CAH-pree - in other words - Capri

CAH-Pree - the c as in car - this is how it is pronounced in Campania. Not Ka-pree - the k as in cat - the way us Australians (insert the nasal twang) tend to mispronounce it! But hey, how are we to know. Capri has tantalised us all for years. From Jackie Kennedy holidaying here in the 1960s to numerous holiday television shows telling us all how 'unmissable'  and 'gorgeous' and 'sexy' this island is - well let's just swallow it all and immerse ourselves in this beautiful place, shall we?

Emperor Tiberius - the first Julio-Claudian emperor after the divine Augustus,  got the hump with life in Rome and took himself off to Capri in around AD26. With the help of his 2IC (second in command) Sejanus, he controlled the Empire from this tiny outpost. He couldn't have picked a more beautiful place. Villa Jovis, his Capri home, is still visible on it's high perch with a 300ft drop to the ocean where, it is alleged, Tiberius would throw anyone who displeased him. If they survived the fall, they would be finished off by Tiberius' henchmen, who were bobbing around in boats, waiting for their miserable prey.

Tiberius never wanted to be Emperor and was in his 50s when this honour was bestowed on him as the step-son of Augustus. His reign is largely remembered in ancient sources, such as Tacitus and Suetonis,  for its misery and fear - he implemented treason trials - where Roman spied on Roman and innocent people were declared traitors - often meeting a miserable death as a result of innuendo and gossip. 

Tiberius died in Misenum (now modern day Miseno, near Naples) aged 77. In spite of aspects of his reign like the treason trials, his legacy was a peaceful and prosperous Empire which was largely well-managed under the Augustan system he inherited and promised to maintain.

Capri - why wouldn't a Roman Emperor want to sit back, relax and enjoy the view?






These are the cliffs Tiberius' victims would have been flung from - far, far below to the emerald green waters.



We stayed at Hotel La Floridiana, close to Capri Town and the many designer shops that occupy its streets. We loved Capri Town, especially when all the day trippers had left. This is what one of the little streets looked like when quiet descended on the island after 5pm.



Hotel La Floridiana was a great place to flop. We'd had a very long day in Pompeii, followed by a mad dash onto the hydrofoil from Naples' port Molo Beverello. Sinking into this pool - phew! Washed off the dust.


We really wanted to see the Blue Grotto, so the hotel organised a private tour - EXPENSIVE!!! But worth every euro - look at this boat we travelled on



And we took a tour to the Blue Grotto and around the island, swimming in the emerald waters and basking in the beauty of this truly unique place. Tiberius was right. Let's retire here.

Emerald water? Maybe azure?


The famous Faraglioni Rocks


The entrance to the Blue Grotto (above and below)



Yes, truly beautiful, unmissable and worth more than just one measly one night. See Capri and be like Tiberius - never leave.







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