Piazza Umberto I is otherwise known as the legendary "Piazzetta" which, from the white columned terrace of the funicular railway, opens out on to a fabulous view of Monte Solaro. The Piazzetta is the center of the island of Capri for tourists and locals alike. All those arriving in Capri have to pass through the narrow passages left between the tables outside the various bars, bars where the locals meet for lunch or simply to chat, guaranteed a little privacy by the umbrellas supposedly used to protect customers from the sun.
Located in the Piazzetta are the towns newsagent, and the tourist office. The town hall is on one side of the Piazzetta, opposite the flight of steps. In the courtyard of the town hall there is the trunk of a column and a fragment of a circular marble base, discovered in the 1920's during the construction of the port, and probably belonging to the Villa Augustea of Palazzo a Mare.
The Piazzetta was the center of local life, where vegetable and fish markets were held and, where, very infrequently considering the rarity of the product in times past, meat was sold. It was not until 1938, when the young Raffaele Vuotto decided to place a few tables in the square, that the Piazzetta began to take on a more fashionable appearance. From that moment onwards the Piazzetta became the focal point of island social life, which had previously been carried out predominantly in the town's hotels and in private houses.
