Villa Cimbrone in Ravello

About this activity

Dating back to the 11th century, Villa Cimbrone became famous for a scene in the film Princess Sissi: it was a vast estate where brambles and brushwood grew, linked to Nicola Mansi, a Ravello tailor who emigrated to England. The name Cimbrone recalls the ancient name for the rocky promontory Cimbrogno on which the town of Ravello was located.

Why visit Villa Cimbrone

The farm with brambles and brushwood became a distinctive villa when Nicola Mansi, returned to Ravello and transformed it into a place of singular beauty with many varieties of antique furnishings everywhere.

To the left is a very valuable courtyard; the entrance is adorned with mullioned windows, a type of window with two openings, and two entrance arches resting on columns. A small door leads into a characteristic terraced hall of the crypt, a truly original construction, full of majesty and harmony, absolutely worth visiting.

To be admired is the cloister, extensively redecorated by Lord Grimthorpe, with a roof in the center and the walls ornamented with bas-reliefs and ancient terracotta. To the right of the cloister is a four-story defense tower incorporated into the all-decorated castle; its interior is also rich in statues, bas-reliefs, antique furniture, tapestries and paintings. Opposite is another embellishment tower covered with majolica tiles. Villa Cimbrone has magnificent gardens, adorned with rare plant species, statues and fountains. The garden paths lead to the wonderful belvedere, the Infinity Terrace.

Ravello's Infinity Terrace

Suspended 400 meters above sea level, it affords incredible views toward the mountains and out to sea from the Cilento Coast to the Amalfi Coast, outlined by a series of marble busts contrasting with the blue sky and azure waters of the Mediterranean.

History of Villa Cimbrone

The villa was initially a large farmhouse owned by the Acconciajoco patricians of Ravello, later by the powerful and wealthy Fusco and Amici families. In 1904 the entire property was purchased by a noble British banker, Ernest William Beckett, who transformed it from an abandoned place into a wonderful villa with an extraordinary park enriched with neoclassical, Gothic architectural elements, following the botanical style.

In the 1990s it was restored with a design by Giuseppe del Pizzo, Alberto White and Giovanna White and today inside the villa is a charming 5-star hotel run by the Vuilleumier family while the park is open to the public and can be visited for a fee.

Curiosity about Villa Cimbrone

The terrace of Villa Cimbrone, along with that of Villa Rufolo, enchanted Wagner, in whose honor, the Ravello Festival is held annually, making Ravello the city of music on the Amalfi Coast.

The villa was the romantic haunt of Greta Garbo, a beautiful and reclusive actress who fled here in 1938 to marry Leopold Stowkowski, an Anglo-American anchorman. Since then the villa has become an international attraction despite the fact that their marriage was never consummated.