Historic charm and refined hospitality, Ravello, Italy

Not far from Amalfi is Ravello, which I recommend you visit. This charming citadel was founded in the Middle Ages by some noble families that had fled Amalfi as a result of clashes between various familial factions, and there erected their mansions in an Arab-Sicilian-Norman style.

The Villa Cimbrone dates back to the 11th-century during Ravello’s golden era.

They are real architectural jewels that fortunately, after centuries of neglect, became objects of worship for the British Grand Tour, as the Villa Rufolo, purchased in 1850 and restored by a learned Scottish traveller. When Wagner visited it in 1880, the gardens of the Villa fascinated him to the point where he was inspired to draft the second act of Parsifal.

The magnificent gardens of the Villa Rufolo, Ravello.

But Wagner was not alone. The beauty of the small, secluded courtyard, a real gem, adorned by a fountain of bubbling water, served as the setting for Boccaccio in the first story of the Decameron, which was published in 1353.

Today there are organized concerts. Viewings take place in the blooming gardens with the panorama of the Gulf of Salerno below, and the orchestra seems suspended in the air sitting on the platform attached to the edge of the ravine.

If you love music and you come here during the summer, I advise you not to miss this show. Concerts start at 8.00 p.m. and only one day in August will begin at 4.45 a.m.to allow the choir to announce the sunrise.

The concert in the gardens of the Villa Rufolo, Ravello.

In all honesty, I do not know if there is a dawn in the world more inspiring than this. It is a spectacular finale that is the best culmination of a trip to Amalfi, but it is also an image that is imprinted indelibly in the mind.

A stunning view of the sea from the Belmond-Caruso Hotel, Ravello.

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