Capri, a 10.4 km² limestone island in the Bay of Naples, has lived two histories: a Roman imperial retreat under Augustus and then Tiberius, who spent the last eleven years of his life here at the Villa Jovis, and a reinvented European resort from the late 19th century onward, when the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe built the Villa San Michele in Anacapri and the writers and artists of the North turned the island into a Mediterranean myth. The island is divided into two municipalities - Capri (south-east, with the Piazzetta and Marina Grande harbour) and Anacapri (north-west, calmer, higher, around Piazza Caprile) - and counts roughly 13,000 permanent residents, multiplied tenfold in peak season. For pet travellers, Capri is workable but demands precise logistics: no airport on the island, access only by ferry from Naples (Molo Beverello, 40-80 minutes depending on the boat type) or Sorrento (30 minutes), and the four operators - Caremar, NLG, SNAV, Alilauro - all accept leashed and muzzled dogs on outdoor decks year-round, with small dogs in carriers indoors. The Italian national rule bans dogs from paid lido beach concessions 15 May to 30 September, which covers most of Capri's accessible shoreline; the public rock platforms at Punta Carena lighthouse in Anacapri and the free fringe of Marina Piccola stay open on leash year-round. Critical point: Capri has no 24/7 veterinary hospital on the island, the reference hospital is the Clinica San Francesco in Naples, reached by the last evening ferry (around 22:00 in summer) or a private speedboat transfer. Anacapri is the calmer base with a dog, away from the summer crush of Capri Town's Piazzetta.
