowner as we gazed out over the sea and at Capri’s famed Marina Piccola, the preferred parking place for superyachts. Our room décor was a pleasing melange of bold fabrics, mirrored tables, luxe fabrics and retro-style furniture. A good-sized marble bathroom boasted a walk-in shower, bath and Ortigia bath products, as well as the thoughtful addition of a treasure box stuffed with anything you might have forgotten – slippers, eye mask, toothbrush, shaving gel and more.
Breakfast
Served in the airy, window-lined restaurant overlooking the Marina Piccola, the hotel’s breakfast features a luscious array of fresh pastries, fruit, cereals, breads, meats and cheeses, plus cooked-to-order dishes from a menu including eggs, waffles and porridge. At night it’s transformed into the hotel’s Michelin-starred Le Monzù restaurant.
Manfredi Fine Hotels Collection
Time to relax…
Once you’ve explored the island, return for a relaxing afternoon on the terraces, where two freshwater pools include one that’s heated and has whirlpool jets. The larger pool features amphitheatre-style seating as well as sun loungers and umbrellas overlooking the sea. Ample beach beds with umbrellas ensured we had a perfect poolside spot in which to relax and drink in the view, ordering naughty afternoon drinks from Le Monzù Gin Club & American Bar. Its menu features more than 150 types of gin and every flavour of tonic imaginable, all served up with mouth-watering canapes to keep us going until dinner.
The GILI Wellness & Beauty area is a restful, elegant space offering rejuvenating facials and a range of individual and couples’ massages. Punta Tragara offers off-the-scale pampering far from the madding crowds, a divine retreat in the best location on Capri.
Manfredi Fine Hotels Collection
Eating and drinking in Capri
The one-Michelin-starred Le Monzù restaurant at Punta Tragara offers a stand-out dining experience by chef Luigi Lionetti, who is Capri born and bred. Although high winds made al fresco dining on the terrace impossible on the evening we’d booked, it didn’t detract an iota from our dining experience. The food was the star of the show and the restaurant looked beautiful with its crisp tablecloths and low lighting.
We enjoyed a five-course tasting menu, “Emotions”, at €180 per person, but the chef kept slipping surprise amuse-bouches between courses so that it felt more like ten. We weren’t complaining. Diners can also choose from eight- and seven-course menus, all offering Lionetti’s elevated fusion of Neapolitan and Caprese cuisine, plus dishes from an à la carte menu. Dinner at Le Monzù was a truly memorable experience from an establishment that knows how to serve up a five-star culinary experience.
For a more informal evening out, I recommend Ristorante Lo Sfizio, a 10-minute walk from the Piazzetta on Via Tiberio. Full of locals (always a good sign), it’s a casual family restaurant with a few streetside tables as well offering delicious handmade pasta and pizza from a wood-fired oven. The pecorino, ricotta and marjoram filled ravioli capresi couldn’t be beaten, while my husband raved about the gemelli served with a wonderful clam, courgette and swordfish sauce.
How to get to Capri
The only way is by sea, with a mix of fast and slow ferries running regularly from the ports of Molo Beverello and Calata di Massa (only a kilometre apart) in Naples. Ferries from Sorrento also run year-round and in high season there are ferry routes from Positano, Amalfi, Salerno, and Ischia.
Vicki Power was a guest of Punta Tragara Hotel in Capri. Rates start from €650 per room per night, based on two adults sharing a room on a b&b basis. Via Tragara, 57, 80073 Capri NA, Italy; manfredihotels.com
