Gallery

If you distilled pure inspiration into a single place and gave it a name, for me it would be called Ravello.

The beautiful scenery of this Italian hill town (and the mountainous Amalfi Coast in general) is one of the major driving forces behind my stories. It’s so vibrant that the location easily becomes a character in itself. With such a wonderful setting to work with, I didn’t need to add much to it to paint a romantic picture.

Most of the outdoor locations in my stories are real places you could actually visit, with only minor adaptations to serve my stories (such as the addition of a cave, or a change in the use of a building). There are exceptions, of course: I have never been all the way to the summit of Monte Brusara, for example, and can only make an educated guess as to what it’s really like. Interior locations are invented, of course, as are the characters’ homes (with inspiration from the general characteristics of real neighbourhoods and streets).

Here are a few photographs of some of the key locations that feature in the stories.

Warning: SPOILERS within.

The Journey from Naples

In my stories, both Gianni and Reza are seen to make the journey from Naples airport to Ravello.

After travelling through the sprawling conurbation for many miles, you climb the mountains to reach the Valico di Chiunzi mountain pass before passing into the verdant interior of the Lattari mountains at Tramonti. Briefly, you are treated to an immense view of the bay of Naples, with the threatening mass of Mount Vesuvius looming nearby.

The view of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples from the road to the Valico di Chiunzi.

Ravello in Context

Ravello sits on a mountain ridge between two valleys: the Sambuco valley, leading down to the coast at Minori, and the Valle del Dragone, named after the Dragone river, which separates Ravello from the neighbouring mountain village of Scala. This unique position means that there are stunning views from both sides of the town.

The ridge runs from Monte Brusara at the inland end to a rocky crag with a sheer cliff at the seaward end, where one finds the beautiful, view-commanding Villa Cimbrone gardens.

The ridge of Ravello, seen from Scala. Left, above the car park, is the cathedral square with its eight umbrella pines. Centre, the Convent of St. Francis (San Francesco). The path to the Villa Cimbrone leads off to the right.

Central Ravello

A lot of the action in my stories takes place in Ravello’s cathedral square and the handful of streets and spaces that surround it. They form a loop of sorts, with Piazza Duomo (the cathedral square) and Piazza Fontana Moresca (the fountain square) at either end. Above both is the prestigious part of town known as the Toro; below, you will find the beginning of the valley road leading to Scala and the coast. Via Roma, the main shopping street, runs through the middle of the loop. Gianni and Giacomo live in the Toro – which may not be entirely realistic given that, in real life, it’s dominated by five-star hotels.

Seen on an extreme zoom from Scala, this is the best way to get an overall impression of Ravello’s cathedral square, framed by its eight umbrella pines.

Piazza Duomo, the cathedral square, is the busy heart of Ravello. It’s where you can find most of the bars, and it’s a natural place for my characters to meet or gather. On a Saturday night in the summer, it remains busy right through to midnight with people of all ages relaxing and socialising.

In Piazza Duomo, although you’re in the heart of town, you also feel like you’re in the heart of the landscape. This is the view across the valley to Scala, observed by many characters during the course of my stories.

Standing at the railings in Piazza Duomo you can get a better impression of the valley. On the right, the rather severe rear elevation of the cathedral at Scala; beyond, the upper reaches of the Valle del Dragone and the Lattari mountains.

A panorama of the square. In my stories, Reza is seen to refurbish the yellow building on the left hand corner although, by 2018 when this photo was taken, it had already been done up.

Via Roma, the narrow main shopping street, is difficult to capture on camera. It winds between densely packed buildings, even going underneath some of them as depicted here. Market ‘al Vicolo’, in the middle distance, was the inspiration for Salvatore’s grocery store.

The picturesque Viale Richard Wagner. Described in my stories as ‘the avenue of oleanders’, it links Piazza Duomo and Via Roma with the Toro. The famed composer’s enchanted garden of Klingsor is said to have been inspired by the Villa Rufolo, right here in Ravello.

Via San Giovanni del Toro, the main street through the prestigious part of town known as the Toro. On the right, the arched facade of the Belvedere Principessa di Piemonte, where Dani and Giacomo share several significant scenes.

This secluded courtyard on Via San Giovanni del Toro was the inspiration for Gianni’s grandparents’ house.

The aforementioned belvedere, which overlooks the Sambuco valley and the coast at Minori and Maiori.

