Ravello and Villa Rufolo
One very windy morning we set out for the mountain town of Ravello to visit Villa Rufolo.
This is an ancient villa built in the 9th century by the very powerful Rufolo family who were a mercantile noble family. The Rufolo family has historical information dating back to the 2nd century and has a mysterious and interesting mix of Norman history, Arabic history and one of the most powerful women Sigilgaida Della Marra who brought with her financial power. The Rufolo family grew as land owners and became embroiled in several battles. Eventually, they were hated and many other powerful families were in debt to them so rather than paying back their dues they decided the easiest course of action was to get rid of the bunch. In 1283 many of them were captured and beheaded. This would not work in Wall Street.
Needless to say, the remaining Rufolo family lost it's power and the beautiful villa they lived in went into demise. It reminds me of a book I read called I Capture the Castle (thank you again, Jan!) where the protagonists live in a castle in genteel poverty. That is more or less what happened in the Rufalo villa, they lived, overlooking the sea, in poverty till they eventually gave up and passed it to another family who then passed it along like an unwanted run-down mansion and finally in the 18th century a young 26-year old Scottish botanist laid his eyes on it and fell in love! Francis Neville Reed, the Scotsman, was in Naples to recover his health from a prolonged depression. His young wife had died and he was left in such a state of agony and grief that his family decided to send him south to sunny Naples to recover with some sun, sea and spaghetti. I'm sure spaghetti was involved in his therapy. Anyway, he saw the remains of Villa Rufolo, cats sleeping on the ledges, and saw an immediate opportunity to exercise his botanic skills in the lush and fertile grounds of Naples! He bought the Villa and dedicated himself to restoring the ancient gardens to their former glory. In 1880 his buddy, Richard Wagner visited and as he arrived on horseback he was hit with a wave of creative inspiration. Wagner strolled the now beautiful gardens and all he could hear from the wind was the sound of music playing in his ears. He insisted on having a stage built out of the cliff and having a full orchestra play his composed piece of Parsefal!
When we arrived to Villa Rufolo I was overcome with it's beauty as it is built for all the senses. There is Wagner's music that is playing throughout all the gardens as you walk in the ancient mansion and even by the cliffs. The English gardens in Villa Rufolo are kept in lush and beautiful condition by the same family who has kept the gardens for hundreds of years. (The gardeners must not have been decapitated). And the architecture is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. My favorite part of the architecture were thin the twin columns in the entrance way.
The rest of Ravello was equally beautiful to Villa Rufolo. Unfortunately the day we went it was extremely windy and almost impossible to walk so we weren't able to enjoy Ravello as much as we would have liked to.
My favorite part of Ravello was the church, la Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta e San Pantaleone, built in 1086-1087. What I liked most about this church was the Arabic-style mosaics on the ambrosia, where the priest would give the liturgy, which was built by Nicola Bartolomeo di Foggia. The Rufolo family asked him to build this. I love how the pulpit stands on pillars held on the backs of lions.
Last but certainly worth exploring more on a less windy day, were the local ceramic and cameo shops where they make and sell local ceramic and cameos. The wind saved me from spending that day!
As we got back to our hosts house we went out for dinner which ended up being delicious for me but detrimental to the rest of the groups digestive journey.
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| "Did you remember to bring my sandwich?" he asks, "No, but I did bring your extra pair of sunglasses." This could become interesting. It could also be, "Did you remember to feed the cat?" she asks. "What cat? You never told me to feed that cat." he responds. The cat is not happy. I love this couple. |
This is an ancient villa built in the 9th century by the very powerful Rufolo family who were a mercantile noble family. The Rufolo family has historical information dating back to the 2nd century and has a mysterious and interesting mix of Norman history, Arabic history and one of the most powerful women Sigilgaida Della Marra who brought with her financial power. The Rufolo family grew as land owners and became embroiled in several battles. Eventually, they were hated and many other powerful families were in debt to them so rather than paying back their dues they decided the easiest course of action was to get rid of the bunch. In 1283 many of them were captured and beheaded. This would not work in Wall Street.
