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Capraia >> The
Municipality of Capraia |
 If
you really love nature and are looking for a refuge from the
city's confusion as you are not fascinated by the gleams of
worldly pleasures, then Capraia is the place for you. The island
has remained practically untouched and only withered with concrete
that elsewhere has suffocated the naturalistic beauties in order
to lodge tourists. Capraia instead, is still wild and uncontaminated
with coasts overhanging the sea and a single sandy beach, Mortola,
that however is exposed to the tantrums of the winds and can
only be reached from the sea. In 1986, the penal settlement,
that occupied almost two thirds of the island, was closed permanently
and the gates to the island were opened to visitors. Only in
recent time it has become possible to start recovery work on
the pathway and on the old penitentiary buildings that are located
in the very heart of the area. The very small harbor, Porto
di Capraia, is connected to the village by the one and only
asphalted road on the island, a reason for which the possibilities
of lodging are very limited but also very charming. The village,
dominated by the San Giorgio Fortress, preserves its original
characteristics unaltered, with thick-walled houses both to
protect them from possible invaders and to keep the rooms cool
in the summer heat. |
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The pastel colored facades, the wide and ariose terraces and
the bouganville pergolas complete the charm of these typical
island houses. The island's historic and artistic patrimony
is very rich and reflects all civilizations that have lived
on this land during the last centuries. A visit to Capraia should
start from Torre del Porto, erected in 1510 next to a Franciscan
building in order to work as a guard for the small bay and as
a bastion to the San Giorgio Fortress.  The
Franciscan complex dates back to the 17:th century and faces
Punta del Fanale. In 1873, it became the a penal settlement
and therefor even the small church in Pisan baroque style was
desecrated , but can still be visited. The Palazzone, is the
island's largest building and was built in 1873 by the Savoia
family who wanted to relieve the island's economy through a
cigar-factory. The fortress San Giorgio, solemn and majestic,
dominates the village Capraia, but can not be visited anymore.
The very core was built by the Pisans in the 12:th century while
the later fortifications were built by the Genoese and especially
so the San Giorgio wharf. Above the portico you can admire a
bas-relief that depict the Saint while defeating the dragon
and an analogous work inside the church depicts the Annunciation.
The charming Torre del Bagno, built on a cliff hanging over
the sea, dates back to the 16:th or 17:th century and probably
made up a way of escape connected to the inside of the San Giorgio
Fortress. Strolling about the island you also run in to the
ruins of Torre della Regina, located on a peak with the same
name, a withered stone construction that reminds of a Sardinian
nuraghe, Torre dello Zenobito on the southern top of the island
and the charming church Santo Stefano Protomartire. On piazza
Milano you will find the San Nicola church, built in 1759 and
embellished with pearl-colored church ornaments made by artists
from the island. |
Photos from APT Tuscan Archipelago and Mediaweb srl.
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