The town council for Ravello wanted more of the action. It sits 365 metres above Amalfi... seven klms away... watching tourism flood Amalfi with wealth... while its rural community staggered from one financial crisis to another.
By way of background... Ravello has had some minor brushes with celebrities... Humphrey Bogart had a wild weekend up there in the 1950's... but the biggest was that Wagner claims that one of his symphonies was inspired by a garden in Ravello. Also relevant is a fallen down Saracen castle in the middle of town.
The Town council really picked a winning strategy... it has built the town's economy around Wagner concerts... focussed on the highbrow set... and has made Capri look rather gaudy and tasteless. The wonderful thing about Ravello is that very merchant in town seems 100% behind the town initiative. Every shop in town has a renovation that is less than 5 years old... every shop assistant seems to have polished shoes, white shirt and black slacks. Everywhere you look the town speaks in unison... highbrow... highbrow... highbrow.
They levelled out the farmers market to make a huge piazza... positioned to show the ancient church to its best effect... it built loads of car parking... the blue-rinse set won't have to get hot and sweaty walking from their limos to the theatre... and have maintained colourful gardens at every street corner.
The town council showed just how clever they are with their development of the Saracen castle. They have fashioned it as the backdrop for Wagner opera. Gardens feature once more... a huge stage has been built... projecting over the cliff with spectacular views along the Amalfi Coast... an open air design with seating hugging the cliff face.
As a backup to the main strategy, Ravello has also developed a wedding business. The church faces onto the huge piazza... room enough for wedding group shots needed for the social newspaper pages. The Saracen castle is perfect for the formal wedding shots... and the town has an ample supply of top quality villas for receptions and accommodation.
How did the town council get every merchant to support the plan? You would think that there would be one obstinate property owner who wanted to continue with the old ways... keep the butchers business in the centre of the piazza... offer fruit and veg to the hiking tourists who walk through the town. But no... every merchant offers quality products at premium prices. Capitalism is a great invention... isn't it?
After an expensive lunch... we walked down 365 metres in elevation to Amalfi... too many steps to count... lots of aching joints... and joined the great unwashed buying their plastic trinkets... trying on the knockoff brands of T-shirts... queuing up for another pizza.
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