Villa Jovis — Attraction in Capri

An amazing place to visit and a must if you visit Capri. The walk up to the villa is a good workout so take a lot of water with you. We walked from the main port up to the shopping centre (which we didn't expect to see). Walk through the mass of exclusive shops and continue on up the hill. Pass all the beautiful houses and eventually you will arrive at Villa Jovis (sign posted). When you get to the villa adults will pay 6€. Young adults are free. There are public toilets there and they are clean. There isn't a cafe on site but we did pass the Villa Jovis Bar which is not far off the main villa. When you arrive walk right and enjoy the view and take a few snaps for the album. The most amazing spot is to the left as you walk past the villa. Look for the long corridor (see picture). Walk right and enjoy the cliff top view (not for the faint hearted). Imagine the emperor sitting on the bench (see picture) having people thrown off the cliff. Also, think of the places Caligula could avoid Tiberius. The villa is big but the future emperor would have to play the game wisely in order to survive the apprenticeship.

If you are adventurous but have a slight fear of heights give it a try. The view from the main port looks much worse than the walk actually is. The path up to the villa can get steep but the path is really safe and the steepest parts are between houses and shops. You can even walk around most of the site without the feeling that you are standing on top of a cliff. You will have a sense of achievement when you walk back down to the Gucci shops 🥳.

Give a like if you have acrophobia and made it...

Villa Jovis is situated in the very northeast of the island atop Monte Tiberio; its 334 m elevation makes it the second-highest peak of Capri, after Monte Solaro (589 m elevation) in Anacapri.[2]

The north wing of the building contained the living quarters, while the south wing saw administrative use.[3] The east wing was meant for receptions, whereas the west wing featured an open-walled hall (ambulatio) which offered a scenic view towards Anacapri.[4]

As water was difficult to come by where the villa was built, Roman engineers constructed an intricate system for the collection of rainwater from the roofs and a large cistern that supplied the palace with fresh water.[4]

South of the main building there are remains of a watch tower (specula) for the quick telegraphic exchange of messages with the mainland, e.g. by fire or smoke.[5]

Access to the complex is only possible on foot, and involves an uphill walk of about two kilometres...

Ugo made this visit more than we could possibly have anticipated. Thanks Ugo! We happened to arrive in time for his post lunch tour of the grounds and we learned a great deal. His info and insight into the location and island were a genuine highlight of the trip to Capri. The villa itself is a surprisingly huge complex, with a major water collection system, strangely topped by a catholic chapel built above it before they realised Emperor Tiberius' palatial villa was underneath. Amazing views also from the chapel and the park next door where we saw goats for the only time on the 3 day visit. It's an uphill trek and there's a great 20min forest short cut across to Villa Lysis which is worth seeing in combination with Villa Jovis but bring a packed lunch or allow enough time. The gardens, houses and sleeping cats along the way made this an even better excursion. I started this review at 4 stars for Villa Jovis but the whole trip...