The caves of Capri

The Blue Grotto

Capri’s Ble Grotto is known throughout the world for its size, the intense blue tones of its interior.

The caves of Capri

The caves of Capri are classified by the speleologists as secondary caves in that their formation is always subsequent to that of the mother rock. The caves were caused by splitting, rockslides, defacing, water erosion, and wave action. Tectonic caves are caused by the splitting and dislocation of the bedrock and the consequent breaking of the conditions of equilibrium which leads to the creation of an enterable crack or crevice. Talus caves are caused by rock sliding or collapse due to atmospheric agents. Karst or Solution caves are formed by the deep penetration of meteorological water which chemically and physically erodes passages in the limestone creating cavities often then filled with debris, tufaceous substances, calcareous concretion and volcanic material. Littoral caves are the result of marine erosion created both by the mechanical erosion of the waves and the chemical aggression of the sea waters in those points where the rock is weakened. The threshold, or floor, of the cave entrance, hardly ever corresponds to the actual level of the sea but rather to level of the sea at the time of their opening.

The other caves and the coast

The tour around the island of Capri and the visit to the caves commences at Marina Grande. Travelling eastwards one reaches the inlet of Marina di Caterola, also known as Gasto. Here the landscape is characterized by the remains of a rockslide which occurred in the nineteen seventies. The bay features a small sandy beach although, as in a number of other places on the island of Capri, it is not advisable to stop here due to the unstable rock face above. The danger of falling rocks is marked by signs.

Grotta del Bove Marino

The Grotta del Bove Marino is the first cave which we come across, just over a kilometer from the tourist harbor. It’s name was inspired by the noise of the surf which, during violent sea storms, is amplified by the cavity, so as to become similar to the roar of the walrus. It has a lengthened form of almost 50 meters by 6 meters wide at the back of which there is a small pebble beach..
The elderly fishermen of the coastal village of Capri tell of a time when seals lived in the Cave.

The fissure in the rock immediately after, is called Punta del Fucile due to its characteristic rifle like form. There follows an area called Cala del Calato with a number of stumps or blocks of rock and, at 150 meters from here, in the middle of the sea, one can identify the Scoglio della Ricotta, the name of which was inspired by its cheese like form.

Grotta del Moschillo o della Ricotta

In line with the Scoglio della Ricotta we find the Grotta del Moschillo or della rictotta, difficult to identify in that the opening is a fissure in the rock. This small cavity was created by the erosive action of the sea. The ceiling is very low and therefore visitors are advised to enter only at low tide, mindful of the waves caused by the passing of boats which make the level of the water rise.

Traveling onwards one arrives at Punta Lo Capo where the remains of walls of an old limekiln can be seen. On the summit of the rock there is a statue of a young boy waving to those arriving in and departing from Capri. Looking upwards one catches a glimpse of Villa Lysis, once property of Count Fersen; further along the route, still gazing skywards one can spy the ruins of Villa Jovis and the legendary Tiberius’s Leap. The zone is also accessible by land via a long and steep flight of steps which commences from the region of Tiberius, believed to have been used in the Roman era so as to reach Villa Jovis. On the cliff known as “Longa di Basso” there is a small automatic lighthouse, which substitutes that which worked by acetylene which can be seen further up. After the lighthouse there is a small inlet known as Marina Piccola di Santa Maria, after the statue of the Madonna del Soccorso which is perched on the hilltop.

Grotta di Santa Maria

The Grotta di Santa Maria opens in to the bay of Marina Piccola di Santa Maria. 25 meters long and 10 meters long with a vault roughly 6 meters above sea level, the cave is almost completely filled with water, apart from a few sections where there is a sort of marine terrace elevated two meters above the level of the floor. Along the coast there is a whole series of small cavities which swimmers can access and explore.

Grotta di Tiberio

The Grotta di Tiberio which can be reached only with the aid of ropes, overlooks the bay of Marina Piccola of Santa Maria. The mouth of the cave is located half way up the cliff face.

