Rome, Capri and Amalfi

April 2009

The Hotel Floridiana in Amalfi was a great find.  (I mention the town because there is an unrelated Floridiana Hotel on Capri.) The hotel had just received an award as one of the best-valued hotels in the world on Tripadvisor for 2009.  It was well deserved.  The rooms, with lots of silk, looked like they were recently redecorated.  Marian and I had a "superior" category room for 120 euros ($156) and Maritza and her mom stayed in a suite for 130 euros.  The suite was a duplex with a private whirlpool tub on the upper level.  The bathrooms in both rooms were quite modern and dramatic with blue tinted light.  They provided tissues in the bathrooms.  Why do I mention this?  I mention it because it is rare to find a box of tissues in European hotels other than American chains.

Agnes and Eva were both wonderful hosts.  The cold, continental breakfast was good and was served in a beautiful dining room.  A computer was located in the breakfast room where we could access the internet at no charge.  I was expecting to be woken up each morning by the church bells, but the windows were soundproofed well enough that I didn't hear a thing.   www.hotelfloridiana.it

Basing in Amalfi was a good choice.  It's a place where people live.  Yes, there are many tourist shops, but they are intermingled with everyday life.  The weather hadn't been good and I could tell it was hurting business.  Shopping in Amalfi was good and more affordable than Capri.

Day 5, Amalfi

Amalfi was in its heyday during the 10th Century as a maritime powerhouse.  It even established the "rules of the sea" -- the basics of which survive today.  In 1343, Amalfi was devastated by a tsunami.  That disaster, compounded by the plague, left Amalfi a humble backwater.  Today the shipyards where its powerful galleys were built a thousand years ago now house tourist shops.

Agnes

Hotel Floridiana Entrance, Amalfi