Originally called Villa Blaesus (in honour of the legendary Greek poet), the great Russian writer, Maxim Gorki, made his home here from 1906 to 1909, during the time it was owned by the family Settanni;   and in 1908 the Russian revolutionary leader, Lenin, was his guest.

Villa Blaesus was later turned into a hotel and named Villa Krupp, in honour of Alfred Krupp, the owner of the famous Krupp steel works in Germany, who built the pathway below, known as Via Krupp and the nearby gardens, both of which he donated to Capri.    


The famous photograph taken on the terrace of Villa Blaesus (Capri, April 1908) showing Lenin and Bogdanov “battling” over a chessboard, watched by Gorki and his guests.


This is the writing desk where Maxim Gorki wrote his  book “The Mother”.


This is the bust that the two Russian journalists, Ivan Bocarov and Jiulia Glusakova, maintain is that of Maria Andreeva, Gorki’s companion.