Popular Italy attraction leaves tourists 'panicking' as it's 'not for faint-hearted'

A holidaymaker has filmed the exhilarating moment they visited the Blue Grotto, a sea cave in Capri in southern Italy. A TikTok clip by The Rojos, a couple who frequently document their travel escapades, captures a boatman navigating a tiny rowing boat through the cavern's cramped, low-arched opening.

The first-person footage shows the tourists lying flat as they confront the claustrophobic passage, with the tour guide crying out: "Oh my God, mamma mia." After entering the grotto, the vessel's front tip almost grazes the craggy ceiling overhead. The boatman carefully uses a metal chain to manoeuvre the craft through the cave, forced to crouch beneath a massive boulder alongside him.

After this, he tells The Rojos to sit up to take in shimmering azure waters set against the cavern's shadowy walls.

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According to Capri.com, the vivid blue colour of the water is caused by sunlight passing through an underwater opening located directly beneath the entrance to the cave.

The TikTok post's caption reads: "Getting into the Blue Grotto is not for the faint hearted!!" At the time of writing, the clip has racked up a staggering 23.2 million views, 1.4million likes and 12,300 comments.

Several viewers admitted the video left them feeling 'panicked', with one declaring: "My claustrophobic self had a panic attack through the screen."

Another chimed in: "Absolute panic rising inside me." A third confessed: "Ok I might be too claustrophobic even for this video let alone the real experience."

However, others were more intrigued by the cave. One person said: "My claustrophobia could never but this is lowkey cool." Another simply called it "beautiful but scary."

The Blue Grotto, a stunning natural sea cavern spanning 60m in length and 25m across, can only be visited when the sea is calm enough.

The entrance to the cave is a mere two metres wide and just about a metre high.

Visitors are ferried in by small rowboats that carry no more than four people at a time, who must lie flat as the boatmen navigate them into the grotto.

Adverse weather conditions like choppy waters and gusty winds often mean the grotto is off-limits.

The spectacle of light reflecting from the water, casting an electric blue illumination, is a major draw for tourists.

The cave's famous silver reflections seen in the water are created by tiny bubbles that cling to the surfaces of objects beneath the surface.

Entry to the Blue Grotto will set you back 18EUR (£15.60), with tickets available at the ticket booth.

Capri.com suggests that the cavern's renowned glow is most vivid between noon and 2pm.

The site also notes that after 3pm, there may be shorter queues, though the risk of rough seas increases, potentially leading to closure.

Visitors are advised to check the sea conditions before purchasing tickets.