Below the belvedere is an outdoor dining terrace belonging to one of the Toro’s luxury hotels. Gianni and Angelo make a minor scene here on New Year’s Eve.

A little further along the Toro, Via Santa Margherita offers this view inland along the Naples road towards San Martino (left) and the Sambuco valley (centre right).

The ancient fountain in Piazza Fontana Moresca, where Angelo memorably dunks Gianni in the water with a football.

A reverse view of Piazza Fontana Moresca reveals the hotel on which a number of scenes in my stories are loosely based, including Pietro and Anna’s wedding reception and Dani’s middle school leavers’ disco (in a fictional function room). Sergio, Gianni and Patrizia have all worked here. Beyond, the narrow alley where Marco’s parents live, which leads towards San Martino.

Just below the cathedral square is Via della Marra, usually described in my stories as the ‘tree-lined street’ leading down to the valley road. The ruin of the Palazzo della Marra spans the street, a distinctive and imposing feature.

A restaurant and ceramics workshop on Via della Marra. It sits at the very end of the valley road and, as such, is a common spot for my characters to meet or say goodbye for the day.

Just below the ceramics workshop, Via Sigilgaida snakes down through the olive groves in the Valle del Dragone. When Toto runs away from home, he eventually stops at the bottom of this stairway. It’s the route Dani and his friends use to reach their secret spot in the valley, and the spot where Dani and Giacomo catch Enzo in a private conversation with the police chief. Monte Brusara rises in the distance.

Villa Rufolo

Located in the centre of Ravello, just off the cathedral square, is the Villa Rufolo, an eclectic old property with exceptionally colourful formal gardens. It is one of the main venues for the annual Ravello Festival, where classical concerts are played on the main stage at dusk, a precipitous setup that appears to overhang the very sea itself. Toto, Claudia and Isabella are the main characters to have visited the gardens in my stories, although Dani and Emilia did attend a concert there on their ill-fated date.

The villa is an eclectic, creeper-covered assemblage of humped roofs and stone towers.

The main stage of the Ravello Festival. Imagine watching a classical concert here at dusk…

One of the formal terraces, draped with pretty bougainvillea plants. Claudia takes Toto here to practice her photography. Round the corner, Dani and Emilia find a quiet spot from which to watch one of the classical concerts.

Probably the most photographed view in Ravello, this is the view from the Villa Rufolo over the twin domes of the Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata.

Towards the Villa Cimbrone

The part of Ravello that lies between the cathedral square and the Villa Cimbrone gardens is one of the quietest parts of town, furthest from any actual roads. The climb up to the gardens is one of my personal favourite Ravello walks, and it’s almost always the first walk I do when I visit the town. Many of my characters have spent time in the area, either at the gardens themselves or at viewpoints along the way.

The arched porch of the Convent of St. Francis, which spans Via San Francesco – the winding stairway my characters usually climb on the way to the Villa Cimbrone.

Via San Francesco winds intriguingly up the hill between high stone walls and pine trees.

The vegetable garden below Via Santa Chiara. I believe it may belong to the nearby Villa Maria hotel. The village of Pontone, just across the Valle del Dragone, can be seen in the middle distance. So many of my characters have shared scenes here: Michele gives Toto a pendant; Dani and Giacomo wind up the gardener by pretending to steal the tomatoes; Gianni and Angelo sneak out of Angelo and Emilia’s birthday party for a moment alone.

From opposite the vegetable garden, Via dei Fusco leads down to Gianni and Angelo’s favourite viewpoint. Seen here in 2018, the trees have grown taller and partially obscure the view. The salmon-pink villa on the left is actually a small hotel; a fact I played down in my stories to enhance the sense of seclusion.

Gianni and Angelo’s favourite viewpoint, as originally seen in 2008. This was the view before the trees grew as tall as they are now.

Villa Cimbrone

The historic Villa Cimbrone is actually a luxury hotel, a fact that is played down in my stories, but the beautiful gardens are open to visitors (for a price) and, since Ravello doesn’t have a public park of any decent size, my characters visit the estate on a fairly regular basis. The views from the gardens are second-to-none, including, of course, the infamous Terrace of Infinity. I have taken a few liberties with the place in my writing, opening it up for evening birthday parties or playing a little with the layout of the lower terraces to give Dani and Marco somewhere quiet to bond.

The Avenue of Immensity runs through the centre of the gardens, eventually reaching the Terrace of Infinity.

Grapes ripening above the Avenue of Immensity.

