There is Capri, with its piazza, yachts and elegant bustle, and there is Anacapri – the high and quiet part of the island. At an altitude of more than 300 meters above sea level, facing the Bay of Naples and at the foot of Monte Solaro, stands Jumeirah Capri Palace, a hotel that seeks to translate the spirit of the place not only through the view, but also through architecture, art, food and a hospitality culture that has been built here for more than six decades.

Ofri Paz | STANNEL

The hotel was born in the 1960s as the Hotel Europa Palace, initiated by the local Cacace family. Its development was later led by Tonino Cacace, the son of the hotel’s founders, who shaped its identity, among other things, through a contemporary art collection that he built up over the years. In 2020, the hotel joined the Jumeirah group, but even today its identity remains deeply tied to the island and its local story.

Design

The architectural foundation of the hotel dates back to the 1960s. The original project was designed by Italian architect and designer Gianfranco Frattini, a student of Gio Ponti, one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Italian architecture and design, and the building subsequently evolved in layers. Today, the arches, vaults, columns and white spaces give it the appearance of an 18th-century Neapolitan palace, but behind the classical shell there is an ongoing dialogue with contemporary design and art.

A new chapter in this dialogue has been written in recent years by the architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, who redesigned the hotel’s suites and later the pool area, bar and terraces. Her starting point was the landscape of Capri itself: the blue of the sea, the bright white of the houses, the shades of terracotta, the rocks and the Mediterranean light. Palladian-style floors, based on stone and marble fragments, hand-painted tiles originating from the ceramic tradition of Vietri, wavy-textured plaster, rattan and glazed terracotta transform local materials and crafts into a contemporary language, without severing them from the island’s architectural tradition.

There is no attempt to create absolute uniformity in the 72 rooms and suites either. Understated furniture, vintage items, local artwork and handicrafts compose spaces of varying character, including suites with private pools.

But the element that sets the hotel apart perhaps most of all is the art. The permanent collection includes works by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giorgio de Chirico, Mimo Palladino, Keith Haring and other artists, and they are not concentrated in a separate gallery but appear in the corridors, lobby, gardens and rooms. Already on the way to the reception, you encounter Pomodoro’s “Rive dei Mari”, a fiberglass work about 40 meters long that simulates a kind of seabed; nearby is de Chirico’s “Ettore e Andromaca”, and the pool area incorporates a mosaic work by Velasco Vitali.

Thus, the hotel functions almost as a living museum. Alongside the permanent collection, it hosts temporary exhibitions and collaborations with art bodies, and a dedicated art curator service allows guests to get to know the works on a guided tour. Art here is not a layer added to the design; it is part of the way the hotel defines itself.

Wellness

At the heart of the hotel is the Capri Medical Spa, one of the hotel’s hallmarks and a pioneer in the field of medical spas in Europe. Unlike a traditional hotel spa, the emphasis here is not only on relaxation and pampering, but on connecting medical and scientific principles with a holistic approach to health and aesthetics. The programs are individually tailored and combine facial and body treatments, regenerative aesthetic medicine, nutrition and exercise, alongside non-invasive treatments and anti-aging programs.

One of the programs most associated with the spa is Leg School®, developed by Prof. Francesco Canonaco and focused on the health and aesthetics of the legs, among other things through treatments to improve blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.

The holistic approach continues outside the treatment rooms: the complex includes an indoor pool, sauna, and hammam, and alongside them, guests have access to a 24-hour gym, a heated outdoor pool, and a private beach club, so that the wellness experience naturally moves between treatment and movement and water, sun, and rest.

Culinary

Culinary delights are a significant part of the Jumeirah Capri Palace experience, with restaurants ranging from haute cuisine to casual dining by the sea. The hotel itself is home to L’Olivo, the only two-Michelin-starred restaurant on Capri, where chef Andrea Migliacio leads a contemporary Mediterranean cuisine based on local ingredients and precise technique.

Down the island, on the cliff next to the Blue Grotto, the experience takes on a different character. Il Riccio Restaurant & Beach Club focuses on fish and seafood served almost on the water’s edge, and next to it is a-Ma-Re Capri, a relaxed au lait offering Neapolitan cuisine and pizzas overlooking the open sea.

As evening falls, the experience returns to the hotel and Zuma Capri, located on the highest terrace and combining contemporary Japanese cuisine, cocktails and music with a view of the sunset over the Bay of Naples. At Bar degli Artisti, cocktails and music meet the hotel’s art collection. Together, the various locations allow you to move from a meticulous two-Michelin-starred meal to fish by the sea, Neapolitan pizza, or a cocktail at sunset, without straying from the Mediterranean character that accompanies the entire hotel.

environment

Jumeirah Capri Palace’s location allows you to step out and discover some of the most iconic sites of the western part of the island. Just a short distance away are Monte Solaro, the highest point on Capri, Villa San Michele, Casa Rossa and the Church of San Michele, while further down along the coastline is the Blue Grotto, one of the island’s most iconic symbols. The hotel also offers cultural itineraries that connect its private art collection with Capri’s historical and artistic sites.

The location in the heart of Anacapri allows you to maintain a sense of remoteness even when staying at the hotel. The views of the Bay of Naples and the connection to the landscape continue inside. In Patricia Urquiola’s redesign, the terraces, openings and materials bring the colors, textures and light of Capri into the spaces, so that the island does not remain just a view from the outside, but becomes part of the architectural experience itself.

Experience

The hotel experience is largely built on the choice between complete seclusion and going out to discover the island. You can spend the day between the pool, the spa, the art and the restaurants without leaving the hotel, but you can also use it as a starting point to discover sides of Capri that are less seen in a short visit.

One of the most natural ways to do this is from the sea. The hotel’s fleet of private boats allows you to set off on a cruise around the island on a motor yacht or a traditional Gozzo boat, passing through hidden coves, the Faraglioni rocks, the Blue Grotto and Villa Malparte, or continuing further towards Ischia, Positano and the Amalfi Coast.

At the same time, art offers a different kind of discovery route. Along with the changing exhibitions, the art curator service and the works that appear in unexpected places turn even a simple transition from the room to the pool into an opportunity to encounter a new work. In 2026, the hotel continues to expand this activity through exhibitions and collaborations that connect contemporary art, landscape, and hospitality.

Original Architecture | Gianfranco Frattini
Design & Renovation | Patricia Urquiola
Photography | Andrea Ferrari & Courtesy of Jumeirah Capri Palace

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