It was known as the “Stracasa” (“Super-house”) because it was so much more than a humble abode. In 1920 the Lombardy-born engineer Emilio Errico Vismara chose spectacular Punta Tragara as the perfect spot to build a villa, perched high above the sea with views of the Faraglioni rock formations. The plans were drawn up by Le Corbusier, who described the villa as “a kind of architectural bloom, an extension of the rock, an offspring of the island, a plant-like phenomenon”.
It was only natural, then, that Villa Vismara should play a key role in history a few years later when it became home to the American command during the Second World War. Its eminent guests included General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Mark Clark and Sir Winston Churchill.
Peace brought all the joie de vivre of the Dolce Vita to Capri, and in 1968 Count Goffredo Manfredi bought the villa as a holiday home, turning it into a hotel in 1973. Hotel Punta Tragara has enjoyed extraordinary growth ever since, reaching the pinnacle of hospitality on Capri as its five-star luxury status attests today.