Further along the route one finds Punta del Monaco and Punta della Chiavica, the latter stretching seawards with a small column of rock.

Grotta della Chiavica

La Grotta della Chiavica si trova subito dopo la punta del Monaco. Qui il mare s'insinua in un'insenatura larga appena 40 centimetri e alta fino a 10 metri che ricorda le fattezze di un portale gotico, a destra è possibile vedere l'antico battente del mare a circa 5-6 metri d'altezza.

Grotta dei Polpi, della Seppia o del Corallo

Traveling onwards one comes across the Grotta dei Polpi or della Seppia which takes its name from the abundance of squid which used to be fished in the area; the cave follows a fault line without, however, penetrating in to the mountain. In recent years the cave has been renamed Grotta del Corallo, a name of greater tourist appeal, recalling the presence of red sea organisms, known locally as “sea tomatoes”, which grow immediately beneath the surface of the water.

Grotta dell'Arco di Betlemme

The Grotta dell’Arco di Betlemme was formed following the disintegration of a karst cave of which only a part of the vault remains, a rocky arch circa one meter thick, from which its name derives. It is approximately 15 meters high.

Opposite the Grotta dell’Arco di Betlemme, on high, one can identify two long rock formations known as the Orecchie d’Asino or Donkey’s ears. Further on, at sea level, one finds a number of fissures in the rock all of varying dimensions. Here the motion of the waves pushes the water into the cavities, water which then exits in the form of powerful sprays known as Sbuffi. The Sbuffi, a phenomenon which can be witnessed along other parts of the coast, often reach quite impressive heights and present fabulous multicolored reflections. Onwards still, in a small natural niche there is a tiny Madonna, placed there by the mother of pilot whose airplane crashed in the area. After circa 100 meters one finds two cavities, one above the other; the Grotta Bianca and the Grotta Meravigliosa.

Grotta Bianca

The Grotta Bianca can be accessed directly from the sea. The interior is made up of two basins which connect at surface level via a 2 meter high artificial passage dug into the rock. The basins connect naturally under water. The first basin reaches a maximum depth of 10 meters and covers an area of circa 300 sq.m. it is not subject to marine flooding. The second basin, linked also to the sea, reaches a maximum depth of 11 meters, is 20 meters long and 5 meters wide. Analysis has demonstrated that the water present in the basin is partly comprised of spring water, which would explain the unusual opal color. It is believed that the artificial passage in the Grotta Bianca was made so as to provide a place where to secure boats during the invasions which followed the fall of the Roman Empire.

Grotta Meravigliosa

Despite being well known to the island boatmen, the Grotta Meravigliosa was made accessible only in 1901 by two British travelers, Maund and Kennedy, who, after an exploration, built the steep flight of steps and small artificial tunnel both of which are still visible today. Inside the cave one finds stalagmites and stalactites of the most bizarre forms created by the dripping of deposits, still a current phenomenon. Local folklore has it that one of these forms be a statue of the Madonna. The cave extends towards the inside of the mountain and, like the Grotta Bianca, has a large natural platform of horizontally positioned sediments formed from the deposits of stagnant water. By foot one proceeds for 20 meters before reaching an uphill section. Those wanting to visit the Grotta Meravigliosa are advised to wear sandals and, even in high summer, a pullover or shawl.

Piscina di Venere

Beyond the entrance to the Grotta Bianca there is a fracture in the rock within which a natural pool is formed, known locally as the Piscina di Venere. The pool is linked to the sea by a narrow passage which would be difficult to identify if not for the fig tree growing next to the entrance. It is not clear whether the origins are tectonic or a result of the corrosive action of the karst water.

Grotta delle Sementelle

Opposite the Faraglione di Matermania, also known as the Scoglio della Sementella, one finds the inlet of the Sementelle. Three meters above sea level, built on an ancient marine terrace, there is the Grotta delle Sementelle the walls of which are made of limestone whilst the vault and floor are covered in tufaceous substances, probably transported there by the karst water responsible for the formation of the cavity.

