Capri

(Local Name: Isola di Capri) Region: Campania.

Province: Napoli (NA)

Area: 10.5 sq.km/4 sq.mi

Population: 13,000

Boat services

Regular service several times daily from Naples (taking car not worth while; use prohibited in summer); also hydrofoil service. Also services from Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ischia.

Situation

The island of Capri, one of the most beautiful and most visited of the islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is in fact an extension of the peninsula of Sorrento, and lies at the southern end of the Gulf of Naples.

In Roman times, when it was known as Caprae, it was a favorite resort of the emperors Augustus and Tiberius.

The island, about 6km/4mi long and between 1 and 2.5km/0.5 and 1.5mi wide, has rugged limestone crags rising to a height of 589m/1,944ft above the sea. The only places of any size are the picturesque little towns of Capri and Anacapri.

The island has a rich flora, including the acanthus, whose leaves form the characteristic ornament of Corinthian capitals.