Villa San Michele - Axel Munthe's Museum
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| The sphinx |
Villa San Michele, located in the north-eastern part of Anacapri, 327 metres above sea level, has the most stunning view over Capri, the Sorrento peninsula and the gulf of Naples. Between 1896 and 1907, it was the home of its Swedish creator, the court physician and writer, Axel Munthe. Soon after the success of the book “The Story of San Michele”, printed in 1929 and translated into almost 50 languages, the Villa started to be open to the public. Since 1950 Villa San Michele has been visited by over 10 million travellers. Today on Capri it is the only visitable example of an original historical home-interior that expresses the mythical power and influence of this island on famous foreigners from all over the world. Between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century many of these famous personalities started to spend longer periods, parts of the year, or like Axel Munthe, most of their lifes on the island. In ancient times one of the twelve imperial roman villas was erected here; the ruins, conserved by Axel Munthe, are still visible in the garden of today. The overall picture of the garden, the architectural structure, the interiors and the ancient art collection are part of a unique experience. The Villa, the museum and a scholarship program, is run by the Swedish San Michele Foundation that acts as a host to a 50 year old ornithological site on the Barbarossa mountain (in the medieval Castle of Barbarossa), a natural oasis. Villa San Michele is open all year, 365 days, and offers during the summer months its live cultural programme of art and music. Furthermore - since a few years the Villa is open for a few exclusive and highly selected private events every year.
Viale Axel Munthe 34 80071 Telefono (Phone) +39 0818371401 Fax +39 0818373279 E-mail: museum@sanmichele.org LAT: 40º 33' 26.01" N LON: 14º 13' 29.98" E
: www.villasanmichele.eu |
