Ivan Konstantinovič Ajvazovskij, La grotta Azzurra (1841)
The blue grotto (grotta azzurra in Italian) is a sea cave located on the northwest coast of the island of Capri, in the municipality of Anacapri. It is famous for its clear water and its bright blue reflections that come from the external light reflected by its walls and whose red component is filtered by the water.
It is this blue color which gives this cave its particularity and which made it the most famous attraction of Capri. One visits it by a small rowboat, lying down to pass the entrance. It is forbidden to swim in the cave (although some do it after the closure of visits)
Under the Roman antiquity, it was a nymphaeum, a sanctuary dedicated to the aquatic nymphs of mythology. Subsequently, the blue cave was long avoided, considered a cursed place. It was in 1826 that it was rediscovered by the fisherman Angelo Ferraro who accompanied the German painter August Kopisch (1799-1853) and the Swiss artist Ernest Fries (1801-1833). Since then, it has become a stage of the “grand tour” in Italy.
This karstic underground cavity is about 60 m long and 25 m wide, with a depth of about 13 meters, the bottom of which is sandy. The ceiling rises from 7 to 14 meters. The entrance is 2 meters wide and only 1 meter high.
The Blue Grotta – Practical Information
How to arrive?
- By bus from Anacapri (from Piazza della Pace, 50 m from Piazza Vittoria). 15 min.
- By foot (from Anacapri, Via Pagliaro and Via Grotta Azzurra, 3.5 km), 40 min.
A staircase leads to the boats to access the cave.- By boat from Marina Grande, 10 min (with a tour of the island of Capri that stops here, or visit only the cave, or rented boat). You have to climb in a small boat to enter the cave.
Timetable
- Open from 9 to 17 (sunset), only if the sea conditions are favorable, and in the absence of wind.
- From November to March, it is very rare that the cave is open.
- It is between 12 and 14 that the reflections are the most brilliant. There is less wait in the afternoon, but the sea is more likely to be agitated and the service suspended.
- To know if the cave is open you can call the port of Motoscafisti di Capri at (0039) 081 8375646.
- The visit lasts 5 minutes, but the wait may be an hour in the summer.
Prices
- Entry: 14 € per person. 10 € for the transport in boat and 4 € for the entry ticket.
- The entry for the under 18 years of the EU is free (the cost is then 10 € for the boat).
- Between 18 and 25 years, the ticket is 2 € (plus the boat).
- The first Sunday of each month, the entrance ticket is free (still to pay the service in boat, 10 € per person).
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