One of the lawns with beautiful herbaceous borders. It’s doubtful that a group of teens would really be allowed to play football here, but artistic license must sometimes be taken!

The Statue of Ceres in a temple-like structure at the end of the Terrace of Infinity. Gianni and Angelo shelter here from the storm.

The extraordinary Terrace of Infinity. It sits at the top of a vertiginous cliff, and the view is unrivalled. All my characters have visited here at one time or another but, most significantly, it’s where Gianni’s past and present finally catch up with him.

Looking down into the lower part of the Valle del Dragone from the Terrace of Infinity.

A triangular lawn behind the terrace (not the best photo – only part of it is visible here). In my stories, it’s a space that can be hired out for evening parties.

There’s an element of creative license in the way the lower terraces are described, but in my stories they represent a deserted location where Dani and Marco can fight and, later on, begin to bond. Perhaps this is the pine tree where they tend to meet.

Seen on extreme zoom from Scala, the parasols mark the outer end of the party lawn. Below, the Temple of Bacchus is the quiet and secluded spot where Michele finally acknowledges his feelings for Toto. Dani and friends visit, too, but mostly just to laugh at the statue’s “dingus”.

San Cosma

From just outside the Villa Cimbrone estate you can descend a steep flight of steps to reach Via San Cosma, a quiet lane that snakes around the base of the crag on which the villa gardens stand, ending up at a hamlet and a place of pilgrimage on the slopes below the centre of town, not far from where Dani and Michele live. The olive groves at San Cosma have been a recurring location in my stories, visited briefly by Gianni and Angelo but haunted regularly by Toto and Michele and, later, Dani and Giacomo.

Off left, the olive grove where Toto and Michele, and later Dani and Giacomo, like to hang out. I probably exaggerated its scale and comfort for the sake of good storytelling.

Continuing along the sun-drenched path towards San Cosma itself.

Carpets of vibrant bougainvillea on the edge of the hamlet; Maiori in the distance.

The Hillside

The hillside below Ravello on the seaward side of town is dotted with churches and criss-crossed with a great many ancient lanes and flights of steps that lead down to the hamlets of San Cosma and Torello and, eventually, the coast itself at Minori, Marmorata, Castiglione and Atrani. There’s a single road down to Torello, a zig-zagging affair that is a more modern feature of the landscape. Dani and Michele both live on or close to the hillside road. Below the houses, the hillside is steeply terraced and dominated by olive groves and lemon orchards.

Via Orso Papice: a characteristic lane which is the mainstay of Dani’s many walks to and from and centre of town.

Via Nevile Reid, named for the Scotsman who purchased the Villa Rufolo in the 1850s and saved it from ruin. The first time Toto and Michele meet Dani, he has his back to the wall in this lane and is being menaced by Filippo. Later, Dani has his back to the same wall for a more pleasant reason…

At the foot of Via dell’Episcopio, a.k.a. ‘the Bishop’s Way’, which climbs to the Toro from a quiet lane just off the cathedral square. This archway on Via dell’Annunziata is the scene of several important overheard conversations… and a few stolen kisses.

Further down Via dell’Annunziata, the street runs through a tunnel under the Villa Rufolo (seen here from the villa gardens). While walking through this tunnel, Angelo sneaks a secret gift into Gianni’s pocket.

As the name would suggest, the street leads down past the Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata on its way down towards Torello and the coast.

A little further down, under the ancient stone porch of the Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie, Gianni and Angelo pause to admire and discuss Angelo’s gift.

Further down still, following Via San Pietro alla Costa, one reaches the church of the same name. Gianni and Angelo wrestle there; later on, Dani and his friends play a game of ball.

Looking back up from Torello gives you this view of the Villa Cimbrone at the top of the hill.

Minori

Visited on a romantic basis by Gianni and Angelo and on a party basis by a wider range of my characters, it would, in actual fact, be difficult to get any space or privacy on this busy little beach. The town itself is a bustling mix of modern and historic, not as picturesque as Atrani or Amalfi but still worth a visit. Like all the towns on the coast, Minori is cradled by the unique mountainous landscape that surrounds it.

Old buildings cluster round the beach, enfolded by the landscape.

