Just a few steps away from Piazza Duomo, we come upon the entrance to the Villa La Rondinaia, the charming set for this delicate editorial shoot in Ravello.

“What I see defies description! Stunned, I feel my heart race as I look at  every detail that  surrounds me.
Today is a day unlike any other.
For the first time I understand what it means to perceive real  beauty. A vision that will remain with me for the rest of my life indelibly printed in my heart.
Today, magic has been demonstrated.”
Gore Vidal

There are places that are the stuff of myth and legend.
There are places that – if you pass through them they remain with you.

The charm of Villa La Rondinaia for this editorial shoot in Ravello

Going up from Amalfi towards Ravello, resting among the rocks like a swallow’s nest, you can see the Villa La Rondinaia.

Its construction dates back to 1927 when it  was commissioned by Lucylle, daughter of Ernest William Beckett who  built the Villa Cimbrone. Indeed the two villas are very close to each other- Cimbrone overlooking Villa La Rondinaia.

The first thing you notice is the  relationship between the house and the surrounding gardens.
One must cross the park to reach the villa which is situated in an enviable position overlooking the Tyrhenian sea. From here, from its terraces, from its windows, from its balconies you have one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

Nature itself is omnipresent. It  leaves the observer  suspended in a  dreamlike, surreal dimension. You lose yourself in its beauty and the serenity that envelops the place.

One can only try to imagine what it means to live in its rooms, to be a part of its long history. The villa has attracted leading figures from the world of art and culture- writers, artists, actors all of whom must have been stimulated and inspired by the ambience of the place.  

Today La Rondinaia is known mainly as the dwelling of the American writer and screenwriter Gore Vidal who retired here for thirty-three years, moving here  in 1975 when he became its owner.

And just a few steps away from Piazza Duomo, walking along a long tree-lined avenue and the park that precedes it, we come upon  the entrance to the Villa La Rondinaia.
The privacy of the place, the wonder of his views, were a precious source of inspiration for Gore Vidal.

It is difficult to convey in words the beauty of the villa.
Of course, we can mention the lemon groves, the wisteria and grape pergolas, the intense cobalt blue pool  , the interiors divided by arched doors, corridors and barrel-vaulted ceilings.
But words cannot really convey the intimate and profound charm of this place.

The sophisticated beauty of Ravello always deserves a mention. With its narrow streets, its gardens, the pastel colours of its buildings, it remains one of the most precious and fascinating jewels of the entire Amalfi Coast.

However, we are able through the power of our lenses to record what is impossible to describe. We can create images that capture the present but also evoke the long and colourful history of our subject.
We do not want to attempt to tell a story.

We can journey through time and space and….demonstrate magic.

Would you like to see some other editorial shoot on the Amalfi Coast? Check the following links:

“The Mediterranean. Lights and Shadows of the South.”, “A touch of Exotic on the Amalfi Coast, styled shoot in Positano” and “Heady Autumn Passion, styled shoot on the Amalfi Coast” and get in touch with us, we would love to know your opinion!