“Twenty five years ago I was asked by an American magazine what was the most beautiful place that I had ever seen in all my travels and I said the view from the belvedere of the Villa Cimbrone on a bright winter’s day when the sky and the sea were each so vividly blue that it was not possible to tell one from the other.”
– Gore Vidal
As you walk through the grand gates of Villa Cimbrone, a magnificent Siculo-Norman style cloister stands on your left marking the debut of the Viale dell’Immenso, path that paves the way to the Terrazza dell’Infinito, a balcony suspended between sea and sky. Although the origins of the villa date back to the 11th century, it was not until the 19th century when, in a state of painful neglect, it was discovered by the illustrious and cultured English traveler, Ernest William Beckett, who was part of the intellectuals on the Grand Tour who had just arrived in Ravello. He purchased the property inclusive of the villa and gardens in 1907 determined to restore it to its former glory (and beyond), with help from Nicola Mansi, a local whom he had met back in England.
Villa Cimbrone flourished; Lord Grimthorpe with help from English gardener Vita Sackville-West, had transformed it into what is still considered today to be among the most important examples that the Anglo-Saxon landscape and botany culture in Europe. It soon became a popular retreat for London’s famed Bloomsbury Group, a circle of early 20th century intellectuals including Virginia Woolf and Lytton Strachey as well as attracting Winston Churchill, author E.M Forster, Greta Garbo to name a few.
Today’s splendour of the villa is thanks to the Vuilleumier family, who have been managing the property for five generations. The rooms are imbued with traditional detailing: frescoed walls, stone fireplaces, vaulted ceilings and colourful floors paved in 19th century Vietri ceramic tiles. It is the restaurant, Il Flauto di Pan, however, that leaves you speechless. Inside, tables face floor to ceiling arched windows that open out towards soaring coastline views whereas outdoors, a terrace suspends you between land and sky – perhaps, one of the most romantic restaurants we have ever seen. With one Michelin star, Chef Lorenzo Montoro delivers stellar dishes with technical skills, interweaving ingredients gifted by mother nature with flavours of the Amalfi Coast. The signature tasting menu Tra Orti e Lampare seamlessly blends vegetables, fish and meat with a common denominator – the aromas of lemon, elderflower, capers and herbs grown from the garden or picked from the Lattari Mountains.
In fact, the vegetable garden is highly treasured by the Chef, enhanced with an annual format of Cena nell’Orto, in which on selected dates during Summer, guests sit under a pergola at a long wooden table, surrounded by fragrant flowers, and experience a farm-to-fork evening curated by Lorenzo. The menu is primarily plant-based but also features cheeses from small local producers, reflecting the tradition of goat herds grazing on the Lattari Mountains. Each dinner begins with bread and olive oil, a nod to the traditional farmer’s snack, and continues with numerous courses centered around fresh veggies. During June to September, the menu changes to highlight the seasonal produce of the month. The next event will be on the 13th September and will kickstart once again in 2025.
