He wrote Munthe in La Storia di San Michele (1929) one of the greatest international bestsellers of the time. The Swedish doctor’s intention was not to create a comfortable home for himself, but rather to make an airy architecture that would allow his thoughts and emotions to express themselves on the great issues of life. In the land acquired by Munthe there were traces of Roman times. The ancient finds are part of his private collection and come mainly from the continent; yet, whether they are originals or copies of marble and bronze, they all have the function of evoking that mood which axel Munthe, according to the words of the book, wished to evoke. Among all, the most iconic figure is the Egyptian sphinx that watches over the island of Capri from above. Munthe also bought the ruins of Barbarossa’s castle and the surrounding land in order to prevent traditional bird hunting. Over the years, the castle of Barbarossa has become the ornithological station of Capri, and is home to a research center on migratory birds, in which work Swedish and Italian ornithologists during the period of spring migrations. Since 1907, Villa San Michele has been regularly inhabited by guests and patients of Munthe, including the eccentric heiress Luisa Casati Stampa, muse of many artists and the first performance artist in the world. In 1917 the Villa became a convalescent home for wounded English soldiers.