Via Krupp: From Restoration to utilization

The isle of Capri forms the southern closure of the Bay of Naples and it defines, together with the cape of Punta Campanella, its physical boundaries. Amongst the personalities who have been attracted to the isle of Capri, we can certainly include Alfred Krupp, the late 19th Century German steel magnate, who moved to Capri during the final years of that century. He chose Hotel Quisisana as his permanent residence and berthed his yacht at Marina Piccola. The difficulty of reaching the harbour from the hotel prompted Krupp to suggest and bankroll the construction of the road bearing his name. This would be built to overcome the impervious coastal rocks and connect the ‘Augustus Gardens’ with the harbour in Marina Piccola. The Neapolitan engineer Emilio Mayer was tasked with the project and he carried it out with such a meticulous attention to detail that the road, built of the same material forming the coast, looked as a path naturally carved in the rock itself. The road was actually built carrying out extremely complex demolitions of the coastal fronts and the signs of these are still visible today. Via Krupp is built on a negligible gradient from Marina Piccola and bridges the considerable difference in height in its final part towards the Augustus Gardens. This is done through a series of sharp turns which offer the viewer frequent and dramatic changes of scenery and a continuous change of prospective between the Faraglioni Rocks, the majestic coastal front and the open sea towards the south. The geological make-up of the coastal rock is that of very high limestone rock fronts which present several significant cracks: these are at permanent danger of collapsing endangering whoever wishes to use the road. The road is delimited on the mountain side by the rock itself and on the outer side by a containing wall: this also bounds the earth filling underneath the road, which was built to fill the gap between the road and the ground beneath. The first consolidation intervention has been carried out in 2008 with a view that the Via Krupp could be reopened after its closure since 1976. Unfortunately, the size of the frontal rocks and the limited resources employed by Capri Town Council for the project meant that the road had to be closed again in 2011, depriving tourists of one of the most fascinating vistas on the isle. The contribution we propose deepens the current historical analysis of the Via Krupp, analyses the intervention techniques employed to consolidate the road itself. Stability issues have been resolved without impacting on the landscape while introducing extensive modifications to the structure. We then reflect on possible strategies to reopen access to the road again and thereby resolving the issues of consolidation and continuous maintenance. The process with define is a virtuous one and is able to guarantee the conservation of one of the most fascinating views of the world.