The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
Braving the hair-pin curves of the Amalfi Coast’s Strada Statale 163 route is no adventure for the faint hearted. Climbing and falling along the glittering Mediterranean Sea, the cliff hugging route scarcely leaves enough room for two lanes of traffic- yet hundreds of visitors magnificent views are what still bring throngs of tourists to the glorious coastline. Each year in the month of August, the Amalfi Coast’s town of Ravello acts as a spectacular backdrop for one of Italy’s most ancient festivals; The Ravello festival. According to Festival director, Maestro Alessio Vlad, ‘It’s hard to describe the atmosphere- you have to experience it for yourself’.
The Ravello Festival is the Amalfi Coast’s annual summer music and arts festival with some of the most impressive outdoor stages the world has to offer. The Sunrise concert is arguably one of the festival’s most impressive highlights, featuring heart-stopping views of the Amalfi Coast and the sweet atmospheric delights of live, classical music.
When the Ravello Festival first found it’s home in Ravello, it was predominately an event held in honor of Richard Wagner, the renowned German composer who took inspiration from Ravello’s breathtaking scenery. The event was, at first, just a small group of locals coming together in commemoration, however the present-day festival has grown to include everything from orchestras to jazz groups, art exhibitions to dance performances. The festival does, of course, still acknowledge its beginnings, and Richard Wagner’s music remains at the core of the program each year- especially at Ravello’s acclaimed Sunrise Concert.
For those seeking a taste of la dolce vita without the throngs of tourists that the more infamous town of Amalfi attracts, Ravello might be exactly the destination you’re looking for. Sitting 350 meters above sea level, the peaceful town of Ravello lies serene and majestic, looking down on the Mediterranean Sea below. As a lesser-travelled alternative to the more popular destination of Amalfi, Ravello still clings to some of the magic that you find in the Italian countryside; family-owned restaurants, chalky backstreets and locals that are willing to let you practice your Italian.
While most people visit Ravello for its renowned festivals and impressive villas, the Duomo of Ravello is an equally impressive structure to bear in mind if you have a day to spare for sight-seeing.
Although the wider Ravello Festival boasts an array of delights from jazz to ballet, you should expect strictly orchestral symphonies from The Sunrise Concert. An outdoor stage is erected in the lush gardens of Villa Rufolo against the unforgettable backdrop of the Amalfi Coast.
When the clock strikes 5 am, musicians pick up their instruments and accompany the breaking dawn, the beauty of landscape revealing itself only as night turns into day. As the sun creeps above the trees that line the coastline view, the orchestral notes of the morning’s symphony crescendo, filling the outdoor arena with an unforgettable atmosphere.
Built in the first half of the 13th century by Nicola Rufolo, the villa that hosts the Sunrise Concert each year is one of Ravello’s most prized pieces in architecture. Villa Rufolo’s garden, known as the ‘Garden of the Soul’, seems to float somewhere between the sky and the sea. Giovanni Boccaccio famously immortalized the gardens of Villa Rufolo in his poetry about the Amalfi Coast and they were also the inspiration for the enchanted garden of Klingsor in one of German composer Richard Wagner’s last operas, Parsifal. It’s safe to say, then, that when you enter the gardens of the Villa Rufolo, you’re walking in the footsteps of history. This is a perfect backdrop for watching the sun rise over the Amalfi Coast.
The best way to ensure you don’t miss the breaking dawn is, of course, to stay up all night. You’ll find many of The Sunrise Concert’s ticket holders mingling in the town’s piazza awaiting dawn, however Ravello’s host of luxury hotels offer a more private way to enjoy the late night and early start. The Belmond Caruso Hotel sits at the highest point above Ravello, somewhere between the sea and the sky. After witnessing the splendor of The Sunrise Concert, The Belmond Caruso offers breakfast overlooking the Mediterranean Sea so that your morning of spectacular views doesn’t have to end so soon.
The Ravello Festival is an event that marries the splendor of music and history with the mystery of nature, and The Sunrise Concert is certainly a distinct highlight. If you’re looking for a way to make your summer in Europe unique, this is one of the more exceptional ways to spend an August morning.