Grotte dei Preti

Beyond the Faraglione di Matermania one reaches the three caves known as the Grotte dei Preti. The interior of the caves have been transformed by marine erosion so as to create the various forms which folklore associates with the stone figures of priests. The Grotte dei Preti are typical karst caves which, as a consequence of rising sea levels, were inundated with water. The action of the sea subsequently washed away the material deposited in the cavities. The successive lowering of the level of the sea allowed for the Grotte dei Preti to remerge at the level where they can be found today.

Grotta del Moschino

The interior of the Grotta del Meschino is characterized by various chromatic tones produced by the flora which covers its walls, tones which vary from bright yellow to violet, from intense green to black. The Grotta del Moschino is a cavity carved into the rock along a fault line, enlarged following the collapsing of the vault.

Grotta del Tufo o "Vascio o' Funno"

The Grotta del Tufo is of great biological interest. Recent studies of the interior have confirmed the presence of the remains of mollusks and small vertebrates of continental origin, typical of woodland areas and mild climates. It is a narrow karst cavity, approximately 20 meters high and filled with horizontally placed deposits.

Above one can see the Natural Arch, a magnificent Paleolithic “sculpture” resembling the form of a natural bridge balancing on two pillars of rock. A little further on one finds the imposing Casa Rossa, the house built on Punta Massullo for the writer Curzio Malaparte.

Grotta Massullo

Grotta Massello was created by marine erosion and enlarged by internal rockslides. On its walls one notes at a height of 7 meters a number of holes of lithodomes and the furrow of an ancient sea break. The floor of the cave is found 13 meters beneath the level of the sea.

Once beyond Punta Massello, one passes the Cala del Fico and the Scoglio del Monacone stump arriving at the ancient Roman port of Tragara, to the right of which is the Grotta di Tragara.

Scoglio del Monacone

The Scoglio del Monacone owes its name most probably to the walrus or monaco, a species now in danger of extinction, but which would once have been seen frequently in the waters around the island of Capri. The remains of brick work, which can be found on the Scoglio di Monacone, have been attributed to various origins: the tomb of Mascaba, architect of Augustus; basins for the salting of fish belonging to the system of aquaculture adopted in the bay; or a construction for the rearing of rabbits, a species which in the eighteen hundreds was, apparently, quite prolific on the island.

Porto di Tragara

According to the experts, Tragara was once an ancient Roman port. In fact, a number of traces of an ancient settlement can be observed: close to the bathing area one can see the remains of a roman pavement in opus spicatum, small interlocking red bricks, then there are the remains of the floor of a Roman cistern, and an ancient containing wall of terracotta bricks. It is thought that boats used to stop at Tragara to refuel with fresh water, contained in the cisterns of which only a few traces remain. Another hypothesis sees the structures which can be found immediately below the level of the sea, as the remains of tanks for the breeding of fish, activity which was very popular during the era of Augustus.

Grotta di Tragara

A sea cave created along a fracture line and filled by water for 25 meters. The floor is found 12 meters below sea level and along the walls lithodomes can be seen, as in a number of other caves along the coast of Capri. In recent years, just under the surface of the water, red marine organisms have appeared.

Grotta Sommersa

Just a little further on, at approximately 7 meters below the level of the sea, there is a little known cave which, after about ten meters, leads to a beautiful cave full of stalactites. Due to the risk of being trapped inside, visitors are strongly advised not to enter.

