Grotta Azzurra and Capri’s submerged sea cave
Published on 08/24/2026 at 19:53 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Grotta Azzurra is a sea cave on Capri’s north-west coast, in the municipality of Anacapri. Its entrance sits partly below the waterline, and that single fact shapes the whole place. The cave carries a Roman past linked to Emperor Tiberius and a later history tied to August Kopisch.
A cave with a Roman layer
The cave belongs to the long Roman story of Capri. Sources describe it as a marine nymphaeum in antiquity, and the association with Tiberius gives it a defined imperial setting. That past is part of the site’s identity, even before the later rediscovery on 18 October 1826.
The Roman connection matters because it places Grotta Azzurra inside the world of villas, coastal retreat and ceremonial water spaces. It is a sea cave, but it also belongs to the classical landscape of Capri, where sea, rock and imperial occupation meet in one location. The name of Tiberius remains the most familiar historical anchor, and the cave’s antique use is one reason it has endured as more than a scenic opening in the cliff.
The cave seen through nineteenth-century eyes
The modern history of Grotta Azzurra begins with August Kopisch, the German writer and painter who brought the cave back into wider view in 1826. That date is central to the site’s later reputation, because it marks the moment when the grotto moved from local knowledge into wider European attention. The cave’s name in Italian, Grotta Azzurra, also belongs to that modern phase of description.
The story of the cave is not only literary. The site combines dark rock, a low sea entrance and a chamber that has become inseparable from the island of Capri. In practice, it is a sea cave first and a monument second, yet the Roman layer and the nineteenth-century rediscovery keep both histories present. The result is a place where geology and cultural memory sit side by side.
Grotta Azzurra as a Capri landmark
Grotta Azzurra stands on the north-western side of Capri, under the cliffs near Anacapri. That position makes the place legible at a glance: a water entry cut into rock, with the island rising above it. The cave is part of the coastal edge of Capri rather than an inland attraction, and that coastal setting is central to how it reads.
Its identity also rests on contrast. Grotta Azzurra is both a natural cavity and a historical site, both a sea cave and a place with Roman associations. Capri has many recognisable edges and terraces, but this one is defined by an opening in the rock and a tradition of human use that reaches back to antiquity. The name has become shorthand for a specific corner of the island and for the layered history attached to it.
Visiting Grotta Azzurra: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Grotta Azzurra lies on the north-west coast of Capri, in Anacapri. It is reached by boat from Marina Grande or overland from Anacapri.
- The approach from Anacapri follows Via Grotta Azzurra and ends at a stairway down towards the sea. The cave entrance is low and partly submerged.
- The official language is Italian and the currency is the euro.
- The cave belongs to the island’s coastal edge, with the cliffs of Anacapri above it and the sea at its mouth.
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Frequently asked questions about Grotta Azzurra
Where is Grotta Azzurra?
It is a sea cave on the north-west coast of Capri, in Anacapri. The cave opens onto the shoreline below the island’s cliffs.
What does a visit involve?
The approach runs by boat or from Anacapri on land, ending at the cave’s low entrance. The site is defined by the descent to the sea and the rock opening itself.
What makes Grotta Azzurra distinctive?
Its identity rests on the combination of a partly submerged entrance, a Roman past and the modern association with August Kopisch. Few places on Capri carry that same mix of coastal geology and historical memory.
