The Villa Cimbrone is a historic villa located on a rocky outcrop known as "Cimbronium", from which it takes its name, in Ravello that dates to at least the 11th century AD. The earliest references to the villa from this time refer to when the villa belonged to the Accongiogioco, a noble family. It later became the property of the wealthy and influential Fusco family, who are also recorded as owning the local church of S. Angelo de Cimbrone in the 13th century. Later still, it became part of the nearby monastery of Santa Chiara. Ownership from the seventeenth century is uncertain, but by the second half of the nineteenth century it had come into the possession of the Amici family of Atrani.
In the 20th century, the villa was altered and extended by Ernest William Beckett, who brought in salvaged architectural elements from other parts of Italy and elsewhere, leaving little of the original structure visible.
In the 20th century, the villa was altered and extended by Ernest William Beckett, who brought in salvaged architectural elements from other parts of Italy and elsewhere, leaving little of the original structure visible.
Beckett also redeveloped the gardens and, though the villa is now a hotel, these are still open to the public. After Beckett died, his family remained, tending the gardens and it was visited by many famous years over the years including Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, E. M. Forster, John Maynard Keynes, D. H. Lawrence, Vita Sackville-West, Edward James, Diana Mosley, Henry Moore, T. S. Eliot, Jean Piaget, Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The actress Greta Garbo and her then-lover, the conductor Leopold Stokowski, stayed at the villa several times in the late 1930s. The villa was sold in 1960 to the Vuilleumier family, who used it first as a private family home, and have since made it into the hotel that is there today.
Gore Vidal described the villa as “the most beautiful place that I had ever seen in all my travels.” Indeed, sitting high atop a promontory, the villa offers stunning views of the Mediterranean and the dramatic coastline below and the building and grounds are unforgettable.
Gore Vidal described the villa as “the most beautiful place that I had ever seen in all my travels.” Indeed, sitting high atop a promontory, the villa offers stunning views of the Mediterranean and the dramatic coastline below and the building and grounds are unforgettable.
It is a private five-star hotel and popular destination for weddings, but the gardens are open to the public and one of the most memorable sights on the Amalfi Coast. The belvedere, the Terrazza dell’Infinito, is lined by a series of marble busts that glint in the sun. The main walkway, the Viale dell’Immenso, features a pergola blanketed in white and blue wisteria in summer. Throughout the gardens, there is much more to see as well: the Statua di Ceres, which is located in a small temple immediately adjacent to the belvedere; Tempietto di Bacco; Grotta di Eva; a copy of Donatello’s famous sculpture of David; and the Rose Garden.
Perhaps one of the loveliest gardens in all of Italy, it is a must if you have found a vacation rental on the Amalfi Coast and are planning out your itinerary.
Perhaps one of the loveliest gardens in all of Italy, it is a must if you have found a vacation rental on the Amalfi Coast and are planning out your itinerary.
