It rises on a terrace facing the gulf. It includes a series of buildings in the Arab-Sicilian style, all hidden in the green vegetation. It was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Rufolo, the most important family of Ravello, who amassed a fortune acting as bankers for, among others, Charles of Anjou. By the time Scotsman Francis Reid bought the place in 1851, the villa and its surrounding garden were little more than tangled ruins. The house was reborn as an eclectic melange, altough certain parts - especially the charming double-tiered Moorish cloister - were not tampered with too much. A 14th century tower constitutes the entrance of the palace, around which there is the charming garden, rich in exotic plants, pines and cypresses. Here Boccaccio placed the merry company of the Decameron; here Wagner found inspiration in 1880: he knew that he had found the magic garden of Klingsor, the setting for the second act of Parsifal.

In Wagner's honour, a world-class series of classical concerts is held here in the summer, along with the occasional ballet. Though collected under the Festival di Ravello umbrella, these performances, by prestigious Italian and international musicians and orchestras, are not so much a concentrated festival as a long season of open-air concerts, predominantly of chamber music, running from March until the beginning of November. There are also various associated sub-festivals during the year, including the Concerti di Musica Sinfonica (symphonic concerts) in July and the Settimane Internazionali di Musica da Camera (Chamber Music Week) in September. So, great Wagnerian concerts take place here the partecipation of Italian and foreign orchestras, in the magnificent scenery of this ancient palace, which is the highest testimony of the medieval splendour of Ravello, where merchants and navigators loved to stay.