They weren’t the only ones though, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar also settled there. Even if both the Marras and the Rufolos were court clerks and faced a terrible death in the end, the families were never direct affiliates of the Knights Templar. To fully understand the strong connection binding Ravello and music, we need to go back to the middle of the XIII century, when the marriage between the Rufolo and Marra families sealed a new relevant economic and political arrangement. For half a century, the two families played leading roles as inspectors of taxes, ports, customs, and castles, living in two mansions: Ravello on the West Coast and Barletta on the East. Nicola Rufolo inherited the Villa Rufolo, and he got it renovated following the Arabic architecture of the Normans in Palermo as an inspiration. Barletta at that time worked as one of the most influential harbors towards the East, and because of that, numerous merchant families settled in the city. This land, especially the city of Ravello, has been a source of musical inspiration for centuries regardless of topics and trends. So let’s go back to a century ago when the city was at its highest point of splendor in an age of fear, hope, crusades, and witches. And there is an aspect that merges everything in the most inspiring way: music. The Coast displays the perfect mix of history, art, and breathtaking landscapes. By Alessio Amato, photo by Salvatore Guadagno
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