Why go
Villa Jovis explains Capri's imperial importance, but it is only one layer. Grotta delle Felci preserves evidence of early settlement, while the areas around Maria delle Grazie and the Case Grandi belong to the growth of medieval Capri town. These contrasts give the island a longer history than its resort image suggests.
The full story
Archaeological finds from Grotta delle Felci place human settlement on Capri far before the imperial period. Tiberius later made the island a centre of Roman power, spending much of his final years there until his death in AD 37. Ancient writers offered hostile accounts of his private life; his reasons for withdrawing from Rome remain debated. After antiquity, Capri town grew around more than one nucleus. A northern quarter developed around the chapel of Maria delle Grazie from the eleventh century, while another formed around the Case Grandi in the thirteenth. The town therefore carries a medieval settlement pattern alongside its Roman associations. The ruins have also changed through excavation and removal. In the eighteenth century, Norbert Hadrawa's excavations dispersed objects from Villa Jovis. Some of the island's archaeological story must consequently be followed beyond Capri, including a large mosaic floor taken to Naples.