At the seaward end of the buttress or cliffs you can see sticking out above the hills in this photo is the site of Villa Cimbrone, an historic house and garden estate in Ravello. The house, some of which dates from the 11th century is now an eyebrow hotel. Their site has details of the history and descriptions of the garden. The gardens were redone extensively in the early 1900’s, and are open to the public. I was interested in seeing them because, among other famous people, the Bloomsbury Group used to hang out there, and yes, it was quite possible to imagine them there. The gardens are extensive, and a mixture of very formal and ‘pretty little wildernesses’.

Looking back to the entrance tower.

The beautiful flowering wisteria along the Avenue of Immensity.

The belvedere on the Terrace of Infinity.

The famous view out to sea and the horizon (in the opposite direction to the one above!) is indeed as beautiful as reputed, but I only seemed to get good photos of the view down, which was also amazing!

Hotel guests having tea – or is it coffee – and newspapers.

For some reason these rose gardens were where I imagined the Bloomsbury’s hanging out.

There were many sculptures, including one in a grotto. I liked this one of David best. We read it was a Donatello, but googling suggests otherwise, that it’s by Neapolitan sculptor Gioacchino Varlese.