Ravel must its foundation to families of the roman aristocracy who, left their own cities because of the barbaric invasions, found shelter on the Lattari Mounts, rich of waters and vegetation. The origins of the name probably go searched in the pre-Indo-European “Grav”, than connected to its base “Karra”, stone, would indicate a hill, specifying the geographic positioning of the city.
Ravel, until the century XI, entertained commercial relationships with the Arabic East and byzantine, following the tracks of Amalfi, favoring the formation of a new local aristocracy, that was supported by Norman kings, thanks to which Ravello in the 1086 became Episcopal center, directly employee from the Pope, than from those Svevi and Angioini.
The period of greater splendour was between the centuries XI - XIV as it is demonstrated by the great demographic increment in a city encircled from three orders of wall, out of which the colonic houses and cultivated lands were extended.
In the next centuries there was a large decline of the zone because of the fights between Angioini and Durazzeschi; in century XVI earthquakes, pests (1527-1528) and scarcities (1565-1570-1585), confined Ravello in isolation.
From the second half of the 1800's the zone began to being revalue.
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