Via Krupp on the island of Capri

The Via Krupp is one of the most beautiful « roads » in the world

One of the most beautiful paths in the world, the Via Krupp is located on the island of Capri, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, south of the Bay of Naples. The winding, cobbled path is historic, linking La Certosa di San Giacomo and the Gardens of Augustus with Marina Piccola. Built between 1900 and 1902, the path climbs a vertical distance of around 100 meters through a series of hairpin bends, cut and set into the rock so close together that they almost seem to overlap. The Via Krupp has been described as « a road that is in itself a work of art » for its elegant switchbacks, laid out in harmony with the cliff, where each bend brings a different point of view, a new perspective, and a visual feast for the eyes.

Flickr – Jerry Lai

The path was commissioned by German industrialist and steel magnate Friedrich Alfred Krupp, who in the early 20th century asked engineer Emilio Mayer to design and build it. Friedrich Alfred Krupp loved the Italian island of Capri, where he resided for several months each year from 1899 to 1902 at the Hotel Quisisana. He had two yachts here, Maya and Puritan, with which he maintained and exercised his passion for oceanography. Krupp wanted the via to provide him with a connection between his luxury hotel and Marina Piccola, where his marine biology research vessel had dropped anchor.

However, Krupp allegedly used the route to secretly visit the Grotta di Fra’ Felice, a cave where sexual orgies with young locals were supposed to have taken place. When the scandal broke, Krupp asked to leave Italy in 1902. A week later, Krupp committed suicide.

Flickr – edward bertozzi

Between 1976 and 2008, the Via Krupp remained closed due to landslides. It was so popular that even when it was closed to the public, tourists would pass under the barriers to see it, and large gates had to be built to dissuade them. And understandably, after 30 years of closure, the via Krupp is once again offering all its best views!

Today, you can reach the island of Capri from Naples on a ferry that takes less than an hour.