Axel Munthe recounts the story of his life and the creation of the villa in The Story of San Michele (1929). It became one of the first international bestsellers in modern time.
The tale that then captivated countless readers all over the world, lives on in Villa San Michele, in its rooms and garden and in the Egyptian sphinx, that silently watches the sea from its balustrade.
International Contemporary Art Show at Villa San Michele Opening September 7
From September 7 to November 3, Villa San Michele hosts the contemporary art festival Il Festival del Paesaggio, with works by, among others, Sislij Xhafa. This year's theme is "Travelouge. Paesaggio con rovine", exploring the cultural and symbolic significance of ruins - not as nostalgic memories but living traces in the historical, personal, artistic and cultural landscape.
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The Collection
Villa San Michele houses an important art collection. The majority is of Roman, Etruscan or Egyptian origin, many are sculptures. Munthe himself chose them for their beauty as well as their symbolic significance. One of these is the fabled 3200-year-old sphinx.
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Axel Munthe
Axel Munthe built Villa San Michele at the beginning of the 20th century. He was born in the small southern town of Oskarshamn in 1857 and died in the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1949. In his lifetime, Munthe was one of the most well known Swedes in the world. A successful doctor on the continent, he was nominated the personal physician of Queen Victoria of Sweden. His fictitious autobiography The Story of San Michele (1929) became one of the most important bestsellers of its time.
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Marchesa Casati
The iconic Marquise Luisa Casati Stampa rented Villa San Michele during the 1920's. The garden pavilion Olivetum is now dedicated to her in a permanent exhibit.
Luisa Casati was a performance artist before that term existed. She continues to inspire fashion designers, writers, artists and musicians all over the world and she remains a queer symbol.
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Barbarossa
Axel Munthe also bought the mountainside which overlooks Villa San Michele. The reason for the purchase was that Munthe wanted to prohibit the netting and trapping of wild birds – an important and lucrative business on Capri at the time.
Like an eagle’s nest, perched at the top is the thousand-year-old castle called Castello Barbarossa. In the spring, ornithologists use it to study migratory birds.
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Phoenician Steps
The history of Villa San Michele is connected to the ancient Phoenician Steps, approximately nine hundred steps leading directly to the Villa's doorstep from the port of Capri.
If the busses are full, you have good walking shoes and nothing heavy to carry, the Phoenician Steps is a fast, but admittedly tiresome, way to reach the Villa.
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The Garden
Villa San Michele is a paradise for garden lovers and recently won a prestigious award as Italys most beautiful private park. It begins with a an amazing colonnade covered with wisteria, culminates bathed in sunlight on the Sphinx terrace and finds its end along an elegant alley of cypresses. Each season has its flowers and scents of camellias, tree peonies, hydrangeas, jasmine, vines and orange blossom.
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Events
Every summer, hundreds of visitors come to Villa San Michele to follow our cultural events. Internationally acclaimed musicians and singer from Sweden and Italy entertain the audience from the stage of the open air theatre in the garden, with the sunset over the island of Ischia as a breathtaking backdrop.
Learn more about this summer’s program here
Rent Villa San Michele
Are you planning a romantic wedding, a birthday celebration, a company event? Villa San Michele is a unique and exclusive setting.
Contact events@sanmichele.org for information.
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