The Story of 'Dream Tower' (Torre del Sogno)

They say about the Torre del Sogno: a place of wonder in Ravello

The Tower of Dreams has always captivated the curiosity of visitors to Ravello. A local online newspaper described this unique monument as "a place dedicated to pure enchantment" and noted how its unusual silhouette immediately captures the imagination.

Built in 1924, the tower is a modern interpretation of Ravello's medieval soul. It was designed by local artist Francesco Amato, known as Mastro Ciccio, for Achille Benigno, a prominent figure in the Amalfi Coast's forestry corps. Its distinctive battlements and the harmonious play of light and shadow frame glimpses of sky and sea, creating a structure that seems both dreamlike and timeless. Over the years, the tower has inspired painters, hosted illustrious guests, and distinguished itself as a beloved vantage point overlooking the breathtaking skyline of the Amalfi Coast. Members of the Italian royal family and prominent statesmen have admired the view from this vantage point, as recorded in the Benigno family's historic guestbook.

Today, the Tower continues to tower over Ravello with the same charm and sense of wonder that inspired its name. Guests staying here can experience the beauty that so many artists, travelers, and dreamers have perceived, where the coast unfolds before you like a living painting.

Source: Summary inspired by an article published on May 13, 2020, in a local Ravello newspaper. Dream Tower – A Place of Wonder in Ravello

brief history of the Torre del Sogno

To briefly tell the story of Palazzo Benigno Torre del Sogno, I like to start with a funny expression that's still heard on the Amalfi Coast today:

"L'acqua ne purtaje Majùr," uttered with complacency by those—already a bit cheerful—who want to justify the "convenience" of wine compared to the damage water can cause.

And that "cheerful" is right: water truly caused enormous damage to Maiori on October 24, 1910, when a violent storm claimed lives and destroyed homes, roads, and land.

It was then that my grandfather Achille Benigno (1879–1966), who lived in the hamlet of Vècite in Maiori, having irretrievably lost his home, moved his family to Ravello. He found refuge in a small house with a bit of land on Via San Martino—or rather, 'ngoppa a Santu Martino—inherited from my grandmother Carmina Maltese (1881–1968).

It was 1910, and from that "little room" of Grandma Carmina, now the kitchen with a wood-burning oven on the first floor, Grandpa Achille began building the entire palace around it. In 1924, he completed the work by adding the tower at the top. Why is it called "Tower of Dreams"?

The name "Tower of Dreams" was chosen by Grandpa Achille himself.

The almost unreal silence, the beauty of the panorama, and the expansive view from up there are truly... dreamlike.

Friends and illustrious guests, climbing the tower, often said:

"It feels like being in a dream here."

And so, naturally, the tower became the Tower of Dreams. The protagonists of this story

It is with pleasure that I introduce some of the characters of Palazzo Torre del Sogno through a photograph taken in 1954, on the occasion of Aunt Elisa's wedding to

It's a unique photo because, to my knowledge, it's the only one that portrays all the protagonists and supporting characters in the Palazzo's history together:

Grandpa Achille and Grandma Carmina, their ten children, with their respective spouses, and the grandchildren of the time. I'm between Grandpa Achille's legs, my parents are in the background (Dad is in uniform), and my sister Carmen, too young, stayed home, except for me and my sister Carmen, who, I believe, had a fever and Carmen was too young.

Another family picture

A photograph that also includes my sister and me is the one my father took on the stairs leading to the house's patio.

An important, historic, and meaningful staircase for us, Benigno, like the tower itself, and still capable of conveying emotion every time you walk up it

The photo was taken on August 10, 1955, on the occasion of Grandpa Achille and Grandma Carmina's golden wedding anniversary. Many of the ten children are present, except for my father, hidden behind his Zeiss bellows camera.

Un documento unico

To conclude this brief story, I also present the image of an extraordinary document: a private document in which Grandfather Achille's children express their desire not to squander the Palazzo's legacy, striving to fulfill their father's wishes, who wanted the house to remain: "for everyone and for no one."

It is, as far as I know, the only document that contains all the signatures of the ten Benignos, protagonists of the origin and "first history" of Palazzo Torre del Sogno.

The continuation of the story

It is now up to the lucky current owners of the Palazzo to continue the story.

Signed

Achille                                                                                                                                                      (with coat and hat similar to those of Grandpa Achille)