In the Footsteps of Greta Garbo

Tuesday March 20 had a very small window of sun between about 7:00-8:00 a.m.   After that, the rains came and with the exception of few short periods of cloud only, it was a most miserable day in a most beautiful place.  The high was only 10C.   All the locals say that this is very unusual weather and that it is usually warmer.  A number of stores and restaurants have put off opening for the season, even though the first Ravello chamber music concert is next week and Easter is around the corner.

Our B&B is lovely and very comfortable with great views and in a good location.

Early morning sun- view from our balcony

Panoramic view from our balcony

We had breakfast and then headed out to explore.

We make a turn at this house to get to our B&B

Looking back down the stairs leading to our B &B

We had decided to visit the Gardens of Villa Cimbrone about a five minute walk away.  We passed Hotel Villa Maria, and the Cantina and Wine Store.  Neither the Hotel (which has cooking classes) or the Cantina were open for the season.

Outside of the wine store, part of the Cantina

Tiles outside the store

Quote from Cary Grant

We saw a sign for Villa Eva and wandered in.  It is used for events only--especially weddings.  It is not yet open for the season, but is in a spectacular location with wonderful views.

Villa Eva

Eva herself

Grounds of Villa Eva

Perfect for a wedding ceremony or receptions

View of the water and a passing ferry

We walked another few minutes to our destination of Villa Cimbrone, which consists of the main building and around six hectares of beautiful gardens.  The Villa itself, now a prestigious hotel, dates to the 11th century.   It stands on a rocky outcrop known as "Cimbronium".  The villa belonged to a noble family that passed ownership to a wealthy and influential family, the Fusco.  It later became part of the nearby monastery of Santa Chiara.  By the second half of the 19th century, the villa had passed to the Amici family of Atrani.

The property is famous for its scenic belvedere, the Terrazzo dell'Infinito (The Terrace of Infinity).

The property had been abandoned by the end of the 19th century.  In 1904, it was bought and extensively renovated by a British nobleman, Ernest William Beckett (later Lord Grimthorpe). Very little of the original structure remains visible.  Beckett enlisted the help of Nicola Mansi, a tailor-barber-builder from Ravello whom he had met in England, to help with the restoration and enlargement of the villa and gardens.  He constructed the battlements, terraces and cloisters in a mixture of mock-Gothic, Moorish and Venetian architectural styles.

The gardens are strung out along the cliff face and were laid out following the aesthetics of English landscape gardeners.   Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson visited the Villa. Vita is said to have given advice about the garden.  After Beckett's death in 1917, the villa passed to his son.  His daughter Lucy (1884-1979) also lived at the villa, where she was a keen gardener and breeder of roses.

Many famous visitors came to the villa during the Beckett family's ownership.  It was a favourite haunt of the Bloomsbury Group (Virginia and Leonard Woolf, E.M. Forster and John Maynard Keynes).  Other visitors included D.H. Lawrence, Henry Moore and Winston Churchill.  The villa was sold in 1960 to the Vuilleumier family who used it first as a private family home and then as a hotel.  It remains a private hotel today and there are certain sections of the gardens marked for "hotel guests only."

Gore Vidal (who lived in La Rondinaia, a nearby house built by Lucy Beckett) from 1972-2004 in an interview with an American magazine was asked what was the most beautiful place that he had ever seen in all his travels.   His response was "that the view from the belvedere of the Villa Cimbrone on a bright winter's day when the sky and sea were each so vividly blue that it was not possible to tell one from the other."

Entrance to Villa Cimbrone

The other side of the entrance

It had just started to rain, so we checked out the cloister first.  There is a wonderful covered well in the centre of the cloister.

The cloister

Another view

Lovely setting near the entrance

We walked down some stairs to the Crypt - modelled on the Fountain Abbey of Malton, England,
where Beckett was born  (built 1907-11)

 Luckily it stopped raining for a short period and we started to wander in the gardens.

Beginnings of the gardens

Gorgeous rose tree

Moorish style pavilion 

Looking back at the entrance

The hotel part of Villa Cimbrone was not open yet

There was a plaque on the wall stating that in the spring of 1938, Greta Garbo stayed at the Villa Cimbrone with her lover Leopold Stokowski, the British-American conductor who wrote and produced the score for Walt Disney's Fantasia.  Their stay at the Villa Cimbrone became an international sensation when word of their arrival was leaked to the newspapers.  Apparently, they had gone there to elope, but the marriage never occurred.

