Ageless Ravello, Italy

Historic Charm and Refined Hospitality

Not far from Amalfi lies Ravello, a destination I wholeheartedly recommend. This enchanting citadel was founded in the Middle Ages by noble families who had fled Amalfi following internecine strife among rival factions.

Villa Cimbrone dates back to the eleventh century, the golden age of Ravello.

There, they erected splendid mansions in the refined Arab–Sicilian–Norman style — true architectural jewels which, after centuries of neglect, were rediscovered and cherished by travellers of the British Grand Tour.

The magnificent gardens of Villa Rufolo in Ravello.

Foremost among them is Villa Rufolo, purchased in 1850 and lovingly restored by a cultivated Scottish traveller. When Richard Wagner visited in 1880, he was so captivated by the villa’s gardens that they inspired him while drafting the second act of Parsifal. Yet Wagner was not alone in succumbing to Ravello’s allure. The intimate, secluded courtyard — an exquisite gem adorned with a gently murmuring fountain — provided the setting for Giovanni Boccaccio in the first tale of Decameron.

Today, concerts are regularly held here. Performances take place in the flower-laden gardens overlooking the sweeping panorama of the Gulf of Salerno, where the orchestra appears almost suspended in mid-air upon a platform poised at the edge of the ravine.

A breathtaking sea view from the Belmond Caruso, Ravello.

If you are fond of music and find yourself here in summer, this is an experience not to be missed. Concerts generally begin at 8.00 p.m., save for a single morning in August when the performance commences at 4.45 a.m., allowing the choir to herald the sunrise. In all honesty, I know of no dawn more profoundly stirring than this. It is a spectacle that forms the most magnificent culmination to a journey along the Amalfi Coast — an image that remains indelibly impressed upon the memory.

I am drawn to destinations that encourage a slower pace of living, where beauty reveals itself gradually through detail and atmosphere.

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