Villa Cimbrone

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.

Telephone: +39 089 858072

Opening:
Summer: 9.00 - 20.00 (u.i. 19.30)
Winter: 9.00 - 16.00

Tickets:
Ordinary: Euro 6,00
Children: Euro 4,00
Groups from 15 to 40: Euro 5,00
Groups over 41: Euro 4,00

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".