Capri town gets the Piazzetta crowds and the designer boutiques. But 300 metres above sea level, on the island's western flank, sits Anacapri — a whitewashed village with a slower rhythm that regulars argue is the better half of Capri. The name comes from the Greek 'anás', meaning above, and the mood up here genuinely feels a step apart: pedestrian lanes, artisan workshops, vineyards and olive groves instead of queues for the funicular.
Anacapri's roots run deep. The Phoenician Steps — all 921 of them — still climb from Marina Grande to the village, which was the site of several of Emperor Tiberius's first-century villas. In the late 1800s the Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe built Villa San Michele here, filled with antiquities and gardens looking over the Bay of Naples, and it's been drawing writers and artists ever since. Glamour hasn't entirely passed it by: the Jumeirah Capri Palace has hosted Jackie O, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts as its more discreet guests, and it houses the White Museum, a private collection of over 100 artworks with pieces by Keith Haring and Giorgio de Chirico.
Where to bed down? Relais Caposcuro (formerly 2 Pini) is a fourth-generation family affair converted from the family's vineyards in 1999, sitting right beneath the Monte Solaro chairlift — the owners can arrange private cooking classes and local craft experiences. Casa Caprile, a 19th-century estate that once housed Sweden's Queen Victoria, reopens as a 12-bedroom Small Luxury Hotel from May 2027, with retro red-and-white striped awnings and a Mediterranean garden.
The eating is a serious draw. Da Gelsomina has been cooking island classics like ravioli capresi in the Migliara countryside since the 1950s, with sunset views towards Punta Carena. Il Riccio, by the Blue Grotto, is a glamorous seafood institution with an over-the-top dessert room; its sister restaurant L'Olivo has held two Michelin stars since 2011 — the lemon-scented tagliolini with red prawns is the dish to order. Il Solitario keeps the old Anacapri alive with homemade pasta, while a-Ma-Re serves pizza and a lemon Negroni on lemon terraces near the Blue Grotto.
The practical bits: take the chairlift up Monte Solaro, Capri's highest point, for the best views of the island and Bay of Naples. La Zagara sets dinner tables under lemon trees at Casa Mariantonia; Columbus, beside the chairlift, grows much of its own produce and presses its own Oro di Capri olive oil.
Why it matters: if you're planning Capri and dread the day-trip crush, Anacapri offers the same island with a calmer pace and a stronger sense of place. It still feels like a discovery — which, given the new openings, won't last forever.