Ravello attractions
Ravello is a magnificent terrace overlooking the Lattari Mountains. This vantage point allows the visitor a unique panorama of the world. Immersed in luxuriant vegetation lying perched on a rocky spur 350 meters above the sea. Ravello is one of the most sweeping points of view on the Gulf of Salerno along with the splendid Sea of the Amalfi Coast. According to tradition, Ravello was founded by Romans in search of a safe place during a period of instability caused by barbarian invasions.
Beginning in the 9th century it was first a part of the Duchy of Amalfi, followed by the Maritime Republic of Amalfi. From the 12th Century forward the decline of the town began. It lasted until the 19th century when the Borboni built the coastal road. The road enabled travelers a new destination which became a grand tour. This attracted personalities such as D.H. Lawrence, Richard Wagner, Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, Greta Garbo. In addition to the luxe beauty, Ravello has always fascinated the world of Culture. Boccaccio stayed in this beautiful, picturesque village and was literally bewitched by it to the point that he set one of his novellas of the "Decameron" there. The views of Ravello and its landscapes painted in 1819 by the great English painter, William Turner are exhibited at the Tate Gallery in London. Here in 1880, Richard Wagner imagined the Klingsor garden in the second act of Parsifal. In memory of this event, the International Music Festival is organized every year in Ravello. The festival is a success with the public year after year.
Among the treasures of Ravello, the Cathedral is of particular importance. Gothic in style, it dominates the square in the center of town. Dating back to the 12th century, the Cathedral is a resolute museum filled with treasures characterized by its bronze portal built in Constantinople in 1170. An evocative and majestic place in which stands a magnificent pulpit, which alone is worth the visit. A must see if you visit Ravello.
Other significant, sacred buildings in Ravello are the Church of San Giovanni from the Romanesque period. It is rich in decor and bright with superb colors, it is where the nobility of Ravello gathered in the Middle Ages. The Church of Sant'Angelo dell Ospedale a few steps from the Duomo is a particular structure. It is carved into the rock. It is little known, but well worth the visit if you want to discover a small architectural jewel of the Coast. The Church of the Annunciation has become the symbolic image of Ravello, with its two characteristic
domes shown on every postcard or image of the city. It is a monumental complex that dates to 1200. It maintaines its architectural provenance and stylistic charm. The sacred building is preceded by an entrance portico which gives the appearance of a gallery carved into the rock.
The simply splendid gardens of Villa Cimbrone are plush with rare species of plant life, statuary and fountains. The garden paths lead to the Belvedere and culminates at the "Terrace Towards the Infinite" From here you can admire the most spectacular vista of the Amalfi Coast.
The Garden of Villa Rufolo, also known as The Garden of the Soul, enchanted the German composer, Wagner who found in these places his imagination materialized. He saw a vision of the infinity of Creation merge with the infinite in each of us, the infinity of the Soul. Villa Rufolo was built in1200 by the Rufolo family, the most prominent, powerful Ravello family of the time. The Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium, a daring work of modern architecture that blends with the surrounding nature and environment, hosts the famous Ravello Festival, a must for lovers of classical music.
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In this page we are mentioning the main Ravello sites, toursists should visit while here!
More information on the Ravello Tourim board : Ravello | Tourist Office (ravellotime.com)
Ancient villa and Museum. Incredible views
Villa Cimbrone
"Opening: Summer 9.00 – 20.00 (l.e. 19.30) |Winter 9.00 – Sunset
Tickets: Ordinary Euro 7,00 | Groups from 15 to 40: Euro 5,00 | Groups over 41: Euro 4,00 | Children 5-12 years old Euro 4,00
It could equally be described as the visionary creation of an English lord or the invention of a visionary lord. Its history is controversial, but the result is incontrovertibly fascinating.
Villa Cimbrone’s site, like its name, is ancient: it was a large possession of land belonging to the noble Accongiagioco family, on which stood a vast rustic farmhouse.In 1904, it became the property of an English lord, Ernest William Beckett. Assisted by the Ravellian Nicola Mansi (who was neither an architect nor an engineer but a… tailor) Beckett was able to construct a building of incredible beauty, mixing styles and epochs, ethnic and cultural elements, antique finds and souvenirs of exotic journeys.
