Chiesa di San Michele (pavimento maiolicato)
Anacapri
KnownSacred art
The story
A majolica floor tells of Adam and Eve driven out of the Garden of Eden, to be admired from above to take in the full sweep of its eighteenth-century colours.
Access
€ small
The story
The church of San Michele Arcangelo, in Anacapri, is a Baroque jewel built between 1698 and 1719, perhaps to a design by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. It is famous throughout the world for its floor: a great majolica depicting the Earthly Paradise and the expulsion of Adam and Eve, the work of Leonardo Chiaiese in 1761.
What to see
The majolica floor, one of the most beautiful in Italy, with Adam and Eve, the animals and plants of Paradise rendered in thousands of painted tiles: so as not to tread on it, it is admired from above, from a balcony. Around it, the octagonal Baroque interior with stuccoes, the altar in marble and semiprecious stones and canvases by Solimena and De Matteis.
How to get there
- Hydrofoil
- Ferry
Tips
The church has its own entrance and hours: check on the official channels. You go up to the balcony to see the floor from above. You are in the centre of Anacapri, a stone's throw from the Casa Rossa.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the church of San Michele in Anacapri famous?
For its majolica floor of 1761 depicting the Earthly Paradise and the expulsion of Adam and Eve, the work of Leonardo Chiaiese: one of the most beautiful in Italy.
How do you see the floor?
From above, from a balcony, so as not to tread on the majolica: this way you take in the whole scene of the Earthly Paradise.
Where is it?
In the centre of Anacapri, on the island of Capri, near the Casa Rossa.
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