Villa San Michele - Anacapri

Built on the ruins of an ancient chapel dedicated to Saint Michael, the villa belonged to the Swedish doctor Axel Munte and now is run by the foundation that bears his name. The villa is presently a museum and is spread over several floors. Of particular beauty is the loggia connected to the first floor of the house that passes through pergolas and columns and connects to a circular belvedere overlooking the Gulf of Naples.

In Villa San Michele, are displayed archaeological finds which Munte collected from around Capri: elegantly made sarcophagi, busts, Roman pavements, columns, and marbles of extremely refined taste. Outside there is the remains of a Greek tomb in a marvellous garden that opens up in a belvedere that dominates the entire island of Capri. The garden and the magnificent colonnade of the loggia alone are worth a visit, especially if and when the visitor doesn't want to leave Capri with the false image of an island sponsored by commercial tourism and masses who suffocate it. Only in the garden of San Michele can one admire the true spirit of Capri, a magnificent island for those who can appreciate it's extraordinary natural beauty. Axel Munte, besides being a passionate archaeologist, was a magnificent botanist and impassioned defender of the local plants and wildlife. A medical doctor by profession, Axel Munte was an ecologist before his time and waged a legendary battle to protect the migratory birds of Capri, who at the time risked extinction because of indiscriminate hunting.