In Anacapri, the Villa San Michele museum is the splendid neoclassical residence built by the Swedish physician Axel Munthe as an expression of his ideal of a Greek home and temple, symbolized by the marvelous sphinx gazing out to sea.
Villa San Michele was dreamed of, desired, and then built by Swedish physician and writer Axel Munthe, starting in 1895, on the ruins of one of the Roman Emperor Tiberius’s residences and, later, a 10th-century chapel dedicated to Saint Michael.
He fell in love with the promontory on which the villa is built, overlooking the breathtaking sea of Anacapri, at the age of 19. Climbing the 777 steps of the Phoenician Steps that lead from the coast to the top, he dreamed of building his home there.
The soul needs more space than the body.
(Axel Munthe)
Munthe purchased the land from a carpenter, Maestro Vincenzo, who lived in a simple house with a workshop. At 38, Munthe had become a successful professional, personal physician, and confidant to Queen Victoria of Sweden, who spent long periods on Capri to care for her poor health. Here, he began construction of his ideal “den”.
More than a residence, Villa San Michele is a cultural and philosophical testament, a home for the soul, with “loggias open to the sun, the wind, and the sound of the sea,” a labyrinth of white porticoes, Roman columns, and hanging gardens where Capri’s wild nature dialogues with archaeology.
The collection of artworks contained within reflects the passions of its creator and consists of objects of primarily Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian origin, which Munthe chose for their beauty and symbolic significance.
The most famous is the magnificent red granite sphinx located at the end of the long portico overlooking the sea. An incredible artifact over 3,200 years old, its origin remains a mystery, although it has been hypothesized that it belonged to an ancient temple of Isis in Benevento.
All around is a lush garden, a triumph of pergolas planted with wisteria, hydrangeas, and citrus trees. Munthe chose to blend Mediterranean plants with species from other continents, including African lilies, Caucasian pomegranates, Japanese hydrangeas, a rare Australian myrtle, and even a Swedish birch.
The villa is located at the highest and most panoramic point on the island, where the boundary between sky and water disappears and the eye sweeps across the entire Gulf of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, and the Sorrento peninsula.
Munthe donated the villa to the Swedish state shortly before his death in 1949, transforming it into a house-museum. As strongly desired by its superintendent and honorary Swedish consul on the blue island, Kristina Kappelin, it is now also an important art center for disseminating the history of Capri and the personalities who made it famous.
It hosts an exhibition, the first permanent one in the world, dedicated to the marquise Luisa Casati, who lived at Villa San Michele for long periods. She was one of the first socialites, “It Girls,” today we would call her an art influencer, and who knows, tomorrow, in history. She is famous for having been portrayed by all the great artists of the time, from Giovanni Boldini to Man Ray.
Villa San Michele also holds another secret that testifies to Axel Munthe’s great love for animals: its charming Billy’s Bar, one of the most beautiful museum cafés in the world, named after Axel Munthe’s wine-loving monkey. Its terrace offers a marvelous view of the sea, perfect for lunch or an aperitif.
Villa San Michele is a magical place, in all its possible meanings—past, present, and future.
The Secret
Axel Munthe also purchased the mountain that overlooks Villa San Michele. This decision was motivated by Munthe’s desire to ban bird hunting on the peak, a large and profitable activity on Capri at the time. At the top, like an eagle’s nest, stands the thousand-year-old Barbarossa Castle, which is used as an ornithological station in the spring.
Useful Info
Villa San Michele
Viale Axel Munthe 34
80071 Anacapri, Napoli
Tel. +39 081 8371401
Ticket: 12 euro
Open all year round
