(Apr. 7) “Vedi Capri e poi vivi (See Capri and live).” This sentence is often repeated in the Italian island, an alternative to the well-known “See Naples and die”. The island has always aroused a great passion in the hearts of anyone, and over the centuries it has had many admirers even among the historical figures. Among these, Emperor Augustus, the first one who recognized the beauty, but also the strategic value of that island. His successor, Tiberius, built Villa Iovis and living in it led the Roman Empire for eleven years. Before the Romans, the Greeks had already populated the island for 500 years and they had left traces. Since then, the flow of visitors has never stopped. Especially in the 19th Century, when there has been a real invasion of poets, painters, scientists and other celebrities. The Blue Grotto was discovered in 1826 by German painter and poet August Kopisch, even though it was already known by local fishermen. And next April 16 in Hamburg, at the HQ of the Italian Cultural Institute, Almut Mey, writer and scholar, will hold a conference on the island that has enchanted Italians and foreigners of every age. (Red)
