Gracie Fields
La Canzone del Mare was realised on the site of an ancient fort embedded in the rock, once home to Gracie Fields: the singer who decided to pass the later years of her life on the island of Capri. La Canzone del Mare was designed so as to provide a secluded and luxurious retreat where to entertain an elite group of friends.
Among Field’s most famous songs, there is the ballad ‘The Isle of Capri’, written by Jimmy Kennedy and arranged by Will Grosz, which tells of a summer love, illuminated by the moon of Capri.
History
The name of La Canzone del Mare takes its inspiration from the song of the Sirens and the episode in the Odysseus which recounts how Ulysses, sailing in the vicinity of an island which many identify as being that of Capri, requested that his crew tied him to the ship’s mast so as to be able to listen to the enticing song of the Sirens, song used by the mythical creatures to lure sailors ashore, and thus to their death.
La Canzone del Mare occupies an important place in the history of Capri, having been a major protagonist in the 1950’s and 1960’s: by many considered to be the island’s golden years. A great number of those celebrities who habitually took up residence on the island each summer passed their days sunbathing on the poolside of La Canzone del Mare.
A place where many a love story began (few of which were to survive beyond the summer), and numerous important business deals were made, La canzone del Mare was also to function as showcase for fashion items which have since been worn for more than half a century: such as the ‘Capri pants’ and the bikini.
Today as in the past, those in search of that rare combination of glamour, privacy, and relaxation, continue to choose La Canzone del Mare.