The most beautiful caves of the Amalfi Coast
Loved all over the world for its breathtaking views and its typically Mediterranean mood, the Amalfi Coast is also the ideal destination for those who love nature trails and seascapes. Its spectacular caves, in particular, are among the must-see stops during a holiday in this beautiful stretch of Campania, to be visited strictly during a boat tour that combines the pleasure of discovery with the unmissable experience of a day at sea. If you are already planning your trip here, you just have to keep reading: with our overview you will discover the most beautiful caves of the Amalfi Coast.
The caves of the Amalfi Coast: which are the most beautiful and how to visit them
The Emerald Grotto
Discovered in 1932 by the fisherman Luigi Buonocore, who thanks to the circumstance became a real personality, the Emerald Grotto is one of the symbolic places of the entire coast. Located in Conca dei Marini, this spectacular karst cavity owes its name to the emerald green reflections that color the sea when the sun’s rays filter inside the cave through an underwater cleft that connects the cave to the open sea. Apart from the play of colors created by the sun in the water, the Emerald Grotto fascinates visitors with the evocative atmosphere created by the alternation of stalactites and stalagmites which, joining in some points, create impressive limestone columns even more than ten meters high. This particular natural conformation is due to the fact that the cave was once above sea level and then, due to a phenomenon of bradyseism, the subsidence of the cave’s soil caused it to sink.
A must for the many tourists in the area, who access it mainly by sea during a boat ride, the cave has also entered the collective imagination through some television productions such as the Capri fiction. In 1956 an underwater nativity scene was set up on its seabed.
The Blue Grotto
Also known as the “Blue Cathedral”, the iconic Capri cave is a bit of a symbol of the Amalfi Coast. This fascinating cavity, which opens on the north-west side of the island, in Roman times housed a temple dedicated to a marine deity and owes its fame to the visit that the German artist August Kopisch made in 1826. Chosen as a set by the cinema and from the world of advertising, the Blue Grotto is loved by tourists from all over the world for the intense blue of its waters: the phenomenon is due to the presence of an underwater threshold that captures the sunlight and acts as a filter absorbing the range of red colors and passing the blues that are reflected on the walls and the dome giving visitors a unique experience. The narrow entrance of just one meter above sea level introduces visitors to a truly unique place, which in addition to the main cave loved by tourists from all over the world, contemplates a karst system distributed over several environments. Access to the cave is by means of a rowboat then, once inside, the sailor moves the boat by clinging to a chain walled up at the entrance.
The White Grotto
In a tour to discover the caves of the Amalfi Coast, you cannot miss a stop at the White Grotto of Capri: this suggestive inlet which is located immediately after Punta della Chiavica is the result of the disintegration of an ancient karst system due to the erosive action of water. marina and the repeated landslides that have affected the site. Its name, of course, alludes to the predominant color inside the cave, which has become famous precisely for the white shade of its rocks. Known since ancient times, it seems that in Roman times the cave was used as a shelter for boats. Even today, observing its walls, it is possible to see the traces left by man over the centuries: in the seventeenth century the cavity was a refuge for the population who hid from pirate attacks.
The Green Grotto
Located along the southern side of the island of Capri, this cave also has a very ancient history and tells of pirates and attacks by sea: known since the sixteenth century, in fact, the Green Grotto was often the object of enemy ambushes by the pirate Dragut and of the pirate Khayr al-Din known as Barbarossa, while in the sixteenth century it seems that this marine inlet was the alcove of pirate ships that were stationed there to surprise the boats that were passing in that stretch of sea. Those who visit the cave today, in addition to appreciating the intense green color that the water takes on when the sun filters through the underwater threshold, is captivated by the captivating tales of the battles which the cavern has been the backdrop for over the centuries.
A boat tour to the caves of the Amalfi Coast
If you have read our guide up to here we are sure that the charm of the sea caves of the Coast has already made you want to leave.
If you are already about to reach Positano and you are planning your tour, you just have to take a look at the many formulas proposed by Positano Scooter: the agency specialized in scooter rental has a section dedicated to boat tours, designed for offer you the best solutions to reach the caves of the Amalfi Coast.
Relying on the staff of Positano Scooter you will find the boat tour that best suits your needs: you can in fact opt for a collective tour of the Amalfi Coast, or choose the private tour with a dedicated skipper and stop at the Emerald Grotto. If the idea of a tour dedicated entirely to you and your friends or family appeals to you, you can book a boat and a sailor to visit Capri and make a stop at the Blue Grotto.
Plan your boat tour of the Amalfi Coast with Positano Scooter and dive into the magic of this beautiful area!