Villa Cimbrone & Its Terrace of Infinity
Perched at the very tip of Ravello's promontory, Villa Cimbrone is a medieval-style estate whose gardens cascade toward a clifftop terrace that Gore Vidal once called the most beautiful view on earth. The so-called Belvedere of Infinity — a stone balustrade lined with marble busts — hangs 300 metres above the Tyrrhenian Sea with nothing between you and the horizon.
The Gardens
Spread across eight hectares, the gardens weave between rose arbours, crypt-like grottos, a Temple of Bacchus and a Japanese-inspired tea house, all planted in the early 20th century by English aristocrat Lord Grimthorpe.
Every turn reveals a new framed view of the coastline, and in May the roses are so dense and fragrant that the air itself seems pink. Even on the busiest summer days the garden's layout absorbs the crowds with remarkable ease.
The Belvedere of Infinity
The terrace itself is a narrow stone platform that juts out over the cliff, flanked by 18th-century marble busts representing the seasons and classical deities — each one slightly worn by salt air in a way that feels entirely right.
Arrive just before opening time or in the last hour before closing to have the balustrade almost to yourself, the light turning the sea a deep cobalt and the Fiordo di Furore visible far below.
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