Greta Garbo slept here

Lovely walkway in the gardens

Romantic sculptures

Amazing trees 

Posing with the classics

Lots of sculptures

There was a statue of Ceres located in a small temple immediately adjacent to the belvedere.

Temple of Ceres, goddess of the Harvests

Ready for her close-up

Views from the Terrace of Infinity

The Terrace of Infinity is the view that Gore Vidal says is the best in the world.  The natural balcony is adorned with 18th century marble busts.  The views of the Amalfi coast are amazing--- if only the sun would come out.

The Terrace of Infinity

Facing the other way

Alain and the bust at the corner (looks a bit like Clark Gable might have in the 18th century)

Moi aussi

Strange panoramic--- Ravello really is magical

Continuing our walk-- just about to start raining again

There was a lovely tea garden--- not open yet-- just a lonely table and chair.

Waiting for the new season to start

Seat of Mercury

Apparently the inscription below was erroneously attributed to D.H. Lawrence who found inspiration here for his works.  The quote is from Catullus.

Next we passed the Temple of Bacchus, supported by eight doric columns.  The ashes of Lord Grimthorpe were buried at the foot of the pedestal.

The Temple of Bacchus

The Hortensia Avenue

Walking back to the entrance in the rain

Villa Cimbrone was well worth the visit.  It would be gorgeous in the sun, but we got a good sense of its beauty.

We walked back and noticed that all the houses have lovely tiles with their addresses.

We walked by the Cantina near the Hotel Villa Maria again and wandered into the patio area.  The Cantina is located next to the Hotel.  Another lovely setting.

Patio area of the Cantina 

Wonderful picture on the wall of the Cantina

The Hotel

The restaurant

We walked a bit more and came across the site of a former Convent, dating back to the 10th century.

Holy Trinity Convent  sign

The remains from the 10th century

As we were walking back to the main square, we passed one of the tiny motorized vehicles that are used to transport goods in the town.  Cars are parked outside of the entrance to the main entrance to Ravello.

No cars- only these small motorized vehicles

Our next stop was the Duomo which faces Ravello's main square.  The Cathedral was built in 1086, but the present facade is from the 16th century.  The working bell tower dates back to the 13th century.

Outside of the Duomo

Bell tower at the side of the Cathedral with Moorish and Byzantine features

The entrance was on the side through the small Cathedral museum.   There were a number of interesting artifacts in the Museum.  The female head with diadem, a masterpiece of the 13th century, has been identified as a portrait of Sigilgaida Rufolo, the wife of Nicola Rufolo, the 13th century merchant who commissioned the cathedral's pulpit.  Other sources say the bust represents the Madonna or, alternatively, Joanna, the Queen of Naples.  We will visit the Villa Rufolo (built in the 13th century) on Wednesday.  

Female head- by Nicola di Bartolomeo da Foggia, 1272 (?)

There were also some wonderful mosaic pieces.

We went inside the Cathedral.  There is an amazing pulpit, which is supported by six spiralled columns sitting atop marble lions.

The pulpit-- columns atop of lions

Across from the pulpit is the Ambo of the Epistles that has two wonderful mosaics of Jonah and the whale.

Fabulous mosaics of Jonah and the whale

After our visit to the Duomo, we headed down a road just outside the entrance to Ravello to see the Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer.  The auditorium was designed by the renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) in 2000 and is characterized by the profile of a wave that corresponds to the natural slope of the land.  It took 10 years until it opened in 2010 following a number of petitions and claims in court by detractors.  It is a venue for concerts and exhibitions and the acoustics are said to be excellent.  

Approach from behind the auditorium

Near the entrance- beautiful view of the sea

Signage and entrance

View of the small village below Ravello

It started to rain heavily again and we headed back to the B &B for a rest.  Our host made us coffees.

We went for dinner at about 8:00 p.m. at Enotavola Risto wine bar at Palazzo della Marra.  The Palazzo Della Marra, built in the 13th century was the residence of the noble Della Marra family.

Fabulous room with very high ceilings

Another view

Of course we were hungry and tired and forgot to take photos of our food.  Ah well.  There will be more rain on Wednesday.  We both strongly recommend a visit to Ravello if touring the Amalfi Coast.  It is great to be in a small town with no cars and spectacular gardens and views.