The Faraglioni

Traditional postcard from Capri, the Faraglioni stacks are living proof of the continual evolutionary process of the earths crust and of atmospheric events, such as the wind and movement of the waves. The first rock, called Stella, is joined to the island, the second stack, the Faraglione di Mezzo, is separated from the first by a stretch of sea, whilst the third, the Faraglione di Fuori or Scopolo lies further out to sea. The sea which surrounds the rocks is an authentic marvel despite the waters being continually plundered by fishermen, and the sea life around the rocks being disturbed and impoverished by divers in search of razor clams. The walls of the Faraglione di Mezzo which are submersed in the sea are covered by coelenterata with a typical flower form; the seabed around the Scopolo are rich in echinoderm, such as star fish of various form and color and sea urchins with enormous aculei, which live alongside sea scorpions, moray and octopus. Another inhabitant of the rock is the Lucertola Azzurra, a lizard which lives exclusively on the Faraglione Scopolo. Its characteristic blue scales, reflect the color of the surrounding sea and the sky. The Faraglioni have an average height of 100 meters and in the Faraglione di Mezzo there is a cavity, the tunnel, of world wide fame. The passage through the rock is approximately 56 meters long, 13 meters wide. The roof of the tunnel is 15 meters above sea level. A a few meters separate the Faraglione di Mezzo from the Faraglione di Fuori.

Piccola Grotta Azzurra

The Piccola Grotta Azzurra is a cave 15 meters high, 1,5 meters wide and 14 meters deep. The light which enters, through a small underwater window, assumes a blue-green color, especially intense in the early hours of the morning.

Grotta dell'Arco della Stella

Grotta dell’Arco della Stella is an arch formed cave which can be visited by rowing boat. 20 meters long and 3,5 meters wide, the cave is a short natural corridor, carved out by the karst waters and modified by abrasion and rockslides. Grotta dell’Arco is home to prolific colonies of hydrozoa and gasteropoda.

Grotta di Forca

The Grotta di Forca, found on the way to Marina Piccola, can be identified by a deep furrow in the shore line. 10 meters high, 5 meters wide and 27 meters deep, it was formed along a fracture line by the sea and amplified by subsequent collapsing. The interior is raised on a marine terrace characterized by extremely tilted layers of rock.

Grotta Belvedere

The Grotta del Belvedere takes its name from the Tragara viewpoint or “belvedere” which is situated above it.

Grotta Albergo dei Marinai

The Grotta Albergo dei Marinai is thus called because the fishermen used it as a refuge during sudden storms.

Grotta di fra' Felice

The Grotta di fra' Felice, which takes its name from the hermit and monk who lived there, can be found directly beneath the Gardens of Augustus and are accessible by foot from Via Krup. It would seem that the monks used to lower a bread basket to the fishermen in compliance with the “pecunia maris”, an ancient privilege of the Carthusian monks, which consisted in the fishermen being obliged to hand over a part of their catch. The Grotta di fra’Felice appears on a number of maps as “carcere antico” or “old prison” and it may once have served this purpose. Subsequently it was acquired by Krupp who transformed it in to a luxurious villa where to receive his guests.

Grotta Oscura

The Grotta Oscura became inaccessible in 1808 following a rockslide which also brought down the defense tower of the Charterhouse. The Grotta Oscura, visited since the sixteenth century, was the largest of Capri’s caves; its entrance was so narrow that boats passed with some difficulty, although once inside it had a diameter of almost 100 meters structured on two oval cavities, and it is said to have had contained an incredible display of light.

Grotta Certosa

The Grotta Certosa can be found beneath the Charterhouse of San Giacomo.
The cavity was created by the erosive action of the marine water and its floor can be found 6 meters beneath the present level of the sea. The sea enters from beyond the enclosing walls, sign that the cavity was formed by karst erosion.

Grotta dell'Arsenale

The name of the Grotta dell’Arsenale comes from the belief that boats were once built inside the cave. It is situated in an area sheltered from the winds where bathers come even in the winter months. From its configuration one can deduce that the cavity was caused by sea erosion, as demonstrated by the thin layers of beach conglomerate. In the Roman era a 4 meter wide ramp was created to aid the pulling of the boats on to the dry land. A bench lined the walls of the cave. The floor was paved with colored marble tiles laid so as to form a geometric design; the vault would also have been faced and decorated with geometric forms. Today nothing remains of the ancient interiors of the Grotta dell’Arsenale.

