A memoir of a Doctor in late 19th to early 20th centuries, this tells of interactions with his fashionable, rich, titled clientele in Paris, then Rome, with some excursions intermixed. Munthe comes across as someone with keen insight into human nature, with a overriding love for animals, and with a strong sense of morality and conscience. As such, he is quite politically correct, and the book is from the 1930s. The title refers to the house he built on Capri. Munthe and his book were quite celebrated there, even among the barons and duchesses, and San Michele and other Munthe residue can still be viewed there.

The style is a bit pedantic and sometimes a touch preachy or self-indulgent, but not so far as to ruin the book.