L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano A h! The Costie- ra Amalfi- tana! The beau- tiful Amalfi and the charming Positano, but also Ravello and the historical wealth of Pom- peii. And then, out there, just a stone-throw away from the coast, there are its islands: Is- chia, Procida, Ventotene, Ponza, and Capri, of course. Capri today is synony- mous with old-school glam- or and the years of la dolce v i t a . S o p h i a L o r e n , l a Lollo, the great names of the Hollywood gilded age: all of t h e m h a v e w a l k e d i t s paved piazzetta, admired the blue of its sea and, perhaps, took a relaxing dip in it. And w e c a n ' t f o r g e t i t s faraglioni, nor the romanti- cally and poetically named Grotta Azzurra, the blue grotto, which owes its name to the magic play of light and water that transforms it into an aquamarine-hued beauty. A place so otherworldly that our ancestors, the ancient Romans, under the reign of Emperor Tiberius, used it as a marine temple, as we know also thanks to the many stat- u e s f o u n d o n i t s b o t t o m , which are now on display at the Casa Rossa in Anacapri. But the Grotta Azzurra isn't the only place in Capri where you can breathe in the scents and charms of ancient history. Indeed, the island is t r u l y a n i m p e r i a l j e w e l , because Rome's first glori- ous Emperor, Augustus, m a d e i t h i s " h o m e a w a y from home." Augustus used to vacation here, where he had a majestic villa and sup- ported the construction of temples and other important b u i l d i n g s . A r c h a e o l o g y , however, tells us that the Romans weren't the first to lay their eyes and interests on the island. The Greeks were the first to settle there, sometimes around the 8th century BC: funnily enough, we have proof of their pres- ence thanks to what is com- m o n l y k n o w n a s t h e Phoenician Steps , that connects the Marina Grande t o C a p r i t o w n a n d t h a t , d e s p i t e t h e i r n a m e , w e r e built by Hellenic colonists. So, when Augustus decid- ed to get a holiday home in Capri, the island had already centuries of history on its shoulders. The findings of these early settlements were discovered by the Romans and Augustus, who had a penchant for history himself, as Roman historian Sueto- nius tells us, had some of them exhibited in the garden of his villa. After Augustus, it w a s h i s s u c c e s s o r , t h e a l r e a d y - m e n t i o n e d Tiberius, who took things a s t e p f u r t h e r , i n c r e a s i n g greatly the urban develop- ment of the island. Tiberius, i n f a c t , s p e n t t h e l a s t 1 0 years of his life and reign in C a p r i , a s h e c o n s i d e r e d Rome not safe enough for him, fearful as he was to be killed by his opponents or fall victim to a coup. But why was Tiberius so afraid of staying in Rome? Well, he had a thing or two to fear, because he him- self did not rise to power in the clearest of ways. Tiberius was Augustus' stepson, but his destiny wasn't that of ruling the Empire. Augustus wanted to leave power to one of his grandchildren, Caius and Lucius, the sons of Giulia, Augustus' daugh- ter. Both of them, however, died in seemingly mysteri- ous circumstances, and it was only then that Augustus designated Tiberius, known for his military prowess, as h i s i m p e r i a l s u c c e s s o r . A c c o r d i n g t o s o m e , t h e death of Augustus' grand- children was the work of a true conspiracy that devel- oped under the supervision of Livia, Augustus' wife – and Tiberius' mother. We, of course, don't know if this is true at all, but cer- t a i n l y , a t s o m e s t a g e , Tiberius no longer felt safe i n t h e c a p i t a l a n d b e g a n s p e n d i n g m o r e a n d m o r e time in Capri. During his reign, 12 villas were built on the island, the most famous of which is Villa Jovis, locat- ed in a little trafficked part o f t h e i s l a n d w h i c h w a s , back then, quite difficult to reach and, therefore, easier to protect and control. Inter- estingly, though, Tiberius' death ended up being myste- rious anyway: he was found dead, aged 77, in his bed, with Suetonius openly stat- ing he was either poisoned or smothered to death. A f t e r T i b e r i u s , R o m a n e m p e r o r s s e e m e d t o l o s e i n t e r e s t i n t h e b e a u t i f u l island of Capri, exception made for the infamous Com- modus of Gladiator fame, who banished both his sister and his wife there. C a p r i t o d a y r e m a i n s a l a n d o f t h e E m p e r o r s , though. If you love history – a n d g o o d , o l d - f a s h i o n e d mystery – you can visit Villa Jovis, which can be reached via a beautiful trekking path. The villa is located on a cliff, which is one of the island's highest points, and used to be more than 5,500 square meters in size (this is some 18,000 square feet): in it, t h e r e w e r e g a r d e n s , s e r - vants' chambers, and pas- s a g e s a n d t h e E m p e r o r ' s a p a r t m e n t s . L e g e n d s a y s there was a spot, notoriously k n o w n a s T i b e r i u s Leap, from where enemies of the emperor - or anyone who crossed him in some ways – would be thrown into the sea. Just like it happens for many other places in Italy, Capri bewitches all visitors. And it has been doing so for millennia. From Emperors t o s t a r s , t h i s i s t r u l y t h e island of beauty. A view on the Faraglioni of Capri. The Emperors of Rome loved the island (Photo: Roman Babakin/Shutterstock) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE When the Emperors vacationed in Capri … GIULIA FRANCESCHINI

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