Ravello
Ravello Center of Southern Italy, located in Campania, on the Amalfi Coast, in the province of Salerno. It stands in a splendid position on a natural terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea which opens up between the valleys of the Dragone and Regina torrents. The ancient origin of what is now a small town, but which in the past centuries was a thriving city, presumably date to the fourth century; home to dioceses since 1089, it experienced its heyday in the 13th century, thanks to the flourishing of trade with Sicily and the East. Wealth and contacts with important centers of the medieval Mediterranean world are still traceable both in homes and in the main monuments of Ravello. The Duomo dates back to the eleventh century, built on the model of the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino and partially modified by subsequent interventions (particularly the eighteenth century, which radically changed the interior). Between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the buildings of clear Islamic influence were erected, which make up the valuable villa Rufolo, immersed in an elegant garden, from which there is a splendid view of the village and the gulf of Salerno. Worthy of note is the local Museo del Corallo, which houses a precious Louis XV style snuffbox covered with cameos. Traditional stop for visitors to the Amalfi Coast and renowned resort all over the world,
Ravello inspired Richard Wagner, who here composed part of the Parsifal. Inhabitants (ravellesi): 2.422 (1996).
