Villa in Massa Lubrense| abode of Gioacchino Murat| view to Capri| Marina della Lobra| Vesuvius| terraces| solarium and large gardens for walks|
Murat's presence in the villa
The inscription posted in 1928 on the entrance walls of Villa Murat give fascination to the events that have left their history imprinted on this address in Massa Lubrense :
FROM THIS HOUSE
JOACHIM MURAT
IN OCTOBER OF MDCCCVIII
FOLLOWED AND WARCHED
THE ARDUOUS EXPLOITS
OF FRENCH AND NEAPOLITAN SOLDIERS
WHO SNATCHED CAPRI FROM BACK ITS ENEMIES
AND HERE DICTATED THE SURRENDER PACT
ILLUSTRATING WITH THIS VICTORY
HIS ASCENSION TO THE THRONE OF NAPLES.
MASSA LUBRENSE
FROM THE CLOISTER OF ITS HILLS
TESTIMONY OF THE EVENT
THIS REMEMBRANCE
MCMXXVIII
Joachim Murat, brother-in-law to Napolean Bonaparte, was nominated in 1808 to be king of Naples. He decided to confront the first burning question for the king: the conquering of Capri, which had become a dangerous vantage point for the English in the Gulf of Naples. In an undertaking of great international prestige, the attempts by his sovereign predecessor, Guiseppe Bonaparte, Napolean’s brother, were rendered futile. On the 4th October 1808, the Fanco-Napoletan troups under General Lamarque, and lead by King Murat, encountered the English troups commandeered by Colonel Hudson Lowe. The king assisted in the operations on Punta Campanella, when , on the 12th October, he decided to change the battle strategy. Arriving in the village of Annuziata of Massa Lubrense, he wanted to hold on to his discovery of the Villa Rossi. The proprietor, Andrea Rossi, who was in Naples at the time, immediately agreed to the regal request to accommodate the king.
The central room of Villa Murat has the 17th of October and Colonel Lowe’s surrender, firmly entrenched in it. The king of Naples, with his telescope constantly perusing the horizon and across to the Blue Island, orchestrating his attack with determination, until Lowe’s surrender.
Villa Murat was the place where the king of Naples thought, acted, gave orders with determination, and gazed frequently through a telescope towards the azure island until the definitive victory on 17 October, the day of Colonel Lowe's surrender, which was signed in the central room of the house.
The taking of Capri was a bold and arduous task, and also innovative in how it was carried out. News of its success echoed all around the world, so much so that it was commemorated on the Arch of Triumph in Paris as one of the most important Napoleonic victories.
To celebrate the event and at the behest of the king, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Joachim Murat held a contest, and a painting by Edward Fischetti won, called Murat Assists in the Capture of Capri from Massa Lubrense, which is now kept in the Museum of San Martino in Naples. Villa Murat with its unmistakable façade is the pride of the people of Massa and a historical icon in the most interesting pages of the history of Massa Lubrense and Capri. To honour the victory, Joachim Murat had a commemorative medal coined.
After 200 years, the community of Massa Lubrense celebrated the event with a commemoration of particular value: after a classical music concert, with pianist and descendent of King Joachim Murat, Caroline Haffner Murat, in the old cathedral of Massa Lubrense, a commemorative plaque was placed on the front outside wall of the villa, re-connecting the link between the two populations.
The evening concluded in the splendid Villa Murat – The Residence overlooking Capri – with a tasting of the the many typical local dishes, a gift from Massese entrepreneur, Raffaele Esposito, the manager of the villa.
Phone: +39 081 878 90 16 - Fax: +39 081 878 90 16 - E-mail: info@villamurat.com
