Capraia travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Capraia is a wild and hilly island, the only volcanic one in the Tuscan Archipelago, Italy. A 300 to 400 m ridge divides it into two unequal slopes. On the west, sheer walls of rock are cracked into ravines and riddled with caves, to the east the slopes are in a series of shallow valleys down to the sea. Photo by: Ravello1

One part of the island is covered in brush with a few small villas and old farm buildings used barely in the summer. A Roman fortress overlooks the town, crumbling watchtowers dot the landscape, and ruined villas recall the Romans’ long romance with the island. The network of trails that hikers used today are 2,000 year-old Etruscan logging trails. Photo by: wenzday01

Nature has largely reclaimed Capraia, and most of the island, and the sea for miles around it, is part of a huge National Park and Marine Reserve. There’s no nightlife, no neon and no marketing scam to exploit the pristine Mediterranean flora and fauna. For visitors, the symbiosis of land, sea and people is like stumbling on a blueprint of how you want the Mediterranean to be. Photo by: Boga85

When to go: April to October – but July to August are both the hottest months and the most crowded. Population: 366. Getting there: By ferry from Livorno, or by private yacht. You should know: If you come by boat, make sure you don’t land within the environmental reserve, or use a drag anchor. Photo by: Boga85