At the entrance of the Villa is the small cloister with, in the centre, a square well curb: the space has been build to resemble the ancient cloister of the Ravellian church of Saint Francis. Similarly, numerous other sections of this complex have been taken from famous monuments, not only in Ravello, resulting in a superb and unpredictable creation.
The Villa’s lush garden, in which statues, temples, fountains, epigraphs, natural grottos and artistically created recesses are dotted, culminates in the spectacular Belvedere of Infinity from which the view sweeps wide to take in a panorama which Gore Vidal did not hesitate to define as “the most beautiful in the world”."
Amazing views from the fantastic gardens
Villa Rufolo
Opening: Summer 9.00 – 21.00 (l.e. 20.30) | Winter 9.00 – Sunset
Tickets: Ordinary Euro 7,00 | Groups more than 15 Euro 6,00 | under 12 / over 65 Euro 5,00
On the same piazza del Vescovado which the Cathedral overlooks, rises the plain entrance tower, of the magnificent Villa Rufolo, whose ancient function was that of watch-tower.
The Villa, whose original construction dates from 1200AD, belonged, of course, to the powerful Rufolo family, to the Confalone, the Muscettola, to the D’Afflitto and, finally, to the Scot Francis Neville Reid.
The atmosphere of the place has been marked by the thousand years of Arab cultural influence. The main building, comprising a barrel-vaulted chapel and a reception hall, divided by massive, low columns, is built on three levels which in the past hosted high ranking persons among whom Pope Adrian IV and King Robert of Anjou.
On the left rises the mighty main tower, 30 metres high, with a pointed access arch; the second of the three levels which compose it is embellished with two mullioned windows per side. Instead, on the left, is the Moorish cloister, an architectural jewel of fascination, enclosed by an arcade of pointed arches, on which rest a double order of loggias with Arabian-style decorations.
The enchantment of Villa Rufolo reaches its peak in its famous garden loved by Wagner. Overhanging the sea is the terrace where every year the Ravello Festival is celebrated. The beautiful Palazzo Marra, an ancient noble residence, complements Villa Rufolo.
The town main Church in centrale square
Duomo di Ravello
Opening: 9.00 – 12.00 | 17.30 – 19.00
Museo del Duomo: Summer 9.00 – 19.00 | Winter 9.00 – 18.00
Ticket: Ordinary Euro 3,00 | Groups 25 people Euro 1,50 | Children Euro 1,50
The facade has three ancient marble portal: the central one is closed by the famous bronze door created in 1179 by Barisano da Trani. In all of Italy there are, perhaps, only about two dozen bronze doors and the one on the Cathedral of Ravello is one of the most important: 54 rectangular panels decorate the door with figures sculpted in relief; one of them holds the name of the donor, the Ravellian nobleman Sergio Muscettola, and of his family.
The interior, with nave, two aisles and three apses, has the peculiarity of the floor being sharply inclined towards the square, for the purpose of obtaining a deeper perspective effect.
The right aisle contains a 14th century sarcophagus, donated by Bishop Francesco Castaldo, and a precious panel depicting Saint Michael Archangel defeating Satan, a 16th century work by Giovanni Angelo d’Amato from Maiori.
At the end of the left aisle, next to the presbytery, there is the chapel of San Pantaleone, with a linear architectural plan that contrasts with the lavish decorations: the chapel holds the glass, gold and silver ampulla containing the saint’s solidified blood that miraculously liquefies each year.
The central nave contains, on the left, the pulpit of the Epistles, commissioned at the beginning of the 12th century by Bishop Costantino Rogadeo and decorated with two precious mosaics depicting Jonah and the Male. Notable proportions and refined the pulpit of the Gospels, on the right of the central nave, created in 1272 by Nicolò di Bartolomeo from Foggia. On the right side of the Cathedral rises the 13th century bell-tower.D9