Amalfi Coast · Easy · Circular

Arco Naturale and the Pizzolungo path from Capri

From the Piazzetta in Capri to the Arco Naturale, down to the Grotta di Matermania and along the cliff path of Pizzolungo to the Belvedere di Tragara.

Distance
4.4 km (2.7 mi)
Ascent
264 m
Time
About 2 h
High point
236 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 km1 km2 km3 km4 km236 m80 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Arco Naturale and the Pizzolungo path from Capri
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zongo/ · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the Piazzetta in Capri, at the top of the funicular from Marina Grande, lanes lead east along Via Matermania to the Arco Naturale, an arch of limestone 18 m high with a span of 12 m, left when a cave collapsed. Long flights of steps go down to the Grotta di Matermania, and the Via Pizzolungo then runs along the cliffs high above the sea, looking down on Casa Malaparte on Punta Massullo and out to the Faraglioni rocks, to the Belvedere di Tragara. Via Tragara leads back to the Piazzetta.

It is 4.4 km round with 264 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy: paved lanes and many steps; the CAI notes that the path has no waymarks.

The steps are slippery when wet. Casa Malaparte was designed in about 1937 with the architect Adalberto Libera and appears in Godard's film Contempt of 1963. There are no fees.

Capri town has no parking for visitors. Take a ferry to Marina Grande, then the funicular or a bus up to the Piazzetta.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • The Arco Naturale is an arch of limestone, 18 m high, left when a cave collapsed
  • Casa Malaparte appears in Godard's 1963 film Contempt
  • The path looks down on Casa Malaparte, built about 1937 on Punta Massullo, and out to the Faraglioni
  • Many steps, slippery when wet

Getting there

Start: Piazzetta, Capri (funicular). 40.55096, 14.24268

Directions to the start

Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Piazzetta: Booking.com → Expedia →

Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.

Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.