Overlooking the sea among the vineyards on Mount Epomeo, it was the passion of sea captain Giuseppe D’Ambra that, over a fifty-year period, led to the creation of Ravino Gardens. Before him, his father Antonio was a collector of crassula plants, displayed in large shells to decorate the exterior of his old house in Forio. When he became a captain, Giuseppe took advantage of his travels to far-off continents to pick up a variety of specimens and achieve his dream of making an acclimatization garden of succulents and cacti, one that is unique in Europe: inspired by the concept of biodiversity, it has an incredible number of varieties, spanning 5,000 specimens and 400 different species, plus some 200 Cycadaceae, Palms and Musaceae. Originally planted with vines, this 6,000 mq plot is also home to citrus trees, aromatic and medicinal plants, various flowers, palms, a collection of bonsai trees, water lilies, coffee and tea plants, and sugar cane. In 2010, Giardini Ravino was awarded the (European Parliamentary Observatory and Council of Europe) OPE Prize as the southern Italian company that had most excelled in the tourism sector by making use of local resources.