Torre dello Ziro

The Amalfi coast is dotted with ancient stone watchtowers. One such tower is the Torre dello Ziro, perched on the end of an inhospitable crag between the coastal towns of Atrani and Amalfi. It’s possible to walk to the Torre from the nearby village of Pontone following decent but slightly precipitous paths through some rather beautiful pine woods. Michele is the first to visit, in the dubious company of Enzo, Filippo and Antonio. After Michele nearly falls to his death there, Toto takes him back there to help him face his fear of heights. Later on, they take Dani to the Torre for a summer adventure.

A wider view from the Villa Cimbrone shows the inhospitable crag my characters have to traverse to reach the Torre from the village of Pontone.

Starting from Pontone, my characters walk down this charming village street complete with aqueduct.

The ancient bastion at the entrance to the crag, amidst the beginning of the fragrant pine woods. The fictional cave Dani discovers lies beneath this spot.

Looking back from the woods leading to the Torre, you get this unusual view of the crag on which the Villa Cimbrone stands.

In extreme zoom the Terrace of Infinity is clearly visible.

Looking down from the Torre to the rooftops of Amalfi.

Atrani

This small, picturesque coastal town is visited briefly by my characters when they walk down to the larger coastal town of Amalfi via the Valle del Dragone, which eventually ends up here.

Amalfi

The central hub of the Amalfi coast was once at the heart of a powerful marine republic. These days it’s a popular tourist spot, full of character but very busy. The provision for education in Ravello is limited, and this is where my characters have to go for high school once they reach the age of 15.

Amalfi lies at the foot of the atmospheric Valle delle Ferriere with its many derelict mills, through which it’s possible to walk back up to Pontone and, eventually, Scala.

Walking from Atrani to Amalfi, this would be your first view.

Amalfi, looking back from one of the piers.

Amalfi’s bustling central street. The photo does not do justice to the crowds.

At the rear of Amalfi, the lemon orchards at the entrance to the Valle delle Ferriere. Toto and Michele walk home this way at the start of the summer.

One of the many ruined mills in the Valle delle Ferriere.

The Canneto stream in the Valle delle Ferriere, where Michele gets wet.

Positano

This iconic town is probably the busiest and best-known destination on the Amalfi coast. However, at high season, it’s exceedingly crowded, cramped and seems to trap the heat. I’ve always found it fairly unbearable; Reza certainly does, when he visits the place briefly with his parents. It’s probably the sort of place that’s much better to explore in the evening once the day visitors have gone.

The Mountains

Exploring the mountains above Ravello is hard work, but very rewarding. Crowned by chestnut woods, they couldn’t be more different from the olive groves and lemon orchards of the coastal slopes. Closest is Monte Brusara, a rounded peak at the point where the Valle del Dragone narrows down, which overlooks both Ravello and Scala. Gianni and Angelo, Toto and Claudia, and Dani and Giacomo have all spent nights to remember on top of the mountain. Further up the valley, high above both Ravello and Scala, is the Fontana Carosa, a remote but revered spot, where Dani and Giacomo share their first proper kiss.

Approaching the church at Santa Caterina, one of the highest hamlets of Scala. Dani and his friends pause here on their big bike ride to the Fontana Carosa.

High up in the valley, the shrine at the Fontana Carosa spring, where Dani and Giacomo share their first proper kiss.

The chestnut woods on the mountain trail between the Fontana Carosa and Monte Brusara.

This, I think, is where the path to the summit of Monte Brusara splits off from the main mountain trail. I’ve never been any higher than this, so the true summit of the mountain, as featured in several of my stories, is a product of my imagination.

Flora and Fauna

Of course, no Ravello story is complete without references to some of the memorable wildlife that you can find there.

One can’t walk far from the centre of Ravello without encountering a few LEMONS.

Lizards are everywhere, but they seldom stick around for long.

In the summer, Ravello is defined by the scraping song of the cicadas. Here’s one perched on an olive tree below Torello.

A daunting encounter with a venomous adder on the main footpath from Scala to Ravello.

And, in Ravello, CATS count as wildlife. Most of them are feral, although a few locals do appear to feed them.

Their behaviour is unusual. They hang around in family groups, seemingly less territorial than domestic pets.

…sometimes, quite LARGE groups. We call this area ‘cat central’; we think it’s a feeding spot.

They’re mostly pretty cautious, but a handful, such as this kitten we met at the Villa Cimbrone, are friendly.

Ravello at Night

During hot summer months, one of the nicest and most magical times to be out and about in Ravello is at dusk or after dark, when the heat dies down a little and the lanterns spring into life, casting Ravello, Scala and the coast into a different sort of light altogether.