Needless to say, the remaining Rufolo family lost it's power and the beautiful villa they lived in went into demise. It reminds me of a book I read called I Capture the Castle (thank you again, Jan!) where the protagonists live in a castle in genteel poverty. That is more or less what happened in the Rufalo villa, they lived, overlooking the sea, in poverty till they eventually gave up and passed it to another family who then passed it along like an unwanted run-down mansion and finally in the 18th century a young 26-year old Scottish botanist laid his eyes on it and fell in love! Francis Neville Reed, the Scotsman, was in Naples to recover his health from a prolonged depression. His young wife had died and he was left in such a state of agony and grief that his family decided to send him south to sunny Naples to recover with some sun, sea and spaghetti. I'm sure spaghetti was involved in his therapy. Anyway, he saw the remains of Villa Rufolo, cats sleeping on the ledges, and saw an immediate opportunity to exercise his botanic skills in the lush and fertile grounds of Naples! He bought the Villa and dedicated himself to restoring the ancient gardens to their former glory. In 1880 his buddy, Richard Wagner visited and as he arrived on horseback he was hit with a wave of creative inspiration. Wagner strolled the now beautiful gardens and all he could hear from the wind was the sound of music playing in his ears. He insisted on having a stage built out of the cliff and having a full orchestra play his composed piece of Parsefal!
When we arrived to Villa Rufolo I was overcome with it's beauty as it is built for all the senses. There is Wagner's music that is playing throughout all the gardens as you walk in the ancient mansion and even by the cliffs. The English gardens in Villa Rufolo are kept in lush and beautiful condition by the same family who has kept the gardens for hundreds of years. (The gardeners must not have been decapitated). And the architecture is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. My favorite part of the architecture were thin the twin columns in the entrance way.
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| Villa Rufolo is so impressive. |
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| I really like the twin columns |
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| The kitties would love this. |
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| I love everything in this picture: the gardens, the sea, the Mediterranean pines... |
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| Perfect place for a marriage proposal as Wagner is playing softly in the background for all the gardens. If you are thinking of it, here is your spot. It is also a good spot to answer, "No, thank you. You are not my cup of tea." if you decide to turn said proposal down. |
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| These books! And this floor tile! Be still my heart! |
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| We need to talk to the librarians: this is not the proper way for a historic book to be placed! It needs to be flat. This will damage the spine... |
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| Taking it in. Can you imagine waking up to this view? |
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| I really like the British gardens in the Amalfi context |
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| La famiglia posing for a delightful photo. Those doorways though are so dreamy. Praises in words will not do those doorways justice! |
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| I found the best pizza maker! |
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| Putting the pizza in the oven. |
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| Watching the pizza cook. |
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| Oops there is smoke! |
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| He burned the Margherita pizza. Oh dear. |
The rest of Ravello was equally beautiful to Villa Rufolo. Unfortunately the day we went it was extremely windy and almost impossible to walk so we weren't able to enjoy Ravello as much as we would have liked to.
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| Gone with the wind. |
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| Via con il vento. |
My favorite part of Ravello was the church, la Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta e San Pantaleone, built in 1086-1087. What I liked most about this church was the Arabic-style mosaics on the ambrosia, where the priest would give the liturgy, which was built by Nicola Bartolomeo di Foggia. The Rufolo family asked him to build this. I love how the pulpit stands on pillars held on the backs of lions.
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| Those lions holding mosaic tiled columns that then hold the priest are incredible. WOW. |
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| This would be adorable filled with red apples! |
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| Yes, please, I will take them all. |
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| If Jackie Kennedy liked Ravello, then you know it is good! |
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| Exactly what I thought but couldn't put into words. |
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| Gasp. So lovely! These cameos are all etched by hand on the back of a sea conch. |
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| You know it's an Italian husband when he pulls her luggage and wears her hat! |
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| Exactly. |
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| Passing shopping in Amlafi. Hats, hats and more hats! |
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| I love the handpainted plate! |
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| Fried pizza balls. |
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| Handmade pasta with fried zucchini and shrimp. I could eat this every single day. |
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| The dish of disaster. |
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| True love with a a great fake smile. This one is for a calendar! |
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