Hotels near Villa San Michele

Villa San Michele was the home of the Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe, who built it between 1896 and 1910 on the site of a Roman chapel dedicated to Saint Michael. Munthe's memoir The Story of San Michele, published in 1929, was translated into more than 30 languages and made the villa a literary pilgrimage. Munthe donated the property to the Swedish state in 1949, and it now functions as a house museum and study centre.

The villa is furnished with Munthe's collection of Roman antiquities - sarcophagus fragments, marble busts, an Egyptian sphinx on the pergola overlooking Marina Grande - and the terraces are planted as Mediterranean gardens. Entry in 2026 is 12 EUR. Opening hours are 09:00 to 17:00 from November to March and 09:00 to 18:00 or 19:00 in high season. The panorama from the sphinx pergola is one of the finest on the island.

Pro Tip: Read at least the opening chapters of Munthe's book before you visit - the rooms make far more sense when you know the stories attached to each object.