Villa San Michele

Villa San Michele in Anacapri is the house and garden created by Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe. Terraces, sculpture and views over the bay shape a setting that became widely known through his book The Story of San Michele.

Why it matters

Munthe built the villa in the early twentieth century over the remains of an older chapel dedicated to Saint Michael. Its personal collections and carefully framed views reflect the interests of its creator, whose 1929 book brought the house and its setting to an international readership.

What to notice

An ancient Egyptian sphinx faces the bay from the garden's edge. A wisteria-covered colonnade and cypress alley lead through gardens planted with seasonal flowers and shrubs. The collection includes sculptures and objects of Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian origin. The Olivetum pavilion contains a display recalling the Marchesa Luisa Casati Stampa, who rented the villa in the 1920s. The nearby ruins of Castello Barbarossa stand above the garden.

Context and history

Munthe was born in Sweden in 1857 and became a physician and author. He built the villa over an earlier chapel and collected antiquities that became part of its interior. He also acquired the slopes below Castello Barbarossa to protect migrating birds from hunting. After his death in 1949, the property passed to the Swedish foundation Stiftelsen San Michele, which maintains the house and garden as a museum and cultural site.