Into the chaos, the fumbling in the dark, an order is imposed as people form circles around performers, a troupe of acrobats, jugglers and escape artists, a comedian, a group of musicians, a story-teller... this is trial by public jury: if the performance falls flat, the tricks fail to amuse or the stories to amaze, the crowds move on.

BBC: Djemaa el Fna, the beating heart of Marrakesh

The small town has been here for more than 1, 500 years, perched on a dramatic cliff top 1000-feet above the sea, and in the past few centuries has garnered a reputation as a popular escape for creative artists and musicians: Ravello has been a home away from home to Wagner, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Greta Garbo, Graham Greene, Leonard Bernstein and M.

FORBES: One of Italy's Greatest Hotels Is Reborn

But first these artists needed to escape.

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