Capri Villa San Michele - Axel Munthe

Villa San Michele in Anacapri was the home of the Swedish physician, Axel Munthe. Built on the ruins of an ancient Chapel dedicated to San Michele, the villa now belongs to the Axel Munthe Foundation and has been transformed into a Museum. In his book "The History of San Michele", the Swedish doctor tells of his arrival in Capri in 1885 and the progressive construction of the villa; which followed a series of sketches made on a wall rather a precise set of plans.

The building is articulated on various levels: the study is on the first floor, the loggia crosses pergolas and columns to reach a circular viewpoint which looks out across the Gulf of Naples. In Villa San Michele a number of ancient artefacts are displayed - objects found by Munthe in Capri, Anacapri and elsewhere, some of which donated by friends.

Fragments of sarcophaguses, busts, Roman paving, marble and columns can be seen. In the garden there is a Greek tomb and a granite Sphinx which gazes out over the whole Island of Capri. Although he was a doctor by profession, it was for his work as a writer that Munthe became famous. He gained recognition as a man of art and culture, and as a philanthropist who nurtured a great love of animals.

Despite the fact that Munthe was born in Sweden and died there at the age of 92, he spent most of his life abroad. The floods of visitors to his museum-home and the fact that his book, "The Story of San Michele", can be read in no less than 45 languages testify to the writer's global appeal. With the exception of a few sporadic absences, Munthe lived on Capri for more than 56 years. His interest for the island in the Bay of Naples coincided with the growing popularity of Capri as a prefered destination for the rich and famous from all over the world.

Munthe shared his love of music, animals, and nature with the Swedish queen, Victoria, who spent long periods of her life on Capri for health reasons. Axel Munthe's concern for the birds on the island, which were shot in disastrous numbers, led him to acquire the rights to the Barbarossa Mountain in order to create a sanctuary for migrating birds. Axel Munthe claimed that, on the island of Capri, ornithologists were treated to a continual symphony of bird song'''.