Phoenician Steps
Encyclopedia
The Phoenician Steps of Capri
are a long and steep stone stairway that unites the population center of Capri with that of Anacapri
. The stairway was made probably by ancient Greek colonists, however, rather than by Phoenicians.
Before the completion of a motorway, the Steps formed the only means of reaching Anacapri, which is located hundreds of feet above the Mediterranean Sea
(the prefix Ana in the name of the place comes from classical Greek
and signifies "above").
The upper terminal of the Phoenician Steps lies near the Villa San Michele
, which Axel Munthe
built at Anacapri.
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
are a long and steep stone stairway that unites the population center of Capri with that of Anacapri
Anacapri
Anacapri is a comune on the island of Capri, in the province of Naples, Italy. The Ancient Greek prefix ana means "up" or "above", signifying that Anacapri is located at a higher elevation on the island than Capri . Administratively, it has a separate status from the city of Capri...
. The stairway was made probably by ancient Greek colonists, however, rather than by Phoenicians.
Before the completion of a motorway, the Steps formed the only means of reaching Anacapri, which is located hundreds of feet above the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
(the prefix Ana in the name of the place comes from classical Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and signifies "above").
The upper terminal of the Phoenician Steps lies near the Villa San Michele
Villa San Michele
The Villa San Michele was built around the turn of the 20th century by the Swedish physician, Axel Munthe, on the ruins of the Roman Emperor Tiberius's villa, on the Isle of Capri, Italy. Its gardens have panoramic views of Capri town and its marina, the Sorrentine Peninsula and Mount Vesuvius...
, which Axel Munthe
Axel Munthe
Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe was a Swedish psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele, an autobiographical account of his life and work....
built at Anacapri.