Two thousand years ago an emperor ruled the world from this island. Capri’s calmest corner, a 14th-century charterhouse above the Faraglioni, now holds the Roman finds that tell that story.
WhereCapri town, a 10-minute walk from the Piazzetta
Founded1371, by Giacomo Arcucci for the Carthusian order
New since 2024The National Archaeological Museum of Capri, inside the Certosa
Roman CapriTiberius ruled the empire from here (AD 27–37). Villa Jovis was his seat
Pairs withGardens of Augustus, the Faraglioni viewpoints, the Blue Grotto
Time needed1 hour, more with the gardens
View of Certosa di San Giacomo from the Northwest · photo Norberto Chavez-Tapia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
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Capri · Campania
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Capri
Blue Grotto, Faraglioni, limoncello on deck, the classic swim-stop circle of the island.
Capri’s first golden age was Roman. Augustus loved it as a retreat. Tiberius moved here for good in AD 27 and governed the empire from the island for a decade, building a string of villas of which Villa Jovis was the greatest. Even the Blue Grotto belongs to that era, the Romans turned the sea cave into an imperial nymphaeum. Centuries later, in 1371, the island’s second soul arrived: the Carthusian monastery of San Giacomo, founded by Giacomo Arcucci, count and secretary to Queen Joanna I of Naples.
Why the Certosa matters now
Since 2024 the two souls share a roof: the Certosa hosts the new National Archaeological Museum of Capri, which brought back to the island Roman finds long kept in Naples. So a single visit gives you the cloisters and church of the medieval monastery, and marble and artefacts from the villas of the Caesars, with far fewer people than anywhere else on Capri. The gardens below drop towards the sea with one of the island’s best free views of the Faraglioni.
Image of Capri Island · photo Cezar Suceveanu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Planning your Capri day
The Certosa is ten minutes on foot from the Piazzetta, past the Gardens of Augustus, do the two together, then decide between a boat tour of the island and the chairlift up Monte Solaro from Anacapri. Ferries run from Naples and Sorrento all year. In high season book returns early. The Certosa is the piece of Capri that stays calm at noon in August, which is reason enough to include it.
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