Marina Piccola
The most romantic bay on the island, this fishing village resembles a postcard from the nineteenth century: about eighty steps take you down from Capri town to the paradise of the sea!
Do you want to learn about Capri's history, sights, and historical figures? Begin from the upper left corner of each page, and follow the explanations of each icon in a clockwise direction.
Beccaccia
The woodcock is easy prey for Caprese hunters: it flies like a snail - i.e. very slowly! However it has a curious ability: it can see in all directions without turning its head
Charles C. Coleman (1840-1928)
American artist who loved to paint images of Mount Vesuvius from his house in Via Madre Serafina in Capri. At the end of the nineteenth century, his "Villa Narcissus", decorated with antiques, was a meeting place for American artists of the time
Ignazio Cerio (1841-1921)
Italian surgeon who came to Capri in 1868 - to whom we are indebted for the first in-depth research into the history of Capri: he was fascinated by archaeology, flora and fauna. His collections of shells and fossils and his books on Capri may be found in the Cerio Museum, founded by one of his daughters -in-law in 1949
Brigitte Bardot (*1934)
French actress who in 1963 shot the film 'Le Mepris', based on the novel by Alberto Moravia, at the "house like me" of Curzio Malaparte in Capri. The Capresi remember the extraordinarily beautiful woman for her naturalness: she walked the streets of Capri barefoot
Friedrich Alfred Krupp (1854-1902)
Friedrich Alfred Krupp (1854-1902): German industrialist, considered the richest man in the world in 1900. He came to Capri to find peace, in underwater research which he conducted on his yacht "Najade", which was designed as a scientific laboratory. In 1902 he was accused of paedophilia, and he died before undergoing trial, and before the completion of the street that he partly financed: the Via Krupp, which runs from the city of Capri to Marina Piccola, today considered one of the most beautiful streets in the world. An irony of history: the rocks above Via Krupp were recently secured using steel from the Krupp steel works
Topolino
Non è molto benvisto a Capri, il topolino, nemmeno in campagna
Cannone
Every so often a cannon is found in the sea around Capri. One is exhibited in the Casa Rossa in Anacapri - harking back to the conquest of Capri in 1808. Do you know that the French reconquered the island?
Clark Gable (1901-1960)
"The Bay of Naples", an American film shot in Capri in 1960 with the unforgettable Clark Gable
Torre Saraceno
The Saracens terrorized the Capresi until about two centuries ago - they suddenly arrived on the island and stole everything they could: precious objects, silver and jewels as well as men and women, to enslave them
Asino
The ideal animal for transporting heavy loads up and down the trails of the island. At the beginning of the twentieth century, two donkeys called Michelangelo and Raffaello were quite famous. They waited in front of the Quisisana hotel for foreign travellers, to carry them up to the hilltops of the island
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
German poet and writer, certainly the most important in German literature and culture of the nineteenth century. Enamoured of Naples and its historic treasures, he found no reason to visit Capri, which at the end of the eighteenth century was not at all known as a destination for visitors. He passed by the island twice during his trips to and from Sicily
Totò (1898-1967)
Italian actor and prototypical Neapolitan. His many short films, made in Naples in the Fifties and Sixties, are now cult movies. A good example is "The Emperor of Capri"in which Totò played Augustus ... it reflects the "dolce vita" of the island in those years, which is still present in many peoples' minds
Sandali capresi
Genuine Caprese sandals are made of leather with a leather sole. Nowadays fashionable ones are even made with rhinestones ... previously however they were made entirely of fabric and were presumably invented at the end of the nineteenth century by a German vegetarian, August Weber
Fiore dell'Agave
Uno spettacolo della natura.. Produce soltanto una volta nella sua vita un fiore, questo può succedere anche dopo 30 anni, questo fiore splendido si reca in alto anche più di un paio di metri e rappresenta il grande finale: dopo la fioritura l'agave muore
Lumaca
In the past, the snail was the principal ingredient of a tasty dish characteristic of the Tiberio district of Capri, normally prepared in September at the Feast of the Madonna
Faruk
Faruk the First of Egypt, King and gourmet. The Anacapresi tell the story that Faruk, who was an habitué of Capri in the Sixties, woke up hungry one night. The night porter of the hotel invented a dish for him using nothing more than a piece of mozzarella, a few tomatoes and a couple of Basil leaves. Thus was born the Capri Salad!
Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)
Vladimir Il'ič Ul'janov, as he was really known, was a Russian (later Soviet) politician and revolutionary. He came to Capri twice between 1908 and 1910, staying with his friend Gorky, with whom he played chess or went fishing
Gioacchino Murat (1767-1815)
French army general, King of Naples and Marshall of the Empire with Napoleon Bonaparte. Impetuous and controversial, he succeeded in reconquering Capri from the English in 1808
Raffaele Castello (1905-1969)1
The only Caprese painter who achieved international fame
Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993)
British actress, made famous by her film "Breakfast at Tiffany's"and her personal style: she wore a black dress, silk scarf and invented "Capri pants"
Hudson Lowe (1769-1844)
Sir Hudson Lowe was a British army general. He entered the history books as the "jailer" of Napoleon Bonaparte in his capacity as Governor of the Island of Saint Helena during the exile of the French emperor. However in Capri he is famous for having conquered the island in 1806 and later losing it in an attack by Gioacchino Murat
Gracie Fields (1898-1979)
Internationally famous English singer during the Thirties and Forties, she retired to Capri and opened a bathing establishment called "La Canzone del Mare", which was the symbol of the "dolce vita" in Capri in the Fifties and Sixties. International VIPs gathered at Gracie's place for a summertime dip
Tiberio 42 a.Ch.-37 d.Ch.
Roman emperor with a bad reputation. Poor him! He was certainly a great leader who succeeded in restoring the imperial finances, renouncing war, conquests and parties. In his old age he retired to Capri - whose grottoes and solitude he dearly loved
Rod Stewart (*1945)
The English singer is a surrogate for the many internationally famous stars who set foot in Capri every summer. To be seen? To relax? To capture the newspaper headlines? A "marketing operation"for both the star and the island
Peppino di Capri (*1939)
Italian singer, born in Capri. He became famous at Sanremo in the Seventies singing his famous songs "Un grande amore e niente più", "Non lo faccio più", and "Roberta". He returns to Capri from time to time, to sing on his native island
C.W.Allers (1857-1915)
German lithographer, illustrator and painter. In 1890 he chose Capri to be his permanent home. He built the Villa Tragara in Via Tragara, a magnificent house with views over Marina Piccola. Using Capri as his base, he travelled the world. Probably a homosexual, he was very fond of his young models: at the beginning of the twentieth century he fled Capri because he had been condemned to more than four years in prison. He never returned and died in Germany
Guido Lembo (*1947)
Enthusiastic Caprese singer and Ambassador of Capri to the world. On summer nights, he reigns supreme at the "Taverna Anema e Core" night club. Irresistible! Always in good humour and recognizable by his many-coloured Fedora hats
August Weber
A German painter at the end of the nineteenth century who fell in love with Capri and then with a Caprese girl, Raffaella Desiderio. He arrived in Capri in a small rowboat and stayed for the rest of his life. His villa and boarding house in Marina Piccola, where he hosted many artists and writers, later became the Hotel Weber. Weber was very modern for his times: a vegetarian and animal activist, poet and visionary
Polpo
The mollusc "Octopus vulgaris", which the Capresi like to catch, represents the basic ingredient of many typical Caprese dishes such as octopus salad, octopus sauce, and octopus "Luciana style"
Filippo T. Marinetti (1876 - 1944)
This Italian poet, writer and playwright is known as the founder of the Futurist Movement. He understood very well how to capture newspaper headlines: at the Countryside Conference in Capri in 1923 he declared his intention to construct a bar on one of the Faraglioni Rocks!
Sophia Loren (* 1934)
The actress starred in the 1960 film "The Bay of Naples" shot in Capri - photographs of this famous Neapolitan beauty can still be seen today in shop windows
Spadaro (1858 -1937)
A marketing genius who was way ahead of his time: at the end of the nineteenth century he was already selling images of himself. With his red beret, fisherman's trousers, long beard and pipe, he was often to be found in the piazzetta having his picture painted and, later, being photographed by tourists. He became a symbol of Capri
Certosa di San Giacomo
Thanks to Count Giacomo Arcucci, Capri possesses one of the most beautiful Carthusian monasteries: the current building, still intact, is the largest and oldest on the island. It has stood here since 1371: first a monastery, then a prison, school and museum. Today the refectory is the site of a museum dedicated to the German painter Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach. In the summer the Certosa hosts various cultural events and exhibitions. A must-see is the breathtaking view from the garden overlooking the Faraglioni
Delfino
These are often seen in the waters around Capri and the Capresi people say that seeing them by chance brings good luck
Coccodrillo
So far, crocodiles have never been seen in Capri. But since sooner or later everyone comes to Capri ...
Capri Amore Mio Wimmelbook € 15
Capri Amore Mio Wimmelbook is an ambassador for Capri!
It describes the island's history, landscape, and culture in an amusing and delightful way.
Through images, Capri Amore Mio tells the story of Capri, including the sights and historical figures that have made this island famous throughout the world!
You have a special book to study and enjoy in your hands, which is also an ideal souvenir or unique gift.
Would you like to purchase the book?
It is available on Amazon.it and Amazon.de, and you will find it in Capri at the bookstore La Conchiglia.
Pino and Sofia
The history of Capri is told through the story of the book's two main characters, who are able to put to rest the long rivalry between the island towns of Capri and Anacapri: Pino, the blue lizard from the Faraglioni rocks, who falls in love with Sofia, the pretty goat from Anacapri. Together, they find both love and the Roman Emperor Tiberius' famous treasure hidden in the Blue Grotto.
