Italy · Amalfi Coast
Yacht Charter Ravello
Three hundred and fifty metres above the sea, with two garden terraces that changed how Europe thought about views.
Ravello sits high above Amalfi on a shoulder of rock, far enough up that the coast below looks like a map. Wagner found the garden of Villa Rufolo here in 1880 and said he had found Klingsor's magic garden; the Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone, a row of marble busts along a parapet with nothing beyond it but air and sea, has been photographed ever since without ever quite working in a photograph.
The two villas
Villa Rufolo is thirteenth century, Moorish-arched and terraced down the hillside, and its garden is the stage for a summer music festival held outdoors with the orchestra suspended above the drop.
Villa Cimbrone is the other one, twenty minutes' walk through the town, and its Terrace of Infinity runs along the very edge of the shoulder. Go in the first hour or the last: the light is better and the terrace is yours.
Getting up there
Ravello has no harbour of its own — it is the village above Amalfi, and the road up is fifteen minutes of switchbacks from the quay. The tender lands at Amalfi and a car does the rest, arranged by the crew.
The reward for the climb is the one thing the coast cannot give you from sea level: distance. From up here Amalfi, Atrani and the whole gulf of Salerno lie below in one view.
Practical notes
- Reached from Amalfi: the tender lands on the quay and a car climbs fifteen minutes of switchbacks
- The two villa gardens are the reason to come, and both are best in the first or last hour of light
- The summer festival stages concerts outdoors in the Villa Rufolo garden, above the drop
- Salerno, where twelve of this fleet's yachts sit, is under an hour by sea
Reached from: Amalfi and Salerno
Where to dine
A table by the water
Rossellinis
RavelloOn a terrace with the coast three hundred metres below, and a kitchen that has held a star for years.
Il Flauto di Pan
RavelloIn the garden of Villa Cimbrone, with produce from the estate's own terraces.
Cumpa' Cosimo
RavelloA family room in the middle of the village since 1929, doing plain Campanian cooking without a view and with no need of one.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Villa Cimbrone
The Terrace of Infinity: a row of marble busts along a parapet on the very edge of the shoulder, with nothing beyond but air and sea.
Villa Rufolo
Thirteenth century, Moorish-arched, terraced down the hillside — the garden Wagner called Klingsor's, and the stage of the summer festival.
The Duomo
Eleventh century, with a bronze door cast in Constantinople and two carved marble pulpits inside.
Atrani
Down at sea level beside Amalfi: the smallest municipality in southern Italy, and the quietest square on the coast.
The fleet
Yachts available for Ravello
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Ravello
- Can you sail to Ravello?
- Not directly — it is three hundred and fifty metres above the sea. You anchor or berth at Amalfi, the tender lands on the quay, and a car climbs the switchbacks in fifteen minutes.
- Which villa should we see?
- Both if there is a morning; Cimbrone if there is only an hour. Its Terrace of Infinity runs along the very edge of the shoulder with nothing beyond it but air.
- What does a yacht charter to Ravello cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter at Ravello
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.