Beyond the zone of the Saracen tower and the well known bathing establishment “la Canzone del Mare”, lies Marina Piccola, at the center of which is the Scoglio delle Sirene, which divides the inlet in to two bays: to the left the Marina di Pennauro and, to the right, Marina di Mulo.

Scoglio delle Sirene

The Scoglio delle Sirene owes its name to a number of scholars who, at the start of the twentieth century believed they had identified the rock as homer’s “flowered meadow on the sea”, hypothesizing that the primitive man of Capri would have employed the song of his females to induce the sailors to disembark here.

There are no more caves until Punta Ventroso but opposite there is a small stack known as the Scoglio di Marcellino and the inlet of Cala Ventroso which precedes it. Immediately after there is the Cala di San Costanzo.

Cala di San Costanzo

The Cala di San Costanzo was given its name in virtue of the head shaped rock which the inhabitants of Capri identify as that of St Costanzo, patron saint of Capri. It can be identified by the deep horizontal crevasse in the rock situated a few meters above sea level.

Cala Marmolata

Between Punta Ventroso and Punta Orticella lies Cala Marmolata, an area characterized by extremely steep and rocky slopes which fall directly into the sea. This is one of the areas of Capri least touched by mankind.

Dolomie

The Dolomie are the oldest sedimentary rocks of the island of Capri. The rocks are comprised of calcium carbonate and magnesium and date back to circa 190 and 130 million years ago.

Grotta Verde

The Grotta Verde opens 400 meters north-west of Punta Ventroso. It takes its name from the color which the sea assumes caused by the light entering from the other side. In fact, this cave has two openings. The side facing the west has an entrance roughly 25 meters above sea level, the passage is only 2 meters high, allowing the transit of only very small boats. The sea bed is 4 meters deep, sandy, and covered with a scattering of rock forms. To the west and south-west there are underwater passageways which link the Grotta Verde to the open sea.

Grotta Ruoffolo

Grotta Ruffolo is situated opposite the eastern entrance of the Grotta Verde, this is an ancient karts cave notably transformed by the collapsing of the interior vault.

Grotta Rossa

The Grotta Rossa owes its name to the red colored algae which inhabit the cave. Inside the Grotta Rossa there is a small beach where, it is said, at the start of the twentieth century a couple of seals found refuge. This is also an ancient karst cavity markedly transformed by the collapsing of the interior.

Grotta dello Champagne

Between Grotta Verde and Grotta Rossa there is the small cave, the Grotta dello Champagne, which can be accessed by swimming through the entrance.

Grotta d'Insurro

The Grotta dell’Insurro is the product of marine erosion, a phenomenon which is still active. It is formed by two cavities divided by a rocky pillar, the floor is submersed and in the interior pebbles and rocks rounded by the motion of the waves accumulate.

Grotta Brillante o Grotta Smeraldo

The Grotta Brillante, is also known as Grotta Smeraldo for the spectacular green tones reflected on its walls.

Grotta del Cannone di Krupp

The Grotta del Cannone di Krupp. 12 meters high, is characterized by the noise made by the water which is compressed within its interior by the motion of the waves, a sound similar to the firing of a cannon, from which it derives its name.

Grotta dei Santi

The Grotta dei Santi is formed by white rocky banks smoothed by the sea, which emerge on the terrace of abrasion like human figures in a position of prayer. A karst cavity enlarged by marine erosion, at the entrance the floor is nine meters below sea level, whilst inside the Grotta dei Santi, towards the back, the floor lies 4 meters beneath the vault.

Grotta Vela

The Grotta Vela is 30 meters high, 2.5 meters wide, and 60 meters long; the threshold is 9 meters beneath the level of the sea and rises gradually before emerging at the back of the cave. The Grotta Vela has mixed origins: the anterior part is a fracture cavity, the median section is an ancient karst cavity enlarged by wave motion, whilst in the posterior part there are filling deposits resulting from the process of physical and chemical erosion. In this case we have three different actions which have contributed to the formation of the Grotta Vela all of which are easily recognizable.

