Along Via Giuseppe Orlandi, the main street in Anacapri, a striking vermillion building appears suddenly among the white houses and local shops. This is Casa Rossa (the Red House). Built between 1886 and 1899 by eccentric American colonel John Clay MacKowen (1842-1901) around the remains of a late-15th-century Aragonese tower, it represents a typical example of an eclectic-style house-museum, following an aesthetic popular at the end of the 19th century.

The building's unusual structure, mixed architectural styles, Pompeian red walls, and marble fragments decorating both exterior and interior make it one of the island's most distinctive residences. These features reflect MacKowen's complex character: Civil War veteran, physician, bibliophile, archaeology enthusiast, and author of the first monograph on Capri, published in 1884.

A few years after the end of the American Civil War, John MacKowen emigrated to Europe—specifically to Munich, where he completed his medical studies and graduated in 1876. From there he moved to Capri, where he lived with a local woman, Maria Cimino, with whom he had a daughter named Giulia. On the island, his contradictory nature earned him the nickname "ciacca e mmereca" (hot and cold), as he could shift from anger to generosity in an instant. He maintained friendly and supportive relationships with both locals and prominent members of the large foreign colony that lived on Capri in the late 1800s.

The entrance to Casa Rossa, topped by a Greek inscription reading "Welcome, citizen of the land of leisure," opens into a porticoed courtyard where various excavated fragments from the island and beyond are embedded, including a large 1st-century priestess statue.

One of the complex's most interesting features is the staircase covered by a majolica-tiled dome that echoes the typical external access ramps of Caprese houses, connecting the various rooms. The particular complexity and disorganization of these spaces show that the house's design did not follow a linear development and was prolonged over time, suggesting that different master builders were involved in its construction.

Despite this, the true fascination of Casa Rossa lies in its architectural pastiche effect, where heterogeneous elements—classical columns, Moorish windows, Oriental-style battlements, and medieval-flavored structures—blend harmoniously, allowing today's visitors to experience the somewhat eccentric and romantic vision of Capri that captivated one of the many foreigners who fell under the timeless spell of the blue island.

Visions of the past extend beyond the building itself into its interior, where, since 2003, "The Painted Island," the Anacapri Municipality's collection of 19th-century paintings, has been on display. This offers a chance to immerse yourself in the island's atmosphere and landscapes as captured by the many Italian and foreign painters who chose Capri as their primary subject. Simple and elegant scenes of daily life, like French painter Sain's "The Restaurateur" or "Marriage," or the enchanted views by brothers Gonsalvo and Gabriele Carelli, will accompany visitors on an imaginary journey through time.

An even more distant time is evoked by the four Roman statues from the Blue Grotto's nymphaeum. Discovered about fifty years ago at the bottom of the island's most famous cave, they are superb evidence of Emperor Tiberius's presence, who made Capri his preferred residence from 27 to 37 AD and filled it with splendid villas, temples, and places to practice otium—contemplative life through the exercise of arts, letters, and philosophy.

Casa Rossa is not solely a place for passively seeking traces of the past. During its open season, it hosts cultural events, temporary exhibitions, and special openings to engage visitors with lesser-known but more authentic and interesting aspects of the island's history and traditions in relation to its millennia-old culture.

Practical Information

• How to get there: Take the bus to Anacapri, get off at Piazza Vittoria (the main stop), and continue along Via Giuseppe Orlandi.

• Travel time from the Piazzetta: 10 minutes by bus, then 2 minutes on foot.

• Opening hours:

January to May	10:00 am–4:00 pm (closed Monday)
June 1–14	10:00 am–5:00 pm (closed Monday)
June 15–30	10:00 am–1:30 pm and 4:30 pm–8:00 pm (closed Monday)
July and August	10:00 am–1:30 pm and 4:30 pm–8:00 pm (closed Monday)
September	10:00 am–5:00 pm (closed Monday)
October to December	10:00 am–4:00 pm (closed Monday)

• Admission: EUR 3.50

Opening hours and prices may change during the season. We recommend confirming with the tourist information offices at Marina Grande or in the Piazzetta.