Ravello

Ravello is a coastal town in the Amalfi Side, the name given to a hillside region overlooking the sea near Salerno. In the story of Landolfo Ruffolo, it is both the home from which he ventures out to seek wealth and the destination to which he finally returns, restored by a fortune recovered at sea.

Setting and Commercial Life

The narrative places Ravello among the towns on a celebrated stretch of coastline extending from Reggio to Gaeta. The area is described as rich in gardens and springs, and its inhabitants as prosperous and energetic in trade. Ravello itself is introduced as one of these towns, providing the local setting for Landolfo’s considerable wealth and commercial ambitions.

Landolfo’s Departure and Reversal

Landolfo leaves Ravello with a large ship loaded with merchandise bought with his own money, bound for Cyprus. There he finds other ships carrying the same kinds of goods. Their competition forces him to sell cheaply and nearly ruins him, turning the security of his wealthy life into a crisis. Rather than return to Ravello poor, he sells his ship and uses the proceeds to outfit a smaller vessel for piracy, especially against Turkish ships. The change of trade proves more profitable: after taking many vessels, he recovers what he lost and gains still more.

Return and Significance

After later reversals at sea, Landolfo reaches Trani, where fellow townsmen, who are drapers, provide him with clothes, lend him a horse, and escort him toward Ravello. Once home, he examines the jewels he has carried back and discovers that their value makes him twice as wealthy as before his departure. He sends money to the woman in Corfu who helped him after the wreck and to the people of Trani who aided his return, then lives honorably in Ravello for the rest of his days without trading again. The town thus frames a complete arc of departure, loss, survival, and return: Landolfo’s restored prosperity is measured not only by his recovered wealth but by his ability to settle again in the place from which his risky pursuit began.