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   Migliera and Punta Carena Lighthouse |
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Migliera The current road retraces the ancient route of the Roman road, which from Capodimonte, the limit of the Graeco-Roman steps, crossed the higher part of the territory of Anacapri to reach the Belvedere overhanging the Tuoro and Limmo creeks. The Limmo creek culminated in Punta Carena and the Lighthouse. Until the last century, fragments of coloured plaster and construction work belonging to a Roman settlement could be seen in this spot. The Punta Carena Plaza and lighthouse This marks the far end of the automobile road built in the 1960's. Taking the place of an ancient trail, it was 3.6 km in length. The lighthouse, built more than a century ago, is second in Italy only to Genoa's in terms of size and power. The Guard Tower This circular tower is perfectly preserved having been reconstructed by the English together with various pill-boxes and other military emplacements as part of the plan to fortify the south and west sides of the island against the troops of Murat. Originally a medieval lookout tower designed to protect against pirate raids it was built from the surrounding rock and sits atop the cliff that looks out towards the Carena Point. It is placed in an excellent strategic position being visible from the sea even at a great distance. Tower or Villa Materita The structure was built in the XIVth century by the monks of the Capri Charterhouse to defend their extensive property from the raids of the Saracen pirates. In the early 1900's it was purchased and loosely restored by the Swedish physician Axel Munthe who lived there from 1910 to 1943. It was here between 1927 and 1929 that he wrote "The Story of San Michele" the novel that made him famous throughout the world. The villa is surrounded by a large park and extensive terraced gardens that slope down to the street below. A. MAIURI, 1936 The Romans had also discovered the Migliara promontory, the loftiest and most rocky in Anacapri, and, after having laid out halfway up the hill between the rocks of the Solaro and the rocks of the lighthouse a road that they liked exceedingly well, because it was straight and offered easy, relaxing travel, being shaded by large oaks and looking out on the gradual buckling of the hills and slopes of the Materita, they built on the outer edge of the cliff an exedra in which their Emperor could rest... ... From there, two seas can be seen: in front is the great expanse of the Tyrrhenian; behind, the gorge of the Solaro, the Castiglione cliff and the two Faraglioni rocks. |
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