Capri, until the end of the nineteenth century, was a barren and rocky island, almost devoid of trees. In the photos of Sommer and Arturo Cerio, the slopes of Mount Tiberio and Solaro appear without trees, in their karst and dolomite beauty. It was the many villas that arose in the early twentieth century and the work of reforestation writers such as Norman Douglas, Compton Mackenzie and Axel Munthe to make Capri a small floral paradise. The visit of the Park La Gloriette of Villa Lysis and the Astarita Park, along the path of Calanca, is a small emotional journey among the colorful diversity of trees and flowers of the island. Ascending (slowly) on the hill of Tiberio, from the Piazzetta, you can admire many historic villas with their gardens and pergolas, where many artists and writers have lived their stay in Capri: villa del Monte S.Michele del principe William Parente, Villa Croce of the journalist of the Times Henry Wreford, Villa Monetella of the Russian revolutionary Anatolj Lunacrskij, Villa Moneta, happy retreat of the Sicilian painter Antonino Leto and, finally, Villa Lysis, dedicated to the love and pain of the Count Jacques Fersen, protagonist of Roger Peyrefitte’s book “The exile of Capri”. The Park La Gloriette has returned to its former beauty thanks to the work of a group of volunteers from Capri who, for two years, have cleared brambles planting trees and ancient floral species loved by the Count. This charming garden, created at the beginning of the century by the gardener Domenico Ruggiero and the French architect Chimot, offers visitors the opportunity to discover small breathtaking viewpoints overlooking Marina Grande and the Galli Islands. Between groves of laurel and myrtle, rows of camellias flowers, hydrangeas, lilies, azaleas and hibiscus, the mind inebriates beauty and scents. Curiosity: the plant banned from this park is bouganville, which Fersen hated. Leaving the gate, the path of Calanca in half an hour will lead you to the entrance of Villa Jovis. This ancient rural route, used by the peasants of Tiberius for hunting, herding and collecting wood and medicinal herbs, in Roman times was the access road for the transport of goods to the imperial villa. Almost adjacent to the entrance of the Astarita Park. This small natural and faunistic oasis, which extends for one hundred fifty thousand square meters, was wanted in 1926 by the banker, archaeologist and poet Mario Astarita. Its viewpoints offer unprecedented and spectacular perspectives. The Belvedere del Pino, with its countless steps between the rocks, goes down to the White Cave. Astarita wanted to reach the sea but his dream never came true. Walking in the forest of the park you can admire many resident birds such as the peregrine falcon, also a nutritious colony of goats and goats will accompany you in this natural oasis between sky and sea.
curated byRenato Esposito
