Anacapri occupies the higher western half of Capri, where the island rises toward Monte Solaro before dropping in cliffs to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is not a quarter of Capri town but a separate municipality, with its own old centre, churches, visitor services and coast. The Comune’s 2025–2027 plan records 6,825 residents across the municipality at 31 December 2024. The date matters on an island where the number of visitors can swell far beyond the permanent community. Anacapri’s lanes invite a slow walk; its outer coast and archaeological sites require a bus or a planned hike. The municipal plan gives the dated population and a snapshot of local services, while the Comune places the town on Monte Solaro and explains its civic history.
The upper town and its old road to the port
The connection between Anacapri and Marina Grande is written into the stone stairway called the Scala Fenicia, or Phoenician Steps. Its familiar name is misleading: the Ministry of Culture’s heritage catalogue says that, despite the name, Greek colonizers built the route to connect the settlement with the port. The municipal tourism office counts 921 steps and describes it as the old communication route between the island’s communities. Rather than treating the name as proof of a Phoenician foundation, the surviving stairway shows how a hill settlement reached the coast before motor transport. Anacapri and Capri were joined in one municipality from 1927 to 1946; Anacapri then regained separate civic status. The national catalogue records the Greek attribution and the municipality’s political history; the visitor office describes the stairway and present-day routes.
Roman Capri appears in distinct places above and below the water. At Damecuta, remains of an imperial villa stand near the north-western coast. The Capri archaeological museums describe the Blue Grotto as a Roman nymphaeum whose niches held sculptures of Neptune and sea figures. Recovered pieces are now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Capri at the Certosa di San Giacomo. These remains belong to the Roman island landscape; they do not establish a Roman foundation for the present town. The municipal route links the Damecuta pine grove and ruins with the bus journey toward the grotto, giving visitors a chance to see the archaeological setting before reaching the coast. The archaeological museums describe the villa remains and the grotto’s sculptural decoration; the Comune’s route guide explains the Damecuta stop.
Courtyards, churches and a red house
Start around Piazza Vittoria and the pedestrian Via Giuseppe Orlandi, then turn into the Boffe. The lanes and barrel-vaulted houses give the old centre a domestic scale: a doorway opens onto a small court, a corner reveals a chapel, and views slip between walls toward the ridge. The municipal guide connects the name Boffe with the vaulted forms of the houses. In Piazza San Nicola, the Church of San Michele is a Baroque interior built between 1698 and 1719. Its striking feature is a maiolica floor showing Adam and Eve expelled from Eden; from the raised viewing position inside the church the whole composition becomes legible. Santa Sofia, the parish church established in 1510, stands on Piazza Diaz, around which the town grew. The municipal record dates San Michele and identifies its address, and the Comune dates Santa Sofia to 1510.
Casa Rossa is hard to miss. John Clay MacKowen, an American colonel who settled on Capri, built it beside an older tower between 1876 and 1899. Its red exterior and mixed architectural details tell a personal story rather than representing every Anacapri house. Today it is a municipal museum with paintings and archaeological displays, including sculptures recovered from the Blue Grotto. Villa San Michele offers another encounter with the island’s international past. Swedish physician and writer Axel Munthe began shaping the house in 1895 on a site that included the remains of a medieval chapel. Rooms and garden bring together antiquities, later collecting and views over the Bay of Naples. A sphinx on the terrace has acquired a wish-making legend, part of visitor folklore rather than documented villa history. The Comune’s Casa Rossa page gives its dates and collections; Villa San Michele’s own site documents Munthe’s project and publishes visitor information.
Monte Solaro, Cetrella and the cliff paths
At 589 metres, Monte Solaro is Capri’s highest point. A chairlift starts near Piazza Vittoria and reaches the summit in about thirteen minutes; the operator describes a walk of roughly an hour and a half for the descent. On a clear day, the view opens across the Bay of Naples toward Ischia and Procida, and south toward the Gulf of Salerno. There is a café and restaurant at the top according to the operator, but the summit is exposed and wind or cloud can change the experience quickly. Steep walking routes are intended for fit walkers. The Comune points to the small hermitage of Santa Maria a Cetrella, a fifteenth-century retreat among Mediterranean vegetation. Check seasonal lift hours, the final descent and trail conditions before setting out. The lift operator publishes the journey time, hours and last descent; the municipal guide describes the footpaths and Cetrella hermitage.
For a gentler outward walk, the Migliera leads toward a belvedere above the south-western cliffs. The Comune describes the path as level but also says it is not accessible to visitors with disabilities, so check the surface and access details for your own needs. The route looks toward Punta Carena and its lighthouse. The municipality dates the lantern to 1866 and likewise notes that the access path is not accessible for visitors with disabilities. Here cultivated plots, Mediterranean scrub and exposed rock offer a different Capri from the port and the central Piazzetta. Carry water, avoid the hottest summer hours and verify the route before walking. The Comune’s Migliera page describes the path and access limits; the lighthouse record gives its date and access note.
The Blue Grotto depends on the sea
The Grotta Azzurra is known for intense blue light created when sunlight enters through a partly submerged opening and reflects from the sandy seabed. The colour changes with time and atmospheric conditions. Entry involves transferring to small rowing boats at the water’s edge. The Ministry of Culture identifies the grotto within Anacapri and explains that tides and weather determine whether boats can enter. Adverse sea conditions can close the site; admission is limited, and the rowboat transfer is separate from the cultural-site ticket. Do not plan a tight onward connection around the grotto or assume an entry ticket guarantees access. Nearby Damecuta offers a land-based alternative if the sea does not permit entry. The Ministry’s visitor page explains weather, opening times and capacity limits; the archaeological museums clarify the visitor rules and separate boat transfer.
Work, hospitality and getting around
Tourism is central to Anacapri’s economy, alongside older forms of work. The national heritage catalogue describes visitor businesses as dominant while also naming crafts, agriculture, fishing and trade; it records rope sandals, straw hats and bags among local artisan specialities. The municipal 2025–2027 plan lists accommodation, food-service and bathing facilities. That is an attributed administrative inventory, not a promise that every business opens year-round. Visitors can expect a substantial range of lodging, cafés, restaurants, shops, buses and cultural sites, while many trails, museums and the chairlift follow seasonal schedules. Contact the municipal tourist office for current access details, especially where mobility is a concern. A national transport project identifies crowding around Piazza Vittoria and plans access improvements, showing that visitors are both an economic resource and a practical urban challenge. The heritage catalogue describes traditional work and the visitor economy; the infrastructure ministry documents mobility pressures and planned works.
From Naples, Caremar runs ferries and fast vessels to Marina Grande; ATC operates a direct bus from the port to Anacapri. Another option is the funicular from Marina Grande to Capri town, followed by an ATC bus up to the higher municipality. Queues and full buses can make a short island journey unpredictable in high season. Once in Anacapri, the pedestrian centre is best explored on foot. Buses from Piazza della Pace serve the Blue Grotto and Punta Carena, and the chairlift starts near Piazza Vittoria. Check the exact day’s ferry, bus and lift timetables and leave room for delays. Caremar publishes the Naples–Capri timetable, while ATC updates island routes, notices and bus schedules. Anacapri rewards a visit that gives time both to the lanes above and the changing sea below.