The best way to discover Capraia is to venture on foot along the centuries-old roads that cross it for an excursion amongst the wild and rocky nature of the island, the only one of the Tuscan Archipelago to be of volcanic origin. In particular, you don’t want to miss the path that runs along the coast of Capraia that allows you to admire spectacular views of the Cala di Porto Vecchio, Monte Capo, Cala della Mortola and Punta della Teglia. This is the only route that allows you to walk to the Torre delle Barbici, dating back to 1699.
Once you arrive at your destination, you can go back to the starting point by going returning along the same path (in total about 5 km each way); or, in the summer season, you can be picked up "by sea" with a taxi boat.
The journey begins near the buildings of the former prison of Porto Vecchio, above the cove of the same name, that then goes up and down along the coast but is not very tiring.
The path intersects with the one that reaches Monte Capo, which starts from the road to Punta del Dattero and then continues through the two paths that flow towards Cala della Mortola.
The sheerest part of the sea leads over the so-called Neri landslides. Here the waves pass from the light green color of the Mortola to the deeper blue of the Formiche rocks. After a stretch of dense vegetation, the fascinating and precarious Torre delle Barbici finally appears, a majestic testimony of past eras, marked by assaults, corsairs and occupations.
The area is frequented by mouflons and there is also a noisy colony of Mediterranean herring gulls. From the tower it is possible to reach the sea (via an unmarked path) so you can have a swim just below. During the spring, the Illyrian sea lily and the asphodel bloom in the Teglia (or "Teja").
