[RAVELLO, ITALY] — A few thousand feet up the mountains over Positano and the sea is the town of Ravello. Often voted one of the prettiest villages in Italy, it shows it. They’ve done a great job at preserving this little mountaintop town. No modern stores or chains. Just a quant little piazza, with hotels and restaurants spanning out to the edges of the cliffs.

The views are stunning of the distant water thousands of feet below, the shimmer of the sun. Extremely relaxing place with just a few hotels and restaurants. A couple days is all you need unless you just want to unwind with a book by the pool and feel the breeze.  

Hidden on a hilltop 1000ft about the sea, Ravello is a perfectly preserved small village, seemingly free of ugly things. It’s even a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the whole Amalfi Coast. No modern shops or tacky t-shirt stores, no garish fluorescent signs. Lightly populated with mostly private apartments and villas clinging to the edge, a perfect main piazza with a smattering of movie set cafes, and only a couple of fine hotels. It just sits there, smokin’ a cigarette, looking pretty.

Founded in the 5th Century, Ravello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with under 2,500 residents, a 13th Century duomo, blah-blah-blah-blaaah….. The real reason we’re here is…the views.

This is the real reason why we’re here in Ravello. This postcard-perfect town sits high above the sea. Perched on the steep cliffs, amazing views of all the Amalfi Coast, for kilometers in every direction. You almost don’t want to leave the hotel, but you have to pull yourself away to see the magic of Ravello.

Gore Vidal famously had a villa here for years. And many other celebrities, too. From St. Francis in 1222 to Ricard Wagner, MC Escher, to Greta Garbo and Virginia Woolf. Heck, Dwight Eisenhower plotted the battle on Monte Casino from here.

— Last Visited September 2004 — 

More Information Ravello

And here’s a great website about Ravello, restaurants and other hotels. And here’s TripAdvisor’s page on Ravello. And a page from the Positano.com web page. And a great article from Italy Magazine.

Where to Stay in Ravello

Here’s an overview of Ravello and Palazzo Avino on TripAdvisor. And here’s another amazing luxury hotel in Ravello. Villa Combrone. And a link to a post I made of my favorite hotel, Palazzo Avino.