The star-shaped crypt and tea in the romantic garden of Villa Cimbrone

One should always experience the gastronomic delight of dining in the crypt of Villa Cimbrone on nights when there is a full moon – that is, on those evenings when this neo-Gothic architectural marvel is bathed in the soft light of the Earth’s satellite, whose delicate rays filter through the octagonal pillars. What appears to be a stone forest with a canopy of pointed-arch cross vaults thus becomes a fairy tale, with Lorenzo Montoro – chef at the restaurant Il Flauto di Pan, Villa Cimbrone’s gastronomic gem – as its magician. It is likely that even Greta Garbo, who spent nights of love in this residence—built on the site of a panoramic farmstead dating back to the late Roman era—would gladly dine in the crypt. Chosen as a favourite retreat by the British nobleman Ernest William Beckett, Lord Grimthorpe at the dawn of the 20th century – and frequented by Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West – the garden of Villa Cimbrone soon took on the romantic spirit in vogue at that time, accentuated by the choices of Lucile, the heiress most deeply rooted in Ravello. Statues, friezes and Roman-era columns made their appearance, adorning the avenues and, above all, the terrace overlooking the sea of the Amalfi Coast (even Pierpaolo Pasolini was moved by the fragrance of the rose garden, where the petals dedicated to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam stand out). This compositional harmony has been preserved by the Vuilleumier family, who have owned Villa Cimbrone for four generations: today, Marco tends the garden with passion, whilst his uncle Giorgio has passed the managerial baton to his children and grandchildren. Enjoying tea at sunset in the park, getting married beneath the yew trees, kissing beneath the Ceiba Speciosa, and even picking tomatoes in the vegetable garden alongside the chef to prepare your own caprese salad. Just as savouring cocktails made with bougainvillea flowers is worth the trip up here. Not to mention attending evening Mass in the cathedral, amongst the rood screens of the central nave, where the parish priest intones a truly powerful ‘Gloria’.