DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57734#0081
the villas behind it, in Fig. 21, when standing behind
the Palace of Augustus and looking towards the west,
we obtain a view over the island and its antique
buildings. In order to be able to furnish a picture of
the palace simultaneously with that of the island an
ideal stand-point, a sort of bird’s eye perspective, had
to be adopted, the sole object thereof being to deter-
mine the respective positions of the buildings and to
furnisly the reader with an idea thereof. A re-con-
struction was, as a matter of course, impossible here.
In the front the palace rises on a narrow space, en-
larged by cutting away the rock; in the centre-ground,
in the garden-clad plain, stands the palace which occu-
pies the fore-ground in Fig. 20 and, still farther off,
in the background, is seen the building on Monte
Castiglione, on the left, and that on Monte Michele,
to the right. Where the City of Capri of the present
day lies, there was probably nothing but the wall of
separation, but behind it, then, as now, black and
mighty, the Monte Solaro rose out of the water,
towering over all.
In good truth, the present Punta Tragara furnished
a wonderful position for an imperial castle which, at
this spot, formed the final link of this chain of rich
villas, and it was well worth the trouble of an emperor
to direct that employment should be given to hundreds
of busy hands in chiselling away the steep rock to the
extent required.
And it must be admitted that the result of this
gigantic task was surprising, for, from the chambers
of the palace one could not only see, towards the
west, the fruitful and richly-built-on plain but also,
towards the east, without hindrance from the steep
ridge of the mountain in front, one looked out over
the wide sea, onto the Faraglioni and the rocky
Monacone, into a landscape so wild and so mighty,
so devoid of vegetation and human habitation that the
contrast is in itself overpowering.
the Palace of Augustus and looking towards the west,
we obtain a view over the island and its antique
buildings. In order to be able to furnish a picture of
the palace simultaneously with that of the island an
ideal stand-point, a sort of bird’s eye perspective, had
to be adopted, the sole object thereof being to deter-
mine the respective positions of the buildings and to
furnisly the reader with an idea thereof. A re-con-
struction was, as a matter of course, impossible here.
In the front the palace rises on a narrow space, en-
larged by cutting away the rock; in the centre-ground,
in the garden-clad plain, stands the palace which occu-
pies the fore-ground in Fig. 20 and, still farther off,
in the background, is seen the building on Monte
Castiglione, on the left, and that on Monte Michele,
to the right. Where the City of Capri of the present
day lies, there was probably nothing but the wall of
separation, but behind it, then, as now, black and
mighty, the Monte Solaro rose out of the water,
towering over all.
In good truth, the present Punta Tragara furnished
a wonderful position for an imperial castle which, at
this spot, formed the final link of this chain of rich
villas, and it was well worth the trouble of an emperor
to direct that employment should be given to hundreds
of busy hands in chiselling away the steep rock to the
extent required.
And it must be admitted that the result of this
gigantic task was surprising, for, from the chambers
of the palace one could not only see, towards the
west, the fruitful and richly-built-on plain but also,
towards the east, without hindrance from the steep
ridge of the mountain in front, one looked out over
the wide sea, onto the Faraglioni and the rocky
Monacone, into a landscape so wild and so mighty,
so devoid of vegetation and human habitation that the
contrast is in itself overpowering.