Monte Solaro is the highest part of Capri, towering 589 meters above sea level, and boasting a 360° panorama of the island of Capri. In the distance, the mountains of Calabria, the Pennines and the Amalfi coast, the Sorrentine peninsula, the Gulf of Naples, and the islands of Procida and Ischia can be identified. In the fifties the "Canzone del Cielo" complex was built, with swimming pool, solarium, restaurant and American bar. The latter remains open for business to this very day.
Monte Solaro is also called "Acchiappanuvole" or "cloud catcher" after the thick blanket of fog which forms around the summit, especially at dawn, when the thermal difference between the sea and the rock is accentuated. The warmer, damper sea air condenses in a dense mist on the ground, the temperature of which has notably diminished during the night. Where its path is obstructed, the vapors rise upwards generating a characteristic crown of clouds. This phenomenon also occurs in the evening, especially in the autumn. The wind clears away parts of cloud, randomly revealing various segments of the beautiful island landscape below.
