villa rufolo

the villa is a magnificent 13th century structure, beautiful gardens and architectural features. Well worth a visit. I also attended one of the outdoor concerts in the gardens of the villa and it was fabulous, a 76 piece youth orchestra from Brazil they played everything from West side story to Sambas and Salsas. Great fun.

Fabulous architectural heap of many ages and influences - Norman, Moorish/Sicilian medieval - you name it. We visited off-season, so the gardens were not at their best and maintenance work was in progress. Still very much worth it. A combined ticket for several local attractions can be bought at the Duomo Museum in the central piazza.

amazing views and a very nice little garden in the center of Ravello.To those who like to take some Photos- it is a very beautiful location . from this spot you can see the Napoli bay in a great engle. Recomended

We visited the gardens and grounds - very enjoyable. Also took in a piano concerto on the main stage - fantastic. The concert was lovely and the backdrop of sky and sea was breathtaking.

The villa did not have much too it. The architecture wasn't very striking and it was rather worn down. The only exhibit we found was in a lower level (no signage as to how to find) of circus and carousel statues. I reviewed the gardens under the Rufolo garden listing. You pay one price to see both the villa, garden and of course the fabulous views.

The only place, that was left to see in the Amalfi riviera was Ravello. We had a really lack of time before our departure to another country, so we caught a bus from Amalfi station for nearly 1 or 2 EUR and it took us about 30 minutes to reach this wonderful place. We picked it because of the famous view, so we ran to the ticket office and then straight to the garden with the main viewpoint- and WOW! The view is really fantastic! My idea was also to take photos in a wedding dress, but we were in suck a hurry, that I only managed to wear a beautiful dress. Garden and an old building is also very nice :) So a tip to honeymooners - put on your wedding gowns to take photos in this picturesque place!I suppose that concerts held in Ravello are fascinating and worth visiting, hope some time we'll use this opportunity.

We nipped into Villa Rufolo as part of an Amalfi coast day trip. We had an hour to kill in Ravelo and thought - "Villa Rufolo - why not". We paid our 5 euros each entrance fee and were given a map of the Villa. We wandered around and read the leaflet and wandered around some more. The villa itself was not particularly impressive, or really that interesting (and we both do love our history) and as we are not too enthused by 'modern art' we weren't particularly taken aback by the exhibits that were on display at the time.There are some beautiful photos on TA of the plants and flowers of the villa, but unfortunately, when we visited in September they were preparing for one of the festival concerts and a lot of the plants were covered over with temporary platforming and not many of the remaining plants were in flower either.The 'saving grace' of our visit were the absolutely stunning views we were able to see down towards the sea and Amalfi coast, they were the best views we had witnessed all day during our tour of the amazing coastline.Was our visit to Rufolo worth the 5 euros ? - the views just about made the visit worth while !.

We visited here in October 2013. We were staying in Positano and had booked Rainbow Limousines for the day, taking us to Paestum, lunch in Cetara and time to look around Ravello and these wonderful gardens. You will need to allow at least an hour or longer to have a really good look around them. The views over the coast are beautiful especially as a haze over the sea provides a wonderfully ethereal outlook. The town of Ravello is also interesting to look around and an opportunity to purchase some authentic Limoncello aperitif and some brightly coloured pottery ware.

If you absolutely must have the iconic Ravello shot with the 2 church domes and cypress tree, then you'll need to throw down your 5 euro to go through this place. But the domes are now devoid of paint and weedy. The gardens are nearly bare and the building itself in shambles. There are many empty display cases where the art exhibits were supposed to be housed. It's a depressing place in need of an infusion of energy and upkeep. Sorry.

These gardens and buildings are closer to the center of town and more compact than Villa Ciambrone, just a different style of gardens/grounds, but pretty much the equal. No Terrace of Infinity, but plenty of beautiful views, and a totally unbelievable setting for the music programs in the summer. Even in November it was well worth the time and price of admission.

Four art loving friends stumbled across the Villa Rufolo by surprise while searching for Villa Cimbrone (no map in hand, poor google maps reception).The first few gallery rooms included beautiful art works and I was amazed to see the very special collection of vintage clothing pieces on display too.Little did we know that the gardens were that Spectacular! I love gardens in general, but this was special, so colourful and almost unreal.The orchestra is held here, I believe, as we saw them taking down the grand stands.A few pictures are attached to display the splendour of our little find. Villa Cimbrone was lovely too. I would choose Rufolo for gardens and Cimbrone for statues and views.

Liked: Nice views, nice flowers, nice landscaping.Disliked: Some areas were being worked on so they were covered in plastic. They should have mentioned it at the gate as you pay to get in or they should have offered discounts.

Villa Rufulo bears the name of the family which created it in the 13th century. Part of this immense estate has been eroded by time and neglect. The original building was a cocktail Arabic, Sicilian and Norman architecture. The response to new demands changed it into a 18th century cloister, romantic 19th century gardens and most recently the facilities for the Foundation of Ravello and Festival. The Gothic entrance doorway has always been pure decorative. At each corner stands a statue representing the four seasons. Down the walkway one reaches the Moorish Courtyard. The majestic Torre Maggiore follows after a few steps and is the oldest part of the whole complex(30m.high). It gave the family commanding and stunning views of the mountain and the sea. Beneath the Tower and Garden pavilion lies the Giardino on two levels. It's creation and maintenance in the 19th century required a new horticulture expertise which is still present today. The upper and lower gardens allow for breath-taking views of the Amalfi Coast. At the foot of the lower gardens remains of the Turkish baths are visible. In the cellar of the Villa is a cloister which now serves as a theater. Renovations are still taking place which is not conducive for viewing the actual villa. The gorgeous views from the garden alone, however, are worth the visit.

Just beautiful, loads of information and amazing views. Good value and worth a visit if you are staying in Ravello.

I came here first, because it is in the center of town and also because I had heard so much about it. I was not impressed by what admission buys you in the way of a tour. You're confined to a tiny area where you basically admire the view of the sea. The property is not large and lots of it is barred from tour visitors. Basically, the highlight is flowered area where the stage is set up for shows, sooooo if you happen to go on one of the days when they are setting up for a show (which is quite often), you don't even get to see the highlight -- and this place needs a highlight -- otherwise it just has a view. The museum was just a modern art exhibit, so info on the villa was barebones. You basically get a map. The Villa Cimbrone has a sprawling property of an actual estate where I was able to walk through gardens and admire classical statues along with a breath-taking view. Luckily, there were barely any people there as well, because it was far from the center of town. It was the opposite at the Villa Rufolo where it was nearly impossible to get a photo of anything without others walking in the way. That is to be expected though, when it is so close to the town center and the walkable area of the villa is so small.