Official Information
Official site: https://villarufolo.com, https://www.villarufolo.it
Address: Piazza Duomo 1, 84010 Ravello SA, Italy
Map: View on Google Maps
Opening Hours
Usually open every day from morning until late afternoon or early evening (exact hours and last entry change seasonally). The official site publishes current timetables and any closures linked to events or maintenance.
Villa Rufolo is one of the Amalfi Coast’s most iconic viewpoints: a historic villa and garden complex that seems to float between sky and sea above the town of Ravello. Overlooking Piazza Duomo, the villa dates back to the 13th century, when the wealthy Rufolo family hosted lavish feasts for nobles and merchants. Later restored and reimagined by a 19th-century Scottish owner with a passion for botany, it now blends medieval architecture with romantic landscaping and sweeping coastal vistas. Entering from the small piazza, you pass through a cloistered courtyard with pointed arches and traces of Moorish influence before emerging into terraced gardens. Flowerbeds, pergolas and lawns are arranged to frame spectacular views down to the bays of Maiori and Minori, with headlands and villages stepping off into the distance. The famous twin-towered belvedere, often photographed with a lone umbrella pine silhouetted against the sea, epitomises the dream of the Amalfi Coast for many travellers. Inside parts of the villa, exhibitions and small museum spaces explore Ravello’s cultural history, including the connection with composer Richard Wagner. It was during an 1880 visit here that Wagner is said to have found inspiration for the magical garden of Klingsor in his opera “Parsifal”, and the Ravello Festival continues to stage concerts on platforms suspended over the gardens in summer. Because Villa Rufolo is compact and mostly outdoors, it makes an ideal stop on a Ravello day trip: you can see the main areas in 45–60 minutes, or linger longer on benches and terraces if time allows. Paths and stairways are generally well maintained but involve some steps and gentle slopes; comfortable shoes are helpful. Light conditions change dramatically through the day, morning can be hazy, midday bright and flat, and late afternoon golden, so photographers may want to plan their visit around the kind of images they’re after. Tickets are sold at the gate and, during busy periods, may also be bookable online via the official site. Combined with a visit to nearby Villa Cimbrone and a wander through Ravello’s narrow lanes, Villa Rufolo offers a quieter, more contemplative Amalfi Coast experience than the busier seaside towns below.