Imposta di soggiorno: a per-person, per-night line (comune di Ravello)
The comune of Ravello levies a per-person, per-night tourist tax (imposta di soggiorno), collected by the host through the PayTourist system the comune uses and remitted to the municipality, applied at check-out. It is a small line against a villa headline, but itemized on a compliant contract. Minors are usually exempt and the charge is typically capped at a set number of consecutive nights; confirm the current rate and the age threshold with the manager, as the comune sets the schedule.
IVA: 0% on a private let, 10% on a managed let with services (22% on fees)
This is the line that moves the most money. A villa let directly by its owner under Italy’s locazione breve regime carries no IVA, and the owner pays a flat cedolare secca of 21 percent on the first property let (26 percent on additional ones) rather than charging the guest. A villa let professionally with hotel-like services adds 10 percent IVA on the accommodation, and the agency or concierge fee carries 22 percent IVA. On a $120,000 managed headline, a 10 percent IVA line is $12,000. Ask in writing which regime applies before comparing two villas, because the structure can shift the total materially.
Service and concierge: 5 to 12 percent where it applies
A managed villa usually folds the concierge into the headline or adds a management fee of 5 to 12 percent plus 22 percent IVA. At the trophy tier the concierge earns its keep: Ravello’s steps, the festival tickets, the boat days, and the restaurant tables in August are exactly what a good local desk handles. Verify whether the concierge, the pre-stock, and the airport coordination are bundled or billed separately.
Staff: housekeeping and a daytime cook are common, the rest a la carte
The trophy clifftop estates usually include housekeeping, a daytime cook or breakfast, and a gardener in the headline, with an evening chef, a butler, and a driver on request. Mid-market villas include housekeeping and sometimes a cook. The step access at many Ravello villas means a porter or luggage service can matter as much as a chef. Verify the bench and the hours in writing, because two villas at the same headline can differ sharply on team.
Evening chef: €350 to €800 per service plus food at cost
Where the villa does not include an evening chef, an independent one runs €350 to €800 per service plus food at cost for ten, in line with the wider Amalfi Coast. The strongest benches are alumni of the Campania Michelin rooms. Food cost lands at €70 to €160 per person depending on protein (local fish, Cetara anchovy, buffalo mozzarella, the lemon that defines the coast) and the wine. The August lead time runs six to ten weeks.
Restaurant nights: €90 to €300 per head
The Ravello rooms, including the Michelin-starred dining at the Palazzo Avino and the Caruso, run €150 to €300 per head before wine. A long lunch at a coast restaurant in Atrani or Amalfi runs €90 to €160. A boat-out lunch at a Nerano or Praiano beach restaurant runs €120 to €220. Book the marquee rooms six to ten weeks ahead in August, when the festival fills the village.
Boat day: €1,200 to €6,000 per day
Ravello’s lack of a seafront makes the boat day the way to reach the water. A day on a 40 to 50-foot gozzo or motor cruiser with a skipper, out of Amalfi or Salerno, runs €1,200 to €3,500 plus fuel and a tip, taking in Positano, Capri, and the Li Galli islands. A larger crewed yacht for a Capri day runs €4,000 to €6,000. Most groups run one or two boat days across a week.
Transfers: €220 to €400 by road, €2,500 to €5,000 by helicopter
Naples International (NAP) sits about 60 km north of Ravello, an hour and a half to over two hours by road on the SS163, one of the slowest luxury-airport runs in Europe. A private V-Class runs €220 to €400 each way. The fast alternative is a transfer to a Sorrento or Salerno port and a boat to Amalfi, or a helicopter to the Amalfi or Salerno pad at €2,500 to €5,000. Build the SS163 traffic into any arrival plan.
Gratuities: €150 to €400 per staff member per week
Ravello villa staff are paid through the owner or manager. A cash gratuity on departure of €150 to €400 per staff member per week is the practice, more for a house manager who runs an exceptional week and handles the steps and the logistics. The chef and the boat crew are tipped separately at 10 to 15 percent.