Villa Cimbrone

Villa Cimbrone has more distinct ceremony and reception spaces than any other venue in Ravello, each with its own character, capacity and cost: the Terrace of Infinity with its marble busts above the sea, the Rose Garden, the Cloister, the Gothic Crypt and the villa's own rooms, rebuilt from 1904 by Ernest William Beckett, later Lord Grimthorpe, with Nicola Mansi in a mix of mock-Gothic, Moorish and Venetian styles. On the day of the event the villa is yours alone: the gardens, open to the public by day, close early.

Nothing is built here for the occasion: you choose which corner of the gardens to stand in, and the sea does the rest.

In September 2026 the villa hosted the wedding reception of Italian television presenter Ilary Blasi, some eighty guests in the gardens with the Crypt ready as the rain plan and the kitchen run by Michelin-starred chef Lorenzo Montoro: proof, if any were needed, that the house machine holds up under the most photographed event of the year.

Where the ceremony takes place

Planners who work here point to two main settings: the Terrace of Infinity, which takes around a hundred people (110) for a standing ceremony or a cocktail, and the Rose Garden, where the couple stands at one end with the sea showing through the foliage and guests sit in rows on either side, for 120 to 150. For symbolic ceremonies and religious blessings, any corner of the garden works.

A legally binding civil ceremony does not take place at the villa: the municipality of Ravello performs them at Palazzo Tolla, the town hall, or in the Giardini della Principessa di Piemonte, both in the village centre, ten to fifteen minutes away on foot. The usual sequence is the civil rite in town, then the villa for the symbolic ceremony, drinks and reception. For couples coming from abroad, the paperwork for a civil wedding in Italy is the first thing a local planner sorts out.

The reception: Crypt, halls and gardens

The Gothic Crypt is the space most often used for dinner: 100 to 120 seated guests under the vaults, with the advantage of doubling as the natural rain plan. The villa's indoor rooms, with frescoed ceilings, original floors and windows onto the gardens, suit smaller receptions of 40 to 60 seated. Drinks and the after-dinner party go out into the gardens, in the spots the planner agrees with the villa, because not every part of the park lends itself to tables and equipment.

How many guests

From 30 to 200, with a sweet spot around 150: beyond that, every space is in use and the on-foot logistics weigh more heavily. The right number depends on which combination of spaces you choose, since each has its own capacity and costs add up by area, not just by head.

Staying at the villa: the 19 rooms and the wedding weekend

The hotel inside the villa has 19 rooms: for larger weddings it is common to take them all for the weekend, so the couple and their families have the villa the evening before and the morning after, with the Terrace of Infinity outside visiting hours. Other guests stay in Ravello's hotels, within walking distance, or in Amalfi, seven kilometres below. The Michelin-starred restaurant Il Flauto di Pan, with chef Lorenzo Montoro, is the house kitchen for the reception as well.

How guests get there

Nobody drives up to the villa: you walk up from Piazza Duomo, 10 to 15 minutes with steps, and that is worth telling guests in advance, for their shoes and for anyone who finds walking difficult. Naples airport is about 60 to 65 kilometres away, an hour or a little more; Salerno, with its railway station, about 35; anyone arriving by sea lands at Amalfi and comes up by taxi or shuttle. Shuttles between the hotels and the centre of Ravello, and minibuses from Amalfi, are a fixed line in any wedding budget here.

When to marry here

The villa and the hotel operate from late March to late October. May, June and September are the most requested months, for the weather and the light on the sea; July and August are hot and the village is full of visitors. In summer the Ravello Festival brings concerts and audiences: on some dates an asset for your guests, on others a problem of traffic and hotel rooms, to be checked with the planner against your chosen date.

How much it costs

Villa Cimbrone publishes no wedding price list: every proposal is built around the event. The most recent guide, by Italian Venues (July 2026), gives a mandatory buyout of all 19 rooms for two nights at weekends, with rooms and event between 60,000 and 110,000 euros, and an overall budget of 113,000 to 198,000 euros for 50 guests over two or three days, including dinners, décor, photographer and music. Other planners' guides report figures for individual spaces in the order of 6,500 euros plus VAT for an hour of exclusive ceremony and 8,000 euros plus VAT for drinks on the Terrace of Infinity.

The civil ceremony, held at Ravello's town hall rather than at the villa, has its own municipal fee. Figures for the rest of Italy are in our guide to luxury wedding costs.

What to ask before signing

• which spaces the proposal includes (terrace, rose garden, crypt, halls) and the capacity of each;
• what time the gardens close to the public on the day, and from when the villa is truly exclusive;
• whether the crypt is included as the rain plan or added separately;
• how many of the 19 rooms must be taken to secure exclusivity for the weekend;
• how flowers, equipment and luggage are brought up, since the last stretch is on foot only;
• hours and limits for outdoor music, and how they are handled with the municipality.