Villa Rufolo

Fans of Richard Wagner know that the gardens surrounding the Villa Rufolo, the site of the Ravello Festival, inspired the German composer when he wrote Parsifal. (Wagner visited in 1880, and in his imagination, the Rufolo setting morphed into the enchanted gardens of the magician Klingsor, where much of Act II takes place.) The sprawling property features a myriad of architectural styles, including an Arab-Sicilian cloister and a Norman tower, but it’s most famous for the lush gardens, beautiful sea views and the 14th-century Torre Maggiore, known as Klingsor’s Tower, where some of the festival’s recitals are held.

TIP: If you don’t time your visit to coincide with the Ravello Festival, be sure to check the schedule of the Ravello Concert Society (www.ravelloarts.org) for chamber music performances held throughout the year.