thumb|right|Looking east from Villa San Michele towards Capri harbor ([[Marina Grande, Capri|Marina Grande)]]
thumb|Map of Capri with Villa San Michele shown north-east of [[Anacapri ]]
The Villa San Michele was built about the end of the 19th century on the isle of Capri, Italy, by the Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe.
Description
The villa's gardens have panoramic views of the town of Capri and its harbour, the Sorrentine Peninsula, and Mount Vesuvius. The villa sits on a ledge at the top of the Phoenician Steps, between Anacapri and Capri, at a height of above sea level.
San Michele's gardens are adorned with many relics and works of art dating from ancient Egypt and other periods of classical antiquity. They now form part of the Grandi Giardini Italiani.
In his later years, Axel Munthe wrote his youthful memoir The Story of San Michele, which describes how he first visited the island and built the villa, decorated with the remains of palaces built by the Ancient Romans which he found on his land. This colourfully written book was first published in 1929 and became an immediate worldwide success, being translated into many languages. It has been reprinted many times since then.
Between 1919 and 1920, Munthe was an unwilling landlord to the outrageous socialite and muse Luisa Casati, who took possession of Villa San Michele. This was described by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie in his diaries.
After the death of Munthe, the villa was donated to the Swedish state. Capri Bird Observatory, a Swedish-Italian bird observatory, operates on land belonging to the estate.
Gallery
<gallery widths="130px" heights="140px">
File:Villa San Michele Sphinx.jpg|Sphinx
File:The loggia at Axel Munthe's Villa San Michele 2005.jpg|Pergola with Roman statue
File:Axel munthe's chapel - villa san michele.jpg|Chapel
File:Villa San Michele Interior.jpg|Loggia with statues
File:Loggia at Villa San Michele.jpg|Pergola
File:View from Villa San Michele.jpg|View of the sea from Villa San Michele
</gallery>
References
Further reading
External links
- Villa San Michele
- Photo Gallery by Leonardo Bellotti