Further on one comes across Punta Orticella, featuring a small stack and Punta dell’Articola. Straight after these lies the Grotta dell’Articola and, on high, the Grotta del Formaggio, a series of cavities caused by abrasion.

Once past Punta Carena, featuring a majestic lighthouse, passengers reach the western coast of Capri. At the height of the lighthouse the Torre la Guardia watch tower can be seen, beyond which, on Punta del Pino and Punta Campetiello, there are the remains of two blockhouses. In the small Cala Lupinaio one finds the Grotta del Rio.

Grotta del Rio

The Grotta del Rio was created by marine erosion, the threshold is 8.5 meters beneath the level of the sea. Inside the Grotta del Rio one can observe the furrows of an old sea barrier and a deep circular cavity.

Traveling onwards, having gone past Punta dell’Arcera, one finds Grotta Azzurra known throughout the world for its size, for the blue color within its interior and the silver tones of the objects immersed in its waters. Entrance to the cave can be made only when accompanied by authorised boatmen. (see dedicated section)

Grotta dei Guarracini

At circa 120 meters from the Grotta Azzurra one finds the Grotta dei Guarracini formed from an crevasse in the rock face, which in the center reaches a height of circa 2,5 meters above sea level. This is a fine example of a cavity caused by marine erosion, heightened following the weakening of the vault.The opening is circa 7 meters wide and 3 meters deep.

Grotta Botte

One then comes to the Grotta della Botte, a cavity created by erosion with a 6 meter high oval vault, with a diameter of circa 5 meters. The sea inside the cave is 4 meters deep.

All the way to Punta Sbruffo the coast descends steeply featuring a number of small cavities caused by marine erosion which are named after the objects the resulting forms seem to resemble. Thus one finds the Grotta dell’Orecchio (ear), the Grotta del Cavallo (horse), the Grotta delle Colonnelle (colonels), the Grotta del Cuore (heart) and the Grotta della Testa del Cavallo (horse’s head).

Grotta del Binocolo

The Grotta del Bincolo is characterized by a 3 meter high leaning pillar which divides the opening in two, creating a form which resembles a pair of binoculars.

Grotta della Funicolare

The Grotta della Funicolare is formed by two openings, divided by a rocky bridge, which join inside to form a single cavity. The openings are not on the same level: one being at sea level, the other slightly higher up.

Grotta del Vesuvio

The Grotta del Vesuvio has a tunnel form and towards the exterior has a width of 5,5 meters. Inside, beyond a steep step measuring 2 meters in height, one descends into a basin of water. In the cave there are other rooms and channels.

Grotta Sbruffo

At Punta Sbruffo one finds Grotta Sbruffo, a cavity created by marine erosion which is situated at the same height as the surface of the water, the vault is 40 centimeters above sea level. The water enters the cave to then exit under the form of sprays and with much noise.

Grotta di Lucina

Continuing onwards there are three caves very close to each other. The first is Grotta di Lucina, formed primarily by marine erosion, with two entrances. The largest entrance is 5 meters high and leads to a small elevated cavity; the smaller entrance leads to a room full of stalactites by way of a narrow passage.

Grotta del Naso

The Grotta del Naso has an opening directly on to the sea at surface level and is roof shaped. Inside there is a narrow fracture. High up there is a small window of circa 30 centimeters in diameter. The water, which enters violently with the waves in the lower part of the cave, is forced upwards and exits in great spurts, of up to 15 meters in length, resembling a sneeze, hence the name “del naso” or nose.

Grotta del Pertuso

The peculiarity of Grotta del Pertuso is that of a small grating left in the wake of excavations made in search of fresh water in this area.

Grotta dei Mandri

The last cave which we see is that of Grotta dei Mandri, just before arriving at Bagni di Tiberio. A cave formed by marine erosion and made larger by subsequent collapsing, the remains of the entrance can still be seen.

The tour around the island concludes with the arrival at Marina Grande.