Unlike most of the towns on the Amalfi Coast, Ravello is not located on the seafront.
To get there, you have to turn off the coastal road between Amalfi and Maiori and go back up a few kilometers. The town of Ravello stands out from the other coastal towns for its quieter atmosphere. Being far from the sea and beaches, it’s never as crowded as Positano and Amalfi. In the evening, few tourists stroll through its narrow streets.
Voted City of Music, it has always been one of the most popular meeting points for artists, intellectuals and personalities of great stature. It’s only in the last two centuries that its parterre d’honneur has been home to such illustrious names in music as Wagner, Grieg, Rostropovitch, Toscanini and Bernstein; in painting, Escher, Turner and Mirò; and also great writers from Lawrence to Forster and Virginia Wolf. It’s no coincidence that today this spot on the Amalfi Coast hosts major cultural events such as the Ravello Festival and chamber music concerts organized by the Ravello Concert Society.
The evocative landscapes of this village perched on a sheer cliff and its intense, luminous atmosphere have captured the hearts of many travelers, who every year don’t miss the opportunity to visit this pearl of the south.
This small Italian village in the province of Salerno offers an exceptional and unique view of the Gulf of Salerno and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Considered one of the most beautiful villages in the Campania region, Ravello attracts tourists from all over the world every year, thanks to the variety of historical, artistic and scenic wonders it has to offer. Terraces overlooking magical panoramas of breathtaking beauty, magnificent gardens that once belonged to the powerful families of the Amalfi Coast, places of worship dating back to ancient times, evocative paths for immersing yourself in the Mediterranean vegetation, large-scale cultural events hosted in dream locations: Ravello offers the explorer infinite possibilities for leisure, entertainment and unforgettable emotions.
Durant la période printemps-été, le beau village s’anime, il est parfait pour ceux qui aiment visiter et s’immerger dans la vie urbaine. C’est précisément à cette période que le village accueille de nombreuses manifestations et expositions en tous genres dont le Festival de la musique, qui propose au public un vaste programme de concerts en plein air.
History
A noble village of lineage, seductive of people, Ravello awaits the traveler who decides to turn away from the seaside villages of the Amalfi Coast and reach its rocky outcrop 350 meters above the sea.
After a probable initial settlement by Roman colonists fleeing barbarian invasions, historical sources attest to the presence in the 9th century of certain noble families from Amalfi who had revolted against the doge’s authority.
Ravello belonged to the Maritime Republic of Amalfi until the “rebels” who inhabited the hills around the present-day town (the name derives from the Latin rebellis) opposed the Norman takeover, unlike the Amalfitans, who decided to submit. This independence made Ravello a bishopric independent of Amalfi and Naples, and directly linked to the papacy, as evidenced by the richness of the cathedral, and in particular the great bronze portal, created by Barisano da Trani in 1179, and composed of two wings with 54 panels decorated with bas-reliefs. Inside, two splendid ambos dating from the 11th and 12th centuries also bear witness to the historical importance of the Rufolo family, who built this church.
Ravello soon prospered thanks to its wool-spinning industry, but its decline began with the Norman Conquest, and gradually over the centuries Ravello, which had reached around 36,000 inhabitants in the 13th century, saw its population decline over the centuries. In the early 19th century, it was incorporated into the diocese of Amalfi.
However, this decline has not altered its beauty; on the contrary, it has transformed it into a dream destination for intellectuals traveling to Italy: artists and celebrities who have inevitably been enchanted by this pearl of the Campania region.