Ciao! I'm Laura.
  • Journal
  • About
  • Writing
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Journal
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Writing
  • Contact

Ciao Amalfi

Architecture, Capri, Tempting Tuesday · June 23, 2009

Tempting Tuesday: Chiesa Monumentale di San Michele in Anacapri

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele sign

 

Down a quiet and charming street in the city of Anacapri, high up on the island of Capri, you will find a pretty little sign pointing you toward the Chiesa Monumentale di San Michele. Heading down this side street takes you to a very small piazza dominated by a pretty church with a white facade. Inside is surely one of the greatest architectural treats on the Amalfi Coast and the surrounding islands. To visit the church you will need to pay €2, but it is certainly worth it for what you will find inside. Let me tempt you . . .

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele Exterior

 

Once you step inside a small vestibule and pay the small fee, you will be ushered directly into the church where you will see the exquisite majolica tile floor depicting the scene of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. I guarantee that it will take your breath away! As you walk around the octagonal church on the little wooden platform (you can’t walk on the floor!), you can admire the beautiful floor, the elaborate side chapels, and the high altar.

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele Floor from above

 

The floor dates from 1761 and was created by Leonardo Chiaiese, one of the most important majolica artists from Abruzzo working in the Naples area in the 18th century. Once you walk all the way around, go back into the vestibule and climb a very narrow spiral staircase up to the gallery level. This offers the best views of the entire floor.

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele Floor

 

Chiaiese filled the Garden of Eden with a variety of domestic animals, including goats and cows, and a selection of exotic animals, such as a jaguar, lion, monkeys, an elephant, some rather unidentifiable animals, and a beautiful unicorn. The animals are peaceful and go about their business seemingly unaware of the dramatic scene taking place in the center of the church.

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele floor detail Detail of Eve and the angel sending her away

 

From above, you also have an excellent view of the beautiful high altar with a painting of Saint Michael the Archangel by Nicola Malinconico. The side chapels and altar feature works by important Neapolitan painters, including Francesco Solimena, Giacomo Del Po, and Paolo De Matteis.

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele altarHigh Altar

 

The Chiesa di San Michele was built between 1698 and 1719, and is one of the best examples of Neapolitan architecture from this period. Its graceful dome and pale colors create an airy feeling making the church feel much larger than its small floor plan.

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog San Michele architecture detail

 

Last Saturday I was able to visit the Chiesa di San Michele again for the first time in two years, and it reminded me that it is certainly one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. If you are heading soon to Anacapri, don’t miss this gem!

Related Posts

Tempting Tuesday: My favorite beach on the Amalfi Coast

Tempting Tuesday: Piazzetta di Pontone

Tempting Tuesday: Regata Storica delle Repubbliche Marinare

Tempting Tuesday: San Filippo Neri in Pontone

Posted In: Architecture, Capri, Tempting Tuesday

You’ll Also Love

Tempting Tuesday: Torello
August is Vacation Time on the Amalfi Coast
Tempting Tuesday: Sorrento’s Surprising Duomo

Comments

  1. Scintilla @ Bell'Avventura says

    June 23, 2009 at 12:42

    My first thought was I've never visited any Churches in Capri. How could I have forgotten this one!
    Great photos.
    I love Anacapri. You can escape the crowds there.
    Have a great birthday!!!!!

    Reply
  2. katerinafiore says

    June 23, 2009 at 14:01

    OMG I was there!!! Gorgeous church!!!
    AUGURIIIIIII
    baci!!

    Reply
  3. Anne in Oxfordshire says

    June 23, 2009 at 14:54

    Absolutely beautiful, how could you not fall in love with it..:-)

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU have a super day, and thank you so much for sharing Amalfi and the coast with us !

    Reply
  4. Lori says

    June 23, 2009 at 15:26

    Gorgeous! My good friend went to Capri for her honeymoon a couple years back and the pictures were just stunning. Looks like such a beautiful place. I'll make it there some day. 🙂

    It's your birthday?! Happy Birthday and enjoy every minute of it!

    Reply
  5. Wanderlust Woman says

    June 23, 2009 at 15:42

    Cara, grazie per belli fotos.

    Do you know the legend of the Little Lucky Bell of San Michele?

    http://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/luckybell.html

    I bought one for myself this past New Years Day on Capri. All good things come to those who believe.

    Reply
  6. KC says

    June 23, 2009 at 15:48

    It's great to that there are well-preserved majolica pavements, so many of them have been irreparably damaged. If I ever go to Capri, I'll be sure to visit S. Michele.

    Reply
  7. Barbara Jacksier says

    June 24, 2009 at 05:44

    Okay, one more place to add to my Must See list!I need to "meet" that amazing floor in person.

