Villa Rufolo

Villa Rufolo occupies a clifftop site in the centre of Ravello, built from the 13th century by the wealthy Rufolo merchant family and blending Norman, Arab and Sicilian architectural styles around a courtyard and tower. Its terraced gardens, added in the 19th century, drop toward the Gulf of Salerno in tiers of clipped hedges, palms and flowerbeds, framing an open view of the coast and sea that reportedly inspired the garden of Klingsor in Wagner's opera Parsifal. The main terrace still hosts open-air concerts each summer as part of the Ravello Festival.