Gardens of Augusto
Capri's most beloved viewpoint
There’s a place on Capri where everything comes to a standstill. Not because there’s nothing to do, but because the view that unfolds before you is so perfect that your legs simply stop walking of their own accord. These are the Gardens of Augustus: a series of flower-filled terraces overlooking the sea, where on one side the Faraglioni stand out in their golden light, and on the other lies the bay of Marina Piccola with the dizzying hairpin bends of Via Krupp descending towards the water like a sculptural signature carved into the rock.
They were built in the early 20th century by Friedrich Alfred Krupp, the same German steel magnate who commissioned Via Krupp to reach the sea in comfort from his suite at the Grand Hotel Quisisana. His original plan was even more ambitious: to transform the site into a private villa. The First World War put a stop to all such plans, and the city council renamed the gardens in honour of the first Roman emperor. The name Krupp remained only for the street.
Details of the visit
Getting there: From the Piazzetta, Via Vittorio Emanuele → Via Federico Serena → Via Matteotti. About a 10-minute walk.
Admission: €2.50. Children under 12: free. Purchase online at capriculturaeturismo.it
Summer hours (May 1 - September 15): 9:00-20:00
Spring/Autumn opening hours (April, second half of September, October): 9:30-19:30
Winter hours: 9:30-16:30
Recommended duration: 20-30 minutes, but the sunset will keep you longer
What you’ll find
The terraces of the Gardens are an open-air botanical garden: dahlias, geraniums, jasmine, palms, cypresses, pines and junipers line the paths, each marked with botanical identification plaques. The scents change at every turn. Depending on the time of day, the light bathes the Faraglioni in hues ranging from bright gold to the purple of sunset.
As you stroll amongst the hedges, you might be surprised by an unexpected statue: a white marble Lenin, five metres tall and carved from five stacked blocks, created by the sculptor Giacomo Manzù in 1968. The reason? Lenin lived on the island in 1908 as a guest of the Russian writer Maxim Gorky. That’s Capri for you: even its history comes from the sea.
An extra tip: the Gardens are the natural starting point for Via Krupp – which begins right at the lower terrace. If you’ve already read our article on Via Krupp, you’ll know what awaits you at the end of the descent: the most beautiful swim in Capri.