Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
chapel to the south of the main altar, who seem to mirror some of the mildly debauched
folk in the cafes outside. Beside the northern chapel is a reliquary with a saintly bone that
reputedly saved Capri from the plague in the 19th century.
Certosa di San Giacomo
( 081 837 62 18; Viale Certosa 40; 9am-2pm Tue-Sun)
This picturesque monastery
is generally considered to be the finest remaining example of Caprese architecture and
today houses a school, library, temporary exhibition space and a museum with some evoc-
ative 17th-century paintings. Be sure to look at the two cloisters which have a real sense
of faded glory (the smaller dates to the 14th century, the larger to the 16th century).
The history is a harrowing one: it became the stronghold of the island's powerful
Carthusian fraternity and was viciously attacked during Saracen pirate raids in the 16th
century. A century later, monks retreated here to avoid the plague and were rewarded by
an irate public (who they should have been tending), who tossed corpses over the walls.
There are some soothing 17th- century frescoes in the church, which should hopefully
serve as an antidote as you contemplate the monastery's dark past.
To reach here take Via Vittorio Emanuele, to the east of Piazza Umberto 1, which me-
anders down to the monastery.
MONASTERY
Giardini di Augusto
(Gardens of Augustus; dawn-dusk)
Get away from the Capri crowds by heading south-
west from the Certosa di San Giacomo monastery where, at the end of Via G Matteotti,
you'll come across the unexpected green oasis of the colourful Giardini di Augusto. Foun-
ded by the Emperor Augustus, you should spend a few minutes contemplating the breath-
taking view from here: gaze ahead to the
Isole Faraglioni
and the three dramatic lime-
stone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
Measuring 109m, 81m and 104m respectively, the pinnacles are home to a rare blue liz-
ard that was once thought to be unique to the Faraglioni but has since been found on the
Sicilian coast. While a picture of the lizards from here is sadly beyond the capacity of
even the most sophisticated camera lens, a photo from here should still impress the folks
back home. From the gardens, pretty Via Krupp winds down a bend to Marina Piccola,
past a bust of Lenin overlooking the road from a nearby platform; no one seems to know
who placed it here, or why.
GARDENS
