Duomo
The Duomo is Ravello’s cathedral, which is in the town’s main square. Founded in 1086, the entrance of the Arabic-inspired church features two bronze doors that picture the 54 scenes of Christ’s life. These bronze doors are one pair of only two dozen in Italy. Inside, the cathedral's interior is made of sculpted white marble. Visitors can climb behind the altar to get a look of vials that contains St. Pantaleone’s holy blood or see a fragment of St. Thomas’ finger bone. In the crypt, the cathedral’s two-room museum features a 3rd-century sarcophagus, marble slabs decorated with mosaics, and a reliquary bust that holds the skull of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen and miners.
08:00-13:00, 16:30PM-19:00·€2
Hotel and gardens. The villa is reached by a narrow pedestrian road and is situated on a cliff known as “cimbronium,” which gives the Villa its name. Before becoming a hotel and a site for weddings, conventions, and other events, the grounds were passed down from one influential family to another since the 11th century. It became a part of a nearby monastery around the 17th century and eventually fell into disrepair. In 1904, a British baron named Ernest William Beckett fell in love with the villa and purchased it with plans to renovate the grounds. With the help from Ravello architect Nicola Mansi and a French botanist, Beckett added the Villa’s garden, small temples, gazebos, and bronze and stone statues. The Villa has attracted many famous admirers, including E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, and Winston Churchill. Hollywood actress Greta Garbo and conductor Leopold Stokowski had a famous romantic getaway on its grounds in 1938. A stroll through the estate will reveal poetic inscriptions found on plaques and numerous replicas of Roman busts. One attraction is a statue of Mercury, the Roman messenger god, who invites visitors to a few moments of introspection. Another sight to see is the Terrace of Infinity, a serene location that sits high above a sheer cliff facing the ocean.
Public gardens are open daily 09:00-sunset·€7
Villa Rufolo is a palatial Moorish-style estate that was built in the 1270 for the Rufolo family. It is in Ravello’s main square, a 10-minute walk from Villa Combrone. The Villa Rufolo is comprised of a main building that adjoins a chapel with a reception hall and an entrance tower. The tower, known as the Torre Maggiore, is 30 m high and was once used to spot pirate ships arriving to the Amalfi coast. The estate overlooks the Bay of Salerno and its upper terrace gardens contain cypress trees, cycads, yuccas and palms. The Villa remained with the Rufolo family until they sold it in 1588. Thereafter, the Villa slowly fell into disrepair due to earthquakes, negligence, and property subdivisions. Almost three centuries later it was restored by its new owner, a Scottish botanist named Francis Neville Reid. In 1880, a trip to Villa Rufolo’s garden inspired German composer Robert Wagner to write the second act of his final opera, Parsifal. Every summer since 1952, Villa Rufolo hosts the Ravello Music Festival, an open-air concert held in Wagner’s honor.
Summer hours: 09:00-20:00; Winter hours: 09:00-16:00·€7, €5 for seniors and children