Bagni della Regina Giovanna
Capo di Sorrento
KnownFree beaches
The story
The ruins of Pollio Felice's Roman villa look down on a natural pool, joined to the sea by a rock arch where the water changes colour with every hour.
Access
path 15-20 min, FREE
The story
The Bagni della Regina Giovanna are a natural pool carved into the rock at Capo di Sorrento, connected to the open sea by a natural arch in the limestone cliff. The place stands among the ruins of the great Roman villa of Pollio Felice, of the first century BC, which occupied the whole promontory. The name is born of a popular legend: here Queen Joanna of Anjou is said to have taken private baths.
What to see
The lagoon of calm water enclosed by the rocks, with the narrow arched passage through which the sea enters, and the remains of the Roman villa facing the promontory, among olive trees and Mediterranean scrub, with the view sweeping towards the gulf. It is one of the most photographed corners of the Sorrento peninsula, inside the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
You arrive on foot from via Capo, along a well-marked public path of about one and a half kilometres, the first stretch paved: wear comfortable shoes and bring water, because there are no services. The seabed is of rocks and pebbles; go in the cooler hours and with a calm sea.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Bagni della Regina Giovanna?
A natural pool in the rock at Capo di Sorrento, connected to the sea by a natural arch, among the remains of the Roman villa of Pollio Felice, in the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area.
How do you get to the Bagni della Regina Giovanna?
On foot from via Capo, along a marked public path of about one and a half kilometres: comfortable footwear is needed, there are no services.
Who was Queen Joanna?
The name recalls a legend about Joanna of Anjou, who according to popular tradition took private baths in this natural pool.
More gems: Free beaches
Free beachesBaia di Ieranto
Nerano
The bay protected by the FAI that looks across at the Faraglioni of Capri, reachable only on foot among olive trees and scrub, with the clear water of an old quarry.
◆ Free beachesFiordo
Massa Lubrense
A cleft in the rock where the sea slips in, narrow and green, almost always shaded beneath high walls: you don't come here for the sun, but for the silence.
- ◆ Free beaches
Lido delle Monache / spiaggia libera di Posillipo e Riva Fiorita
Posillipo
Tiny coves among the rocks, once the bathing place of the nuns of a convent above the sea: almost secret free beaches, reachable mostly from the water.
- ◆ Free beaches
Baia di Trentaremi
Posillipo
A bay closed in by high cliffs of yellow tufo (volcanic tuff), with caves cut by the Romans: no road reaches it, only the sea and the kayaks slip in among the rocks.
- ◆ Free beaches
Capo Miseno e porticciolo di Acquamorta
Bacoli/Monte di Procida
The headland that closes the gulf and, at its foot, the little harbour of Acquamorta with the boats hauled ashore and the water shallow and clear.
- ◆ Free beaches
Cala di Mitigliano e grotta
Massa Lubrense
A path through olive trees drops down to the rocks, Capri looks an arm's length away, and the cave opens in the water like a hall of shadow and salt.