Ravello — my own villa
Villa Mariella
A terraced garden above the sea, and a table for twenty-five. It belongs to my family, so when you ask me something about it, I am the answer — not the middleman.
Villa Mariella is my family's house and my own property. It sits above Ravello, on the stairway that runs up to the centre of town, inside a terraced garden with a natural pergola of lemon trees over the table.
It is not a hotel and it does not pretend to be. There is one long table, a kitchen that cooks for that table, an indoor dining room for the days the weather turns, and a view that does most of the work. I take one event a day here — nobody else is on the property while you are.
The villa is not an alternative to the bigger venues in Ravello — it is an addition to them. Marry in the cathedral, or at any of the civil venues in town, and hold the celebration here: it is a walk up from the centre, on foot, so there is no convoy of cars on the coast road and no hour lost between the ceremony and the first glass.
The villa in short
- Capacity
- Up to 25 seated. The number is set by the indoor dining room, which seats the full 25 if it rains — so the guest count never depends on the weather.
- Wet weather
- An indoor dining room that takes all 25, so bad weather changes the room, not the plan.
- Music
- Live music and DJ until midnight. This is the limit set by Ravello's municipal regulations, not a house rule — it applies across the town.
- Ceremony
- Symbolic ceremonies at the villa. Marry wherever you choose in Ravello — church or civil — and celebrate here.
- Getting ready
- A private bedroom and bathroom for the couple to dress, on site, all day.
- Staying the night
- The villa is yours for the night, if you want it.
- Exclusivity
- One event per day, always. Nobody else is on the property while you are there.
- Location
- A short walk from the centre of Ravello — the cathedral square, Villa Rufolo and the restaurants are on foot from the door. Private transfers come up to the road just below the villa.
What happens here
Twenty-five people, one table, one day.
Welcome dinners
The night everyone lands. Long table, one menu, nobody seated by placard. This is what the terrace was built for.
Rehearsal dinners
Close family and the wedding party, the evening before. Short speeches happen here rather than eating into the wedding day.
Elopements
Two of you, a celebrant, and whoever you brought. A symbolic ceremony under the pergola, lunch afterwards without moving cars.
Intimate weddings
Up to 25 seated. Marry in the cathedral or at one of Ravello's civil venues, walk up here afterwards: aperitivo in the lemon garden, dinner on the terrace, dancing on the stone.
Post-wedding brunches
Slow, late, barefoot. Coffee, sfogliatelle, whatever the kitchen has left. The best photographs of the whole weekend usually happen here.
Proposals
Terrace to yourselves at sunset, one table, no other guests on the property. I keep the staff out of sight until you nod.
At the table
A sample menu — written the week of, not a year before.
The shape below is fixed; the dishes are indicative. The menu is agreed with each couple after a tasting at the villa, following the season and the market, and the kitchen handles allergies and children without making it a production.
- On arrival
- Aperitivo in the garden: local sparkling wine or a lemon spritz made with fruit off the terrace, small fried things, olives, taralli.
- Antipasti
- Served family-style down the middle of the table. Buffalo mozzarella brought up from the Sele plain that morning, marinated vegetables, cured fish.
- Primo
- One pasta, cooked to order. Scialatielli with clams, or a lemon and basil linguine when the fruit is right.
- Secondo
- Fish landed at Amalfi or slow-cooked meat, with two contorni from the garden and the market.
- Dolce & after
- Delizia al limone, seasonal fruit, espresso, limoncello on the table.
Why it is different
There is nobody to negotiate with. That is the whole point.
It is mine
Villa Mariella belongs to my family. When you ask for the ceremony to move an hour later, I say yes or no myself — I do not go and ask anyone.
No rental committee
There is no estate manager, no owner's representative, no board of relatives to be consulted about candles on the parapet.
No third party in the middle
One contract, with me. No agency fee sitting on top of a venue fee, and no supplier list you are obliged to buy from.
I am there
I live minutes away. Site visits happen at short notice, and on the day I am on the terrace, not on the phone from another wedding.
Enquire — Villa Mariella
Ask me about your date directly.
Villa Mariella sits above Ravello, reached on foot. Tell me on our call who is travelling with you and I'll walk you through the arrivals.
This form comes to me, and it is only about the villa. If you are planning a wedding elsewhere on the coast, start here instead.
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