With its vibrantly bright H2O , the Blue Grotto of Capri may seem like it ’s been backlit with artificial lighting or perhaps even Photoshopped beyond realism . However , relief assure , the radiant waters of this ikon - perfect sea cave are totally raw .
Also known as theGrotta Azzurra , it can be found on the island of Capri on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in Italy . enter through a small hole in a cliff font , the cave extend some 50 meters ( 164 animal foot ) and holds water supply that ’s around 150 meters ( 490 infantry ) recondite .
day does n’t just enter from the grotto ’s entree , which diminished rowboats can sail through , but also via another underwater curtain raising found directly under the cave ’s oral cavity . Together with the light timber of the water and the slant of the Sun throughout most of the 24-hour interval , light can crucify through this submerged entry to illuminate the waters from below , creating this beaming depressed effect .
A Swiss illustration showing how daylight illuminates the cave through the underwater opening.Image credit: ETH-Bibliothek/Wikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 4.0)
The grot has been admired for thousands of year . It’ssaid tohave been the personal swimming hole of Tiberius , the second Roman Emperor who ruled from 14 to 37 CE .
Three statue depicting Neptune and other Roman mythologic figure were discovered on the seabed of the cavern in 1964 , indicating it may have also been used as a tabernacle in antiquity .
Several more statue bases werefoundin 2009 during an archaeologic study . Upon the discovery , researchers commented on how it lined up with an report by the Roman learner Pliny the Elder ( 23 to 79 CE ) who delineate the sea cave as a hangout of the demi - god Ethel Merman Triton .
The cave appears in an 1838 book calledEntdeckung der blauen Grotte auf der Insel Capri(translated as Discovery of the Blue Grotto on the Isle of Capri ) in which German poet and painter August Kopisch describes his say rediscovery of the area in 1826 .
It ’s believed this account book kick - commence the massive interest in the island of Capri among European artist and writers during the nineteenth hundred . Even today , the island ’s sights still attract the rich and famous ( although that ’s pop stars and influencers nowadays , not poet and painter ) .
It is potential for holidaymaker to sail into the Blue Grotto and see its radiant water with their own eyes . However , hold in mind , the island can get pretty packed during the summer months .
