People come to Capri for the sea, but the island also has an ancient soul that few go looking for. We devoted a day to the villas of Emperor Tiberius: the grand Villa Jovis, on the eastern tip, and the more intimate Villa Damecuta, at the opposite end. Two walks, two different views and plenty of Roman history far from the crowds.
Tiberius, the emperor who ruled from Capri
Around 26–27 AD Emperor Tiberius withdrew to Capri and from here, for more than eleven years, he continued to govern the Empire until his death in 37. According to ancient sources, twelve imperial villas stood on the island. The historians Suetonius and Tacitus left us a very hostile portrait of him, that of a cruel and dissolute tyrant; today many scholars describe him rather as a capable and reserved ruler.
The villas of Capri tell the story of this choice of isolation well: luxury residences built in spectacular positions, hard to reach and looking out only over the sea.
Villa Jovis, the palace on Monte Tiberio
Villa Jovis is the largest and most sumptuous of Tiberius’s villas. It stands on the summit of Monte Tiberio, about 334 metres above the sea, and covered around 7,000 square metres. Rediscovered in the 18th century under Charles of Bourbon, it was excavated and restored in the 1930s by Amedeo Maiuri.
The palace is laid out on several levels around a large square core occupied by cisterns, essential for collecting rainwater on top of a mountain with no springs. Around them you can make out the baths, the emperor’s apartments and the servants’ quarters. What struck us is how, even though mostly walls remain, you can perfectly grasp the logic of a residence-fortress.
Next to the villa you reach the Salto di Tiberio (Tiberius’s Leap), the sheer drop from which, according to legend, the emperor had those who displeased him thrown into the sea. Nearby stands the small church of Santa Maria del Soccorso. From up here the view takes in the Gulf of Naples, the Gulf of Salerno and the Sorrento peninsula: for us, one of the most beautiful panoramas on the island.
Villa Damecuta, above the Blue Grotto
On the other side of the island, in the municipality of Anacapri, lies Villa Damecuta, on a north-western headland right above the Blue Grotto. This villa too is attributed to Tiberius. It was damaged by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, and the excavations, begun by Maiuri in 1937, brought to light an elegant residential quarter laid out along a panoramic walkway above the coast.
During the excavations the torso of a male statue was found; it is now displayed in the archaeological museum housed in the Certosa di San Giacomo. The park is also home to the Torre di Damecuta, a medieval watchtower built to keep an eye on the sea against raids. We loved the peaceful atmosphere of this place, in the shade of the pines, with the sea sparkling below the terrace.
Getting there and when to go
You reach Capri by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, Sorrento and other ports around the gulf. For Villa Jovis, start from the Piazzetta and walk up along via Longano, via Sopramonte and via Tiberio: allow about 45 minutes of uphill walking, with no cars or buses up to the entrance. Bring water and comfortable shoes.
For Villa Damecuta, go to Anacapri and from there take the bus to the Blue Grotto, or walk for about half an hour. Both sites have opening hours that change with the seasons and close one day a week: check opening hours and tickets on the official website before setting off. We recommend spring or September, when the heat is more bearable for the climbs.
Nearby
To round off your day on the island, read The island of Capri: what to see and do, and if the sea is calm, head down to The Blue Grotto, right below Villa Damecuta. Wine lovers can find out more in Capri DOC. On the mainland, the nearest stop is Sorrento: what to see. Everything else is in Naples and its surroundings.
Top photo (Capri): Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Read also: Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone
