The lemons in the garden of the "Paolino" restaurant © Aaron Delesie

Whoever coined the phrase La dolce vita must have been to Capri - the limestone island in the Gulf of Naples combines the epitome of Italian glamour with fabulous restaurants in its tiny ten square kilometers (the iconic restaurant Aurora is a favorite of Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Giorgio Armani), luxurious boutiques and fabulous hotels. In addition, it hasn't been allowed to erect new buildings for decades, which is why you can feel an atmosphere of nostalgia all over the island.

The island of Capri has been inhabited for thousands of years. You can see traces of the Romans in the twelve Tiberian villas, the largest of which is the Villa Jovis (completed in 27 AD). After numerous occupations, including by the Aragonese, the French and the English, Capri became a destination for travelers in search of peace and simplicity in the 19th century - and a permanent home for artists, authors and poets. The town's first hotel, opened in 1826 as Hotel Pagano and has been resplendent since last year as the noble Hotel La Palma. The residences of the international bourgeoisie are also still well preserved. The Villa Lysis, built by the poet Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, and the Villa San Michele (by the Swedish doctor and author Axel Munthe) in Anacapri should definitely be on your bucket list. Since the 1950s, the island has been one of the absolute hotspots for high society from all over the world.

See and be seen

Nastasia Vakoub

Today, there's one thing above all else on the agenda on Capri: Lying on the beach in one of the legendary beach clubs, sipping cocktails - and showing off your chicest swimwear. La Fontelina is not the only iconic place on the island to soak up vitamin D in the best company: La Canzone del Mare has been popular for over 70 years, while Da Gioia - now part of Hotel La Palma - is the latest place to be.

Away from the beaches, some of the hotels also have small but nice pools and comfortable sun loungers on the roof. The water may not be particularly deep (after all, no changes have been made to the structure of the buildings since the 1930s!), but it's certainly enough to cool off on hot days. The unbeatable view of Capri's idyllic flat roofs is much better anyway - and the fact that you are in one of the vacation spots par excellence.

Susan Wright

Read more: Capri bucket list: 9 things you have to do on the island