Villa Cimbrone in Ravello

Villa Cimbrone is one of the most luxurious and prestigious places in the Amalfi Riviera.


The first mention about farmhouse dates back to the 11th century, although nothing has remained since then. For several centuries, the area belonged to various noble families and then to the monastery of Santa Chiara, which is located outside the gates of the villa. Since that time you can see coat of arms on the gate.


The modern history of the villa began at the beginning of the 20th century, when Italy was visited by the British banker Ernest Beckett. He bought a dilapidated estate and rebuilt it into a luxurious villa, adding Arabic, Venetian and Gothic features. Also villa got its name and magnificent gardens.


At the moment this is a rather expensive hotel (booking.com), but here you can visit the gardens for a small fee (7 euros for 2019).

You can’t drive to the villa, as there are simply no roads here. Even if you have booked a room, you will either fly by helicopter, or you will walk about a kilometer from the parking lot. Baggage can be brought by electric car.


We arrived at 9 am and walked through the gardens almost alone.


The gardens are considered some of the best English style gardens in southern Europe. They have elements from around the world, such as fountains, statues of nymphs, small temples and pavilions.










We especially liked the hanging gardens.




Through all the gardens passes the central alley, which ends with the main attraction - the Infinity Terrace observation deck (Terrazzo dell'lnfinito).






The 2017 hit Wonder Woman was filmed at Villa Cimbrone. Backgrounds were added at post-production.








Getting there: The nearest paid parking is N 40 38.959 E 14 36.635, then 1 km on foot through the town of Ravello. The nearest bus stop is Ravello (Gradillo), accessible by bus 5110 AMALFI - RAVELLO - SCALA (timetable).