Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Italy's Amalfi Coast
Stoker Kim and I took a trip to the Italian Amalfi Coast to
celebrate her birthday in early March. This
all started last summer when we were reading “What’s the Deal” in the travel
section of the Sunday Washington Post.
This section contains short descriptions of good deals for air travel, cruising,
package tours, etc., and had a short blurb about an all-inclusive trip with
Central Holidays for a seven-day trip to Amalfi. It included airfare from JFK, all land
transportation in Italy, hotel and meals in Minori, and trips and activities
every day to other towns and destinations in the area for $2,000/person.
Stoker Kim and I jumped on it (the cost of airfare on
Alitalia alone was $1,300 if purchased separately) as it seemed like a good
deal.
Central Holidays (http://www.centralholidays.com)
provided everything they said they would.
The hotel was adequate and probably the best in the area and the staff
was great. The daily trips were also
good and there were activities back at the hotel every night including several
cooking demonstrations by the hotel chef.
Overall it was a great trip.
I recommend it and Central Holidays if you are looking for this type of
package deal holiday.
The following is mostly photos of the trip. Once again, the Amalfi Coast is one of those
Italian destinations (like Tuscany and Lake Como) where you may as well stop
taking photos after a few days. It is
all so beautiful that you have probably seen a similar fantastic coastal view and
photographed it yesterday even though you are standing in a different location.
The beauty of it seems to run together
after a few days.
Our neighbors Al and Jill saw the same article in the WaPo. We ran into them at JFK.
The Hotel Villa Romana in Minori
That is our hotel at the end of the street. The following are views of Minori.
The hotel chef, Guliano, was a great sport and gave us all cooking diplomas. Here is Stoker Kim.
Neighbor Jill also earned her apron and wooden spoons.
We stopped in Sorrento on our way to Capri.
This and the following photos are Capri.
Al bought this wonderful bottle of white in Capri. I am starting to like him now.
Minori as seen from the mountain town of Ravello where the following photos were taken.
I seem to run into work everywhere I go.
This low-ordered projectile was a garden ornament in Ravello.
The weather was great the first three days and then turned nasty.
This is the beach in the town of Amalfi.
The next few photos are from our visit to Pompeii.
They have locked storage areas full of antiquities.
The Amalfi Coast is famous for its beautiful lemons. These are the size of cantalopes.
Stoker Kim and I played hookie from the group in Sorrento and skipped pizza
for a romantic lunch at Caruso's Restaurant.
On our last day we skipped the tour and took a walk from Minori to Maiori next door.
Stoker Kim's fan club lined the hill alongside the road to greet us.
Looking back along the road toward Minori.
Maiori
Thanks for reading. Arrivederci.
