Ravello sits high over a hill. If the views in the entire Amalfi Coast are amazing, they are spectacular from Ravello. This tiny little town, which doesn't have the fame that Positano or Sorrento has, captured my heart. I felt it was enchanted and it put a spell on me.
There are only three main attractions in the town: the Duomo (of course) and two villas. We could have seen all three in half a day, but we just wanted to linger and spend the entire day there.
We first paid a visit to the beautiful Duomo. The patron saint of Ravello is St. Pantaleon, and the highlight of the Cathedral is that there is a relic of his holy blood in an altar dedicated to him.
When in Italy, we must pray like the Italians pray. The Italians pray to their patron saint, who contacts Mama Mary, who contacts her Son Jesus, who contacts God. Why go directly to God when we have a better chance of reaching Him by going through the hierarchical ladder? So while in Ravello, I asked St. Pantaleon to intercede for all of us. I had never heard of him until today. But he has an amazing story which you can read here if you are interested:
http://www.itmonline.org/bodytheology/stpant.htm
After the Duomo, we made our way up many steps to Villa Cimbrone. This villa is at least ten centuries old, since its first recorded history dates back to the 11th century. It's had many owners through the years, but the most recent one was an English Lord who bought it at the turn of the 20th century and restored it. The visit only included the gardens which felt magical. We made our way through a variety of exotic plants and flowers, fountains, small temples, pavilions and stone and bronze statues of gods and goddesses. And the reward were the most amazing views:
Then, as if we were part of a fairy tale, we were caught in a huge thunderstorm and we had to take refuge in an open pavilion known as the "tea room." We were in the middle of the rain, with thunder and lightning all around us, but surrounded by fountains, golden deer and beautiful statues. And just as it came, the storm dissipated and we finished our perusal of Villa Cimbrone.
By this time, we were hungry, of course. When in Italy, we must eat, pray, and eat some more. We made our way down the same road we had climbed, and we picked a random restaurant among the many in Piazza Duomo. Since today happened to be the feast of St. Chiara, the town was celebrating. Why not? The Italians love to celebrate the feasts of their saints, and even though St. Chiara is not the patron saint of Ravello, the monastery of St. Chiara happens to be there, so that's a good enough reason to celebrate. And we were caught in the midst of the festivities. So while we ate, we were rewarded with an entire band of musicians that gave us a free concert in the middle of the Piazza. No wonder I felt in love with Ravello, there was magic all around.
After lunch, we visited the second famous villa, this one called Villa Rufolo. Built in the 13th century, it also had wistful magical gardens and "oh my God" views. We walked around, took pictures, enjoyed the views and slowly made our way back to the bus stop to catch the bus that would take us back through the zig-zag roads to Amalfi.
In Amalfi, we got lost through its cobblestone streets, perused inside its many stores, and then we headed back to the hotel so we could rest and get refreshed for our dinner reservation at Trattoria da Gema, which just like all the restaurants we've tried, was divine.
I don't think Ravello is the only enchanted town. All of Italy is enchanted.
St. Pantaleon prega per noi.
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