Why go
The island's separation from the mainland did not keep it outside Mediterranean politics. Connections with Naples and Amalfi, a former bishopric and repeated raids explain a different Capri from the imperial retreat. The relationship between Capri town and Anacapri also has a documented history extending back centuries.
The full story
After the Western Roman Empire ended, Capri came under Naples and experienced repeated attacks by pirates. In 866, Emperor Louis II granted the island to Amalfi. Religious organisation followed another strand of regional influence: a bishop of Capri was consecrated in 987, with the diocese linked to Amalfi. Capri retained a resident bishop until 1818, when it became part of the archdiocese of Sorrento. In 1496, Frederick of Naples established legal and administrative parity between Capri and Anacapri. The distinction between the two communities therefore predates modern tourism. Raids remained a serious threat in the sixteenth century, including attacks associated with Barbarossa and Turgut Reis. By the seventeenth century, visitors were also recording the island for readers elsewhere. The French antiquarian Jean-Jacques Bouchard left a diary of his visit. It offers a written glimpse of Capri before the later expansion of international resort life.