22 Aug Capri or the Island of the Sirens
Off the coast of Naples we find a number of islands renowned for their beauty. Among them the most famous is undoubtedly Capri, the next destination in our column of incentive locations in Italy. Just like Naples, the island needs no introduction. Because of its beauty, its mild and temperate climate, its landscape and its thousand-year-old tradition, Capri, or the Island of the Sirens, has become one of the most famous and sought-after tourist destinations in the world and one of the luxury salons of the Dolce Vita.
The mythical poet Homer recounts that Ulysses, in order to escape the seduction of the Sirens, had himself tied to the ship’s mast and had his sailors’ ears plugged with wax plugs. According to legend, therefore, it was in this way that Odysseus, skirting Capri, the island of the Sirens, managed to avoid the danger that lay behind their singing. Despite the many centuries that divide modern times from those of Odysseus, Capri has not changed that much, and continues to appear as that distant island recounted by Homer, not much different from that of the nymph Calypso or that of the god Aeolus.
Capri and Anacapri
Like many neighboring places, Capri was founded as a Greek colony in the late 8th century. Aegean settlers used the island of the Sirens as a trading outpost, though less important than its more powerful neighbors, such as Cumae, Naples or Ischia.
Even at this early stage the population of Capri divided into two rival communities. The first is the community to the east (Capri marina), facing the other Greek colonies inland, with its natural harbor on the sea. The second is the community to the west (Anacapri), which was located on the high ground of the island and had more difficult access on the sea. To solve this problem, Greek settlers dug a staircase from the rock, known as the Phoenician Stairs, which led to the harbor directly at the foot of the Anacapri slope.
Augustus’ villas on the island of “Capraeae”
Because of its beauty Capri was also noticed by the Romans, who named it Capraeae (goat, in Latin) and used it as a place of retreat and vacation for emperors. According to Suetonius, Augustus called the island “Apragopolis,” that is, “the City of doing nothing“. We do not know if this is true, but certainly Octavian and his successor Tiberius left us splendid villas, symbols of the splendor of Imperial Rome.
In the following centuries Capri fell under the rule of various powers, such as the Lombards, Amalfi, the Normans, the Angevins, the Aragonese and finally the Spanish, but it remained constantly subject to the raids of pirates and privateers. In the 18th century the island became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies under the Bourbons, until it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after the unification of the peninsula in 1860.
Many sites bear witness to this extraordinary past. We recall the Villa Jovis, from the Augustan age used by Tiberius as his personal residence, the Villa Damecuta, from the Julio-Claudian period damaged and abandoned after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, the aforementioned Phoenician Staircase traced by the first Greek settlers, and the Cathedral of St. Stephen, erected in 1685 on the remains of an ancient Benedictine convent.
A pearl in the sea
Because of its poignant beauty Capri looks like a pearl emerging from the waters of the sea. It is not hard to understand why Greek settlers landed on this island, enchanted as they were by its landscape. Although small in size, the island is dense with extraordinary scenery that can be used for both outdoor activities and extraordinary adventures and boat trips.
The sailing regatta is a one-of-a-kind adventure! Moreover, it is a perfect team-building activity because the success of this format is only possible if all team members work in unison.
Find out more about Sailing here
Capri is filled with wonders! Here we find the Natural Arch, the upper part of an ancient cave that went into the mountain, under which a beautiful arm of the sea passes. On the upper part of Capri we find the Belvedere Cannone, from which there is a breathtaking view of the entire Capri panorama. Along the sheer coast, however, we come across the world-famous Blue Grotto. This sea cavern illuminated by the transparent blue reflections coming from the water is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see in your life. Further on, then, are the Faraglioni. Three rocky peaks that have become the world icon of Capri itself.
Not only boat trips but also outdoor activities
Outdoor training is one of the most classic modes of team building, and it remains consistently one of the most effective. It consists of a set of exercises to be carried out outdoors, in groups. They involve the physical and emotional aspect of the participants through games in which physical contact is unavoidable. Such an activity does not need much preparation, however, the location in which it is done matters a lot!
The more beautiful the location, the more the participants will be enticed to participate actively and take part in the activity in a formative way. Capri, the island of mermaids, is perhaps one of the most beautiful places in Italy, so why not try to organize an activity right here?
A sweet life for a sweet cuisine
According to tradition, it is Capri’s legendary beauty that gives flavor to its cuisine, not vice versa. Listening to the celebrities who have visited the island, such as Totò, Jean-Luc Godard, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Marguerite Yourcenar, Capri’s cuisine is every bit as legendary as its panorama. It is enough to make a stop at one of the restaurants in the legendary Piazzetta Centrale or Via Krupp to encounter true world culinary icons.
Here we find the Ravioli alla Caprese, filled with grated caciotta cheese, cherry tomatoes and olive oil; the Torta Caprese, with chopped almonds and dark chocolate; and the legendary Insalata Caprese, with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and a hint of olive oil. Drinks include the excellent Bianco and Rosso Capresi, light and dry-tasting, and the legendary Limoncello, a traditional homemade liqueur made with water, sugar, alcohol and lemon peels. These names alone make Capri one of the gastronomic capitals of the world, ideal to hold a fantastic culinary event.
Pizza or Pasta cooking in Capri? Yes we can!
The Team Building Pizza Cooking format offers the chance to abandon office attire for a few hours and put on the shoes of a pizza maker, preparing real Neapolitan pizza together with your team.
What better opportunity than to do it right in Campania?
Teambuilding Pizza Cooking is a fun format that offers a fun time for company employees who, in addition to having fun, will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to experience a moment of collaboration. This format is the ideal Team Building for both Italians and non-Italians! Specifically, an all-Italian team will have the opportunity to highlight their culture by preparing a typical traditional dish, while a team in which different nationalities are present will be able to discover an important part of Italian gastronomic culture.
Moreover, we also offer Pasta Cooking! This is another very Italian format in which participants will get to know how to make and cook real Italian pasta. Participants will learn how to do fresh handmade pasta, the basis of Italian cuisine! In Italy we say that one isn’t a real chef until he can prepare fresh pasta. And, sure, we won’t lack the right sauce to season it!
Read more about Pizza and Pasta Cooking here
Refresh with a Cocktail Challenge
For those with a passion for the art of cocktails, Team Building Cocktail Challenge is the perfect format to get closer to this world and be able to share it with colleagues. It is one of our favorites, refreshing and fun. It suits a company party in the middle of summer, especially if you’re talking about hosting it on Capri, the island of sirens!
With this activity, teams will take a mini-bartending course to learn the winning combinations of spirits, juices and other components of popular cocktails. Next, each group will have to develop their own recipe! It is important to think about flavor, but also an original presentation of the drink and a catchy name. Drinking your cocktail framed by the beauty of the island is unparalleled.
More than an incentive experience, then, on Capri we can take an extraordinary journey into the Greco-Roman past of the Italian peninsula. This island is like a Homeric siren still here to enchant us!
What are you waiting for? Contact us to plan your event in Capri!