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    June 24, 2009 at 10:41

    Ciao Scintilla! I especially like the part of Anacapri around this church. The streets are beautiful and much less crowded. Thank you for the birthday wishes! Welcome back to Positano! 🙂

    Ciao Katie! How amazing! I didn't know you had been down here to Capri. It is a gorgeous church! Thanks for the sweet birthday wishes! 🙂

    Ciao Anne! Funny you mention it, because I think I fell in love in that church! I will always have a very sentimental attachment to it. 🙂 Thank you for the lovely birthday wishes! And you are very, very welcome. I love it here and I love sharing that passion with others!

    Ciao Lori! What a lovely place to honeymoon! I do hope you can make it here some day. I know you would love it! Thanks… I did enjoy every moment! 🙂

    Ciao Lisa! Grazie! No, I didn't know about the lucky little bell of San Michele. Thanks for sharing! I will have to look for one next time I am there. I believe! 🙂

    Ciao KC! I knew you would enjoy seeing those photos. There are a couple of other churches on the Amalfi Coast with fairly well preserved majolica pavements. But, yes, so often they are almost completely worn away.

    Ciao Barbara! Definitely a must see. You won't be disappointed! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Chef Chuck says

    June 25, 2009 at 14:05

    Wow, this floor is beautiful!
    Nice photos! Grazie 🙂

    Reply
  10. Laura says

    June 25, 2009 at 15:49

    Ciao Chuck! Thanks!! 🙂

    Reply
  11. michelle | bleeding espresso says

    November 6, 2009 at 09:13

    I think I'd be scared to walk on the floor! Gorgeous 🙂

    Reply
  12. Laura says

    November 16, 2009 at 18:59

    Ciao Michelle! I think that explains why the floor has been so well preserved. It is just too beautiful to walk on! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Evening Sunshine in Amalfi

Ciao!

My name is Laura and the Amalfi Coast is my passion and my home. I’m a writer and photographer who is endlessly inspired by the incredible beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Welcome to Ciao Amalfi!

Ciao Amalfi

  • Journal
  • Moon Amalfi Coast
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Amalfi Coast

  • Amalfi
  • Positano
  • Ravello
  • Amalfi Coast

Explore

  • Travel
  • History & Culture
  • Food & Drink
  • Shopping

Laura Thayer

  • About
  • Writing
  • Book Reviews
  • Work with Me

Latest on Instagram

Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with a newsl Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with a newsletter inspired in part by this beautiful song by @samantha_whates & @mgboultermusic. While I could never decide on just seven bookshops for my whole life, I’m sharing about seven remarkable indie bookshops I visited earlier this month in Bath and London. The link is in my bio, but swipe through the photos here for a look inside - each bookshop is tagged if they’re on Instagram. But definitely give them all a follow: 
@persephonebooks 
@mrbsemporium 
@toppingsbath 
@sherlockandpages 
@huntingravenbooks 
@hatchardspiccadilly 
@lrbbookshop 

Long live the independent bookshops! 📚
Thanks Amalfi … I needed a little reminder of th Thanks Amalfi … I needed a little reminder of that this morning. 🩶
Magic to watch the reflections dancing on the wate Magic to watch the reflections dancing on the water. Magic when they’re frozen in time. Just so much magic all around. I could spend a long time in moments like these. ✨
While it’s been a beautiful Easter Sunday in Ama While it’s been a beautiful Easter Sunday in Amalfi, I’m still processing all of the incredible experiences from my trip to England last week. And, thanks to “Square Haunting” by @francescawade, I am still very much haunting the streets and squares of London. Her book opens with this marvelous quotation from Virginia Woolf’s diary written 100 years ago today on April 20, 1925 (photo 1). It captures just what it felt like I was doing days ago - including a saunter through Bloomsbury Square (photo 2). Diving into this book over the weekend has felt like I’ve been able to linger even longer in those rare April days of spring blooms and blue skies in London. 

This book caught my eye immediately at the ever so charming @sherlockandpages in Frome (photos 4 & 5). How could it not when it was surrounded my one of my all time favorite books (“Letters to Camondo” by @edmunddewaal) and one of the best books I read last year (“All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me” by @patrickbringley)?

Hope that your Easter weekend has been a lovely one - with a little bit of “street sauntering & square haunting” wherever you may be!
Just had an unforgettable spring day visiting the Just had an unforgettable spring day visiting the Jane Austen House in Chawton as an early birthday present for myself.(Quite a bit early as it’s not until June.) But earlier this year I decided to have a Jane Austen theme for the year, especially since 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 1775. I do love a theme! Seeing the place where she wrote all of her novels, her tiny twelve-sided writing table, a quilt she made, and sitting in the garden listening to the birds sing is altogether something I’ll never forget. ✍️
Watching the colors of the sea and the fish swimmi Watching the colors of the sea and the fish swimming and thinking of the deep connections of old friends. And this poem by Mary Oliver. Hold tight to the friends who always find a way to say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment.

Mysteries, Yes 
— by Mary Oliver

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Mary Oliver wrote in a poem that “happiness isn’t a town on a map.” But when the little bit of wisteria blooms in Amalfi, I’m not so sure. 💜
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Disclosure

Copyright © 2025 Ciao Amalfi · Theme by 17th Avenue