“There are no dead” is just one of the peculiar inscriptions adorning the tombs and mausoleums that welcome visitors to the historic non-Catholic cemetery of the Blue Island. A true garden of memory, located a short distance from the Piazzetta along the road leading to the port, where the protagonists of 20th-century Capri continue to live on, perpetuating its myth and recounting its eccentricities. Here, overlooking the Gulf of Naples, rest figures such as the Misses Wolcott-Perry, the two writers Norman Douglas and Raffaele La Capria, Baron Jacques Fersen, officer Lord Algernon Gordon Lennox, and singer Gracie Fields, to name just a few.
Saidee and Kate Wolcott-Perry
Saidee passed away suddenly due to a heart attack, prompting her dear friend Kate to create a monument for her. It replicated one of the windows of their Capri home, Villa Torricella, with their favorite poem etched along its borders. Saidee and Kate, so closely bonded that they hyphenated their surnames, were central figures in Capri’s social life between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their legendary afternoons, filled with tea and gossip, were a hallmark of the island’s community. They rest together in Capri’s Garden of Memory and will never part again.
Norman Douglas
The writer also chose a meaningful inscription for his tomb: “Omnes eodem cogimur”, a quote from Horace reminding us that we all journey to the same destination. The English author had a deep love for Capri, returning to the island multiple times throughout his life and chronicling it extensively in his works. His writings, such as South Wind, served as an invitation for readers to visit Capri, enchanted by his descriptions. Douglas, who divided his time on the island between Villa Caterola and Tragara, surrounded by friends like Greene, Mackenzie, and Cerio, passed away in February 1952 after a long illness—reportedly due to an intentional overdose.
Raffaele La Capria
Winner of the prestigious Premio Strega and author of works such as Ferito a Morte and Capri non più Capri, La Capria was one of the most significant Italian writers and screenwriters of the 20th century. Affectionately nicknamed “Dudù,” he spent long periods on the island of Capri, where he purchased a villa in the Torina area (currently on the market for approximately 10 million euros, according to insiders). He spent his summers there, dividing his time between family and friends. It is here in the Garden of Memory, in accordance with his wishes, that he rests alongside the artists and intellectual elite who shaped the legend of Capri.
Jacques d’Adelswärd-Fersen
Baron Fersen, one of the most notable and controversial figures in Capri’s history, is also buried in the non-Catholic cemetery on Via Marina Grande. The French dandy died on November 5, 1923, under murky circumstances—an overdose of cocaine and champagne—at his Liberty-style Villa Lysis atop Tiberio. His life was marked by scandals and gossip, including his relationship with the young Nino Cesarini.
Lord Algernon Gordon Lennox
The British officer arrived on the island almost by chance: a gambling debt in a card game with Prince Giovanni Giudice Caracciolo di Luperano earned him ownership of Villa Monte San Michele. While Lennox disliked living permanently on the island, his wife Blanche fell deeply in love with it, transforming the villa into a splendid residence surrounded by lush gardens. Lennox died of a heart attack during a short vacation in Capri. His tomb bears the inscription “There are no dead” and features a bronze statue of Saint Michael with a drawn sword.
Gracie Fields
A beautiful love story with the Faraglioni as witnesses continued even after her death. This was the tale of Gracie Fields and her third husband, Boris Alperovitch. The English singer, who launched the beach club La Canzone del Mare, a symbol of Capri’s dolce vita, died in 1979 and was buried in the non-Catholic cemetery. Boris visited her tomb daily to eat lunch, bringing two sandwiches: one for himself and one for her.
When to Visit
The Non-Catholic Cemetery is open every day, but we recommend booking a guided tour with an expert tour guide. Want a special tip to learn more? Check out the book published by La Conchiglia, written by Dieter Richter and dedicated to the “Garden of Memory.”
