The Faraglioni of Capri from the sea
Three rocks, one sail-through arch and the bluest water on the island — how to see the Faraglioni properly.
Island boat tours past the Faraglioni
The Faraglioni: the three rocks you came to see
The Faraglioni are three limestone sea stacks rising up to 109 metres straight out of the water off Capri's south-east tip — the most photographed silhouette on the island. Each has a name: Stella, still attached to the land; Faraglione di Mezzo, pierced by a natural arch you can sail straight through; and Scopolo, home to a rare blue lizard found nowhere else on earth.
You can admire them from above at the Giardini di Augusto or the Punta Tragara belvedere — but the definitive experience is passing through the arch of the middle rock on a boat. Skippers cut the engine and drift under it; tradition says you kiss whoever you're with for luck as you pass.
The water around the stacks is deep, clear and a brilliant blue-green, and most island boat tours slow here for photos and a swim. Come in the early morning or the golden hour before sunset, when the light rakes across the rock and the day-trip boats have thinned out.
The grottoes and coves around the stacks
The Faraglioni are the headline, but the same stretch of coast hides the Green Grotto (Grotta Verde), where sunlight turns the water emerald, the White Grotto, and the natural arch of the Arco Naturale high above. A full island loop links them with swim stops in between — this is the part of Capri the ferry-and-funicular crowd never sees.
Sail through the middle arch, then anchor just past it for a swim — the water is deepest and clearest right there, and you get the rocks to yourself for a few minutes between boats.