Issue
11

The lighthouse that unveils the island of Capri

The lighthouse that unveils the island of Capri The lighthouse that unveils the island of Capri

In Naples you cannot see sunsets. The sun rises behind Vesuvius, flooding the embrace of the Gulf with light. In the evening it falls behind the hill of Posillipo and Campi Flegrei.

From this wonderful profile, known all over the world, it is therefore not possible to admire the sight of the sun falling asleep in the sea, unless you cross the Posillipo promontory and look towards Ischia.

However, you can find also another place to see the sunset. You have to take a hydrofoil, sail for Capri and set foot on one of the most famous islands in the Mediterranean. But let the glamorous ambitions go away.

Even if Capri is known throughout the world for its glossy nights, trendy clubs and high-end shopping streets, this time you have to take a few steps back towards the rural vocation of the island, to that wild face that still dominates below Monte Solaro, among the steep and rocky paths sloping down to the sea. Capri is as hard as the rock it is made of. And today you will discover his austere face, full of beauty.

Just go to Anacapri, the second largest municipality on the island, along the uphill roads towards the hinterland. The landscape slowly changes. The sea breaks on the gray cliffs while the houses are more sparse. Hotels and restaurants have disappeared almost completely. The trees, the fields, some traces of vineyards: nature takes back its spaces. It is the westernmost tip of the island, where the Punta Carena lighthouse is located.

“The divine experience of life begins in Anacapri. It is the last goal can be reached when all other goals have failed”.
Edwin Cerio

This lighthouse, 28 meters high, has been signaling the way to sailors since 1866. From here, from the narrow strip of land on which it rises, you can see one of the most beautiful sunsets to remember. The sun slowly moves westward and plunges into the sea overlooking the island of Ischia. An inventive dialogue between two islands that could not be imagined more different: Capri is rocky, Ischia volcanic. Only a small strait separates them. The Lighthouse has been watching this sea for more than 150 years. The people of the island are very proud of it: it is the second most powerful in Italy, after that of Genova.

Here, in the westernmost area, Capri reveals its face. The heart of the island hides under the rough skin, made of steep paths and breathtaking coastline. Still, the small beach below the Lighthouse is a favorite of the locals. Anyone who knows the island that belonged to Tiberius also knows that on this side it is the authentic and never lost soul of this place.