Coral Museum of Ravello

The long tradition of coral carving on the Amalfi Coast is put in the spotlight at the Coral Museum in Ravello. Tucked away in an unassuming shop fronted by flower pots, the museum is housed in the Camo workshop, one of the area's most prestigious names for coral and cameo jewelry. The Ravello area has been a center of marine jewelry craftsmen for centuries, where coral has been plucked from the waters of the Gulf of Salerno and Napoli and carefully carved into jewelry and fashioned into figurines. The museum documents the various manufacturing techniques, showing the ancient tools used in turning the raw materials into pieces of art. Hundreds of pieces are on display, including a stunning coral crucifix and a magnificent Madonna, along with beads, cameos and jewelry, a section of Ebraica, and even a nativity scene - everything handmade from coral, pearls or shells, ranging from Roman times to the 20th century.

The Camo workshop is a destination in itself, where master craftsmen still practice the trade and have crafted coral for the likes Pope John Paul II, President Clinton, and Princess Caroline. The hand-tooled pieces are all unique, designed by Giorgio Filocamo, who took up the trade at age 11, passed on to him by his grandfather.

The Coral Museum and Camo workshop is located next to the Duomo in the piazza in the historic center of Ravello.