Capri : Historical Sketches

A rich portrait of Capri’s allure—its artists, eccentrics, royals and revolutionaries—told through the island’s most remarkable visitors. Capri is famous for its magical beauty but also fabled for the many fascinating personalities who journeyed there. In Roman antiquity, the island was an imperial residence, which later fell into a Sleeping Beauty slumber given its inaccessibility. When transport improved in the 19th century, visitors began to flock to the island. Artists and writers arrived first, followed by royalty, millionaires and eccentrics. Today, it is instead large numbers of tourists who are leaving their mark. Bengt Jangfeldt gives a knowledgeable, insightful account of the people and events contributing to Capri’s renown: the hermit monk Anselmo on Monte Solaro; the patron saint of the town of Anacapri, Sant’Antonio; numerous Swedish artists and authors inspired by the island; Graham Greene and his rose garden; other famous international visitors such as Hermann Göring, Henry James, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Maxim Gorky and Vladimir Lenin; and naturally Dr Axel Munthe and Sweden’s Queen Victoria.