Campania · Napoli
Anacapri
The upper half of Capri, 150 meters above its famous twin.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Anacapri is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu and Città dell'Olio.
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Visiting
- J12°
- F12°
- M13°
- A14°
- M18°
- J22°
- J25°
- A26°
- S24°
- O20°
- N17°
- D14°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Anacapri occupies the western, higher plateau of Capri, about 150 meters above the harbor town at the municipal center and rising to 589 at Monte Solaro. The Ancient Greek prefix ana means up: the name simply says the upper one. Until 1874 the only link between the two communes was a stairway of some 800 steps, cut by Greek settlers in the seventh or sixth century BC, not by Phoenicians despite what its common name suggests.
In 1895 the Swedish physician Axel Munthe began building his villa on the ledge above those steps, on the ruins of one of Tiberius's residences and a tenth-century chapel. His 1929 memoir turned the place into a literary destination. The two communes of Capri, one at sea level and one on the plateau above, were for centuries connected only by that stair cut into the rock, and a settlement reachable only on foot from its lower twin is a different kind of place than one arrived at by road.
How to get there
Anacapri is on an island and is reached by ferry.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Villa San Michele
Neoclassical villa and garden with an antiquities collection and a granite Sphinx set over the harbor, facing east toward Vesuvius.
Monte Solaro
Reached by a single-seat chairlift from Piazza Vittoria, the summit opens onto views across the whole of Capri.
Faro di Punta Carena
Second-tallest lighthouse in Italy, built in 1862 and operational since 1867, at the southwestern tip of the island.
Scala Fenicia
The stairway climbs between the harbor town and the plateau above, cut into the rock rather than built up from it, its name a misnomer since it predates any Phoenician presence.
Castello di Barbarossa
Ruined castle at 412 meters above sea level on a spur of Monte Solaro, now an ornithological station for migratory birds.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
L'OlivoRistorante
L'Olivo has two Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 92.5.
Da GelsominaRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Da Gelsomina.
Il RiccioRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Il Riccio.
2 more places the guides name in Anacapri
La Zagara di Casa MariantoniaRistorante
La Zagara di Casa Mariantonia has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
Hotel Caesar AugustusHotel
Hotel Caesar Augustus carries a La Liste score of 91.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Anacapri is an island.
- Reached by ferry. In the series we say we would never live on an island: the ferry is a commitment every time you leave.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,757, down 1.7% since 2015
- Nearest national health service hospital Capri, 3 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €5,300 to €8,100 per m² to buy, €13.30 to €20.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Fibre to the street cabinet; no full fibre mapped yet
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Regional capital Naples, across the water
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 34 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany. There are 197 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 37% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Naples province ranks 104th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Capri, 3 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Working from here
Poste Italiane has finished a coworking room in the comune, on its register of 30 September 2026. Check that it is open on Poste's booking site before you count on it.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.96% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.4% and 0.79% to your income tax, depending on your income. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Campania spends about €1,800 a month, €650 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €328 a year for water, on the Campania average. In Naples, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.25, a meal in a pizzeria €11.02 and a man's haircut €18.55.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
VILLA SAN MICHELE
Axel Munthe's villa and garden on the Phoenician ledge, built from 1895 on Tiberian ruins, made famous by his 1929 memoir.
MONTE SOLARO
Island summit at 589 meters reached by chairlift from Piazza Vittoria in about 13 minutes for the widest view on Capri.
SCALA FENICIA
Greek-era stairway of about 800 steps linking the two communes, the only connection between them until the 1874 carriage road.
LIMONE DI SORRENTO
The commune lies inside the Limone di Sorrento IGP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Anacapri known for?
- Anacapri is the upper half of Capri, 150 meters above its famous twin.
- Where is Anacapri?
- Anacapri is a comune in the province of Napoli, in Campania, at 275 meters above sea level.
- How do you get to Anacapri?
- Anacapri is on an island and is reached by ferry.
- When is the best time to visit Anacapri?
- Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 26 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Anacapri?
- Capri, Castellabate and Capalbio.
- How many people live in Anacapri?
- 6,757 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Anacapri a good place to live?
- Anacapri is an island town, reached by ferry, which our Where to Move in Italy series treats as the furthest end of the road. The nearest national health service hospital is in Capri, 3 km as the crow flies. Fibre reaches the street cabinets; no full fibre is mapped yet.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 275 m
- Population: 6,757
- Surface area: 6.47 km²
On the map
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Anacapri appears in
- The 6 best beach towns with a serious restaurant in CampaniaCampaniaclean beachserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 2,410 residents
- The best towns worth staying overnight in the province of NapoliNapoli provinceworth staying overnight6 towns · smallest 6,722 residents
- The best hidden beach towns in CampaniaCampaniaclean beachhidden8 towns · smallest 2,410 residents
- The 9 best olive oil towns in CampaniaCampaniaolive oil9 towns · smallest 904 residents
- The 9 best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of NapoliNapoli provinceserious restaurant9 towns · smallest 6,722 residents
Similar
Towns like Anacapri
What all six share with Anacapri: on the Tyrrhenian coast
Capri
Province: Napoli
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both islands, reached by ferry
Castellabate
Province: Salerno
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
- Written about. No. 47.
Capalbio
Province: Grosseto
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Isola del Giglio
Province: Grosseto
both hill towns · both islands, reached by ferry
Ascea
Province: Salerno
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Camerota
